Parc scientifique du Près-la-Rose, Science park on a peninsula in Montbéliard, France

The Parc scientifique du Près-la-Rose is a ten-hectare green space located on a peninsula between the Allan River and a canal in Montbéliard. The park features botanical gardens, large insect sculptures, and scientific installations arranged throughout its walkable grounds.

In 1597 the printer Jacques Foillet built a sawmill and a paper mill on this spot, whose name comes from 'la raisse', the Franc-Comtois word for sawmill. A foundry operated here from 1793 to 1968. After the site was abandoned, the town turned it into a scientific park, opened to the public in 1994.

The park's name comes from the Franc-Comtois word "raisse", meaning sawmill, near which the land lay; a slip of the pen turned it into "Près-la-Rose", and "Pré la Rose" is a common misspelling. The former towpath along the canal is now part of the EuroVelo 6 cycle route, and many newlyweds come here for photographs.

The park is accessible through two parking areas with wide, well-maintained paths that circle the entire grounds and accommodate bicycles and wheelchairs. The layout makes it straightforward to explore different sections at your own pace.

A working Foucault pendulum stands outdoors demonstrating Earth's rotation, alongside a Galileo fountain and a giant sundial meridian for visitors to observe. These installations allow you to witness physics principles in action rather than just read about them.