Pontarlier

Pontarlier is a commune and one of the two sub-prefectures of the Doubs branch in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comte location in eastern France near the Swiss border. Pontarlier occupies the historical Roman station of Ariolica, in Gallia and is located within the Tables on the road from Urba modern Orbe, Canton Vaud, Switzerland, to Vesontio present day Besancon. Although the distances within the Antonine Itinerary do not trust the actual distances, French geographer D'Anville identified a transposition of the numbers. The Theodosian Tabula names the area Abrolica, which William Smith states as a possible blunders of transcription.

After the Burgundian invasion in the 5th century, Pontarlier became an unavoidable way of change from the dominion of Burgundy to Switzerland, Germany or Lombardy. Until the 17th century it lay on the easiest way to move Jura mountains. The city of Pontarlier is in short stated in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. It turned into to this town that convict Jean Valjean was to record for his parole after being launched from the galleys. Breaking these instructions is a major turning factor within the novel, and additionally creates a few principal conflict for Valjean later in the tale.