The flood of Doubs river was the biggest flooding in the history of the Doubs river (France); the water rose up to nearly 10 metres above the usual level, January 21, 1910. The principal departements affected were the département of Doubs, the département of Jura and also the département of Saône et Loire. At least one person was killed, and many others may have been killed because of this flood.
Causes In the beginning of 1910, a lot of floods damaged France: the flood of Seine river in Île-de-France, in Chambéry, Troyes, Morez and lot of other French cities were affected and the ports of Marseille and Toulon where decimates by an historical tempest.
In Franche-Comté, the most probable causes of this flood where a heavy rainfall in the region since the previous month; the ground could not retain more water. Another cause accentuated the situation: the snow melted because the temperature was exceptionally warm.
Cities and villages affected The following list includes cities and villages officially damaged by the flood of the Doubs. The flood affected 112 cities or villages in Doubs, 33 in Jura, and 20 in Saône-et-Loire, so a total of 154 localities.
Municipalities of Doubs
Abbans-Dessous Appenans Arbouans Arçon Audincourt Avanne-Aveney Bart Baume-les-Dames Bavans Berche Besançon Beure Bief Blussangeaux Blussans Bonnétage Bourguignon Boussières Branne Byans-sur-Doubs Chalèze Chalezeule Champlive Charmauvillers Charquemont Chaux-lès-Clerval Clerval Colombier-Fontaine Courcelles-lès-Montbéliard Dampierre-sur-le-Doubs Dampjoux Deluz Doubs Esnans Étouvans Fessevillers Fourbanne Fourcatier-et-Maison-Neuve Fournet-Blancheroche Gellin Glère Goumois Grand'Combe-Châteleu Grand'Combe-des-Bois Grandfontaine Hauterive-la-Fresse Hyèvre-Magny Hyèvre-Paroisse Indevillers Labergement-Sainte-Marie Laissey La Cluse-et-Mijoux La Longeville La Prétière Les Combes Les Fins Les Grangettes Les Villedieu Liebvillers L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs Longevelle-sur-Doubs Longevilles-Mont-d'Or Lougres Maisons-du-Bois-Lièvremont Malbuisson Mancenans Mandeure Mathay Médière Montancy Morteau Montbenoît Montfaucon Montferrand-le-Château Mouthe Montjoie-le-Château Montlebon Montperreux Noirefontaine Novillars Osselle Ougney-Douvot Oye-et-Pallet Pompierre-sur-Doubs Pont-de-Roide Rancenay Rang Roche-lès-Clerval Rochejean Roche-lez-Beaupré Roset-Fluans Routelle Saint-Georges-Armont Saint-Hippolyte Saint-Maurice-Colombier Saint-Point-Lac Saint-Vit Santoche Sarrageois Soulce-Cernay Thise Thoraise Torpes Vaire-Arcier Vaire-le-Petit Valentigney Vaufrey Villars-Saint-Georges Villars-sous-Dampjoux Ville-du-Pont Villers-le-Lac Voujeaucourt
Municipalities of Jura
Annoire Asnans-Beauvoisin Audelange Baverans Brevans Champdivers Chaussin Chemin Choisey Crissey Dampierre Dole Éclans-Nenon Étrepigney Évans Falletans Fraisans Gevry Lavans-lès-Dole La Barre Longwy-sur-le-Doubs Molay Neublans-Abergement Orchamps Parcey Peseux Petit-Noir Rahon Ranchot Rans Rochefort-sur-Nenon Salans Villette-lès-Dole
Municipalities of Saône-et-Loire
Authumes Charette Charnay-lès-Chalon Ciel Clux Fretterans Frontenard La Villeneuve Lays-sur-le-Doubs Les Bordes Longepierre Mont-lès-Seurre Navilly Pierre-de-Bresse Pontoux Pourlans Saunières Sermesse Varenne-sur-le-Doubs Verdun-sur-le-Doubs
Besançon The city of Besançon experienced severe flooding in its historic center and the Battant district. The Doubs river, which flows through the heart of the city in a distinctive loop formation, caused significant damage between January 18–21, 1910. Initially, residents and local authorities showed minimal concern despite awareness of exceptional water level rises downstream, operating under the assumption that the flood's magnitude could not exceed the previous record set during the 1882 Doubs flood.
On January 18, 1910, the Doubs river rose to nearly 7 meters above normal levels, reaching 8.68 meters on January 20. However, the situation dramatically worsened on Friday, January 21, 1910, at 3:00 AM, when the 1882 water level record was significantly exceeded. The flood peak reached 9.57 meters—72 centimeters higher than the previous record and nearly 10 meters above the usual level. In certain areas of the city, the inundation reached depths of over 1.5 meters.
The flood brought the city to a complete standstill. Public lighting was suspended, leaving residents without electricity and gas services. All bridges across the Doubs were closed to traffic, effectively cutting off transportation between different parts of the city. Commercial activities and administrative functions ceased entirely during the peak of the flooding.
As floodwaters receded by morning, they revealed extensive damage throughout Besançon. Streets had been carved with new ditches, buildings sustained severe structural damage, urban furniture was uprooted, and manufactured goods and everyday objects were scattered throughout the affected areas. The situation was described as chaotic and attracted significant media attention from both regional and national newspapers. Damage estimates exceeded two million French francs at the time, equivalent to approximately 6.5 million euros in contemporary currency.
Despite the extensive physical damage and disruption to city life, no fatalities were reported within Besançon or its immediate surroundings during the flood event.
Role of the Doubs in Besançon
Besançon is situated within a significant meander of the Doubs, nearly a kilometer in diameter, which is sometimes compared to a peninsula, forming an almost perfect loop closed off and overlooked by Mount Saint-Étienne, a high plateau open to the Jura region. The city later expanded beyond this initial framework into a basin surrounded by : Chaudanne (422 m), Bregille (458 m), Saint-Étienne (371 m), Roche d'Or (316 m), Planoise (490 m), Rosemont (466 m), and Fort-Benoit (360 m). This specific site was long considered ideal for urban development, strategically and militarily (as a defensive site) and economically and commercially (due to its river access, forests, agriculture, and livestock).
The city's central district, encompassing the La Boucle and Battant areas, exhibited high levels of urbanization and population density. In 1906, this area housed 56,168 inhabitants within an ancient core characterized by a dense and homogeneous architectural ensemble of residential and public buildings. The city's distinctive topography and organization, while being significant assets, also presented a substantial disadvantage during flood events. The districts of La Boucle, Battant, and Velotte, along with adjacent sectors such as , , , the , and the neighboring communes of Avanne-Aveney and Chalezeule, are bordered by the river and are particularly vulnerable during such disasters.
Previous major floods in the city Besançon has experienced repeated inundations throughout its history, with varying degrees of impact.
The earliest extant records mention significant floods in 1364, 1456, and 1570, when the waters inundated the streets of Gustave-Courbet, Boucheries, and Claude-Pouillet, and even reached the altars of the Cordeliers and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. In the 18th century, seven floods were recorded, including one on October 26, 1776, that destroyed two-thirds of the Bregille Bridge, and another on January 26–27, 1789, that carried away the remaining section of the original structure. In the 19th century, the floods of January 30, 1802, and particularly that of 1882, were particularly memorable, with the latter causing significant damage.
However, the 1910 flood, which resulted in a height of 9.57 meters of water and significant destruction, far exceeded the previous record of 8.85 meters set in 1882. This level of flooding was not anticipated and therefore not included in historical records.
Chronology
Early signs of the flood The flood was precipitated by a series of climatic events that began in early 1910 and persisted throughout the year. These events included the overflow of the Seine in Île-de-France, and inundations in other regions such as Chambéry, Troyes, and Morez. The ports of Marseille and Toulon were damaged due to a storm of historic proportions. In eastern France, substantial precipitation in the form of heavy rainfall and abundant snowfall had been recorded since January 10, 1910, reaching its zenith between January 16 and 18. The confluence of warm southwesterly winds and excessive rainfall further exacerbated the situation, as these conditions rapidly melted the substantial snowpack, resulting in soil saturation and water runoff into valley floors. In few hours, all the waterways in the region were inundated, prompting alerts in several cities.
The municipal hydrographic service of Besançon received anticipatory notifications from upstream communes, particularly those in the upper valley, that a substantial flood was imminent—first comparable to that of 1896, then similar to that of 1882, before forecasts reported even higher levels. Local measurements in Besançon corroborated this, indicating that on Tuesday, January 17, at 7:00 a.m., the Doubs river level was recorded at 3.48 meters. By Thursday, January 19, at the same time, the level had already reached 7.25 meters. However, the day before, there was no perceptible concern. The residents had become accustomed to the Doubs river overflowing and did not anticipate a major flood, particularly one that exceeded the magnitude of the 1882 flood. Local newspapers, with the exception of L'Éclair Comtois, merely forecasted light precipitation for January 20th. However, L'Éclair Comtois published a headline that read, "The torrential rains and snowmelt predict a terrible flood of the Doubs."
Thursday, January 20
Dusk - 5:00 p.m.
At 7:00 a.m., water level readings at the indicated that the river had exceeded seven meters. Authorities, alerted by dispatches and telegraphs from Voujeaucourt and Audincourt, warned the residents of the Franc-Comtois capital with hunting horns about the impending danger. The water level had risen by 15 centimeters per hour during the night, according to estimates, and had already flooded the basements in the lower part of the city by early morning, including the . Many shopkeepers, waist-deep in water, were seen trying to save whatever merchandise they could recover from their cellars. This was when people began to realize the gravity of the flood. In response to this crisis, a specialized crisis unit was established at the municipal government's headquarters. This unit was led by the secretary general of the municipality and the commander of the local firefighters. The crisis unit oversaw the efforts of fifteen rotating municipal employees.
Local officials, including deputies Durant and Siffert, conducted a tour of the city. By 9:00 a.m., the water level had reached 7.52 meters, and by 10:00 a.m., emergency responders (soldiers and police) prohibited access to the Bregille bridge. This decision was partly influenced by the dangerous water level and current of the Doubs, but was primarily driven by the threat posed by pieces of wood, furniture, and even house debris that were smashing into the structure, directly threatening its integrity. The inundation affected numerous areas of the city, including Claude-Pouillet Street, Place de la Révolution near the quay passage, the , , Archives Street, and a section of Charles-Nodier Street.