Saint-Claude

Saint-Claude ) is a commune and a sous-préfecture of the Jura department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It lies on the river Bienne.The town was originally named Saint-Oyand after Saint Eugendus. However, when St. Claudius had, in 690, resigned his Diocese of Besançon and had died, in 696, as twelfth abbot, the number of pilgrims who visited his grave was so great that, since the 13th century, the name "Saint-Claude" came more and more into use and has today superseded the other. Was the world capital of wooden smoking pipes crafted by hand from the mid 19th century all the way to the mid 20th century. During WWII the town came under German occupation, yet still remained a haven for Jews escaping to Switzerland due to its close proximity to it . As a punishment for the locales consistently assisting and harboring the fleeing Jews, the Nazis executed all the towns males of service age in the town center. There is a memorial plaque in the city square commemorating the event. Today there are several farms and ranches surrounding the town that produce many world famous brands of dairy , beef , and poultry .

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