Mulhouse, France

A large, sprawling, industrial city 35km south of Colmar, MULHOUSE was Swiss until 1798 when, at the peak of its prosperity (founded on printed textiles), it voted to become part of France. It's also the birthplace of Alfred Dreyfus, the unfortunate Jewish army officer erroneously convicted of espionage in 1894, provoking a national furore. Not being endowed with an especially picturesque old town, Mulhouse attracts less tourists than Colmar or Strasbourg, but there are nevertheless a handful of rather unusual museums in and around the town that delve into the region's manufacturing past: wallpaper, printed fabrics, locomotives and automobiles are all given their platform. At the beginning of August vintage cars from the Musée de l'Automobile are on display as part of a Grande Parade, and in late August, Mulhouse hosts the region's hottest jazz festival (Tel:03.89.45.63.95, Web: www.jazz-mulhouse.fr ).