BRIANC ON, a strongly fortified town and climatic resort in the department of Hautes-Alpes, south-east France, near the Italian frontier. Pop. (1931) 3,386.
The old town, composed of steep narrow streets, lies on a plateau over 4,000ft. high, above the upper Durance, at the foot of the descent from the Mont Genevre pass (q.v.), 51m. by rail from Gap. Briancon, the Brigantium of the Romans, formed part of the kingdom of King Cottius. About 1040 it fell to the counts of Albon (later dauphins of the Viennois) and thenceforth shared the fate of the Dauphine. The Brianconnais included the upper valley of the Durance and tributaries, and the valleys of the Dora Riparia and the Chisone on the eastern side of the Alps. By the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) these valleys were handed to Savoy in exchange for that of Barcelonnette, on the west slope of the Alps. In 1815 Briancon withstood a siege of three months at the hands of the allies, a feat commemorated by an inscription on one of its gates, Le passé re pond de l'avenir. The modern town extends in the plain south-west of the plateau and forms the suburb of Ste. Catherine, with the railway station and an important silk weaving factory. The conspicuous parish church dates from the 18th century. In summer Briancon is a busy tourist centre.