Chalon-sur-Saône
Encyclopedia
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune
in the Saône-et-Loire
department in the region
of Bourgogne
in eastern France
.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon
.
region of France. It is located on the Saône
river, and was once a busy port, acting as a distribution point for local wines which were sent up and down the Saône river and the Canal du Centre
.
stationed the Roman 7th Army in Chalon (then called Cabyllona) for an invasion against the brother kings, Gundomad and Vadomar of the Alamanni
. However, not having had received supplies, the Roman troops revolted, and were pacified by the grand chamberlain Eusebius with money.
The bishopric of Chalon-sur-Saône, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lyon since Roman times, was merged into the diocese of Autun
shortly after the French Revolution
.
Chalon is best known as the birthplace of photography
. Its most famous resident, Nicéphore Niépce
also has a lycée (secondary school) named after him. There is a museum
which contains some early photography relics, located on the Quai des Messageries in the town, containing more than two million photographs and many old artefacts such as cameras and other equipment for old and modern photography. Also on display are Niépce's 1807 Pyréolophore
which is probably the world's first internal combustion engine
, plus his 1818 implementation of a draisienne for which he coined the word vélocipède
.
Another famous resident is Dominique Vivant Denon (1747–1825) who was involved in the creation of the Louvre
museum, converting the former royal palace into a museum after the French Revolution.
railway station offers connections with Paris, Dijon, Lyon and several regional destinations.
. Like Chalon, which has a large Saint-Gobain
factory, St. Helens is a prominent centre of glass manufacturing. Solingen
, Germany
Novara
, Italy
Næstved, Denmark
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
department in the region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
of Bourgogne
Bourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...
in eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon
Mâcon
Mâcon is a small city in central France. It is prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, in the region of Bourgogne, and the capital of the Mâconnais district. Mâcon is home to over 35,000 residents, called Mâconnais.-Geography:...
.
Geography
Chalon-sur-Saône lies in the south of the BurgundyBourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...
region of France. It is located on the Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
river, and was once a busy port, acting as a distribution point for local wines which were sent up and down the Saône river and the Canal du Centre
Canal du Centre (France)
The Canal du Centre, originally known as the Canal du Charollais, is a French canal running from Digoin, where it now joins the Canal latéral à la Loire, to the River Saône in Chalon-sur-Saône. It was opened in 1792 and made it possible for the first time for boat traffic to pass from the north of...
.
History
In 354 AD the Roman Emperor, Constantius IIConstantius II
Constantius II , was Roman Emperor from 337 to 361. The second son of Constantine I and Fausta, he ascended to the throne with his brothers Constantine II and Constans upon their father's death....
stationed the Roman 7th Army in Chalon (then called Cabyllona) for an invasion against the brother kings, Gundomad and Vadomar of the Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
. However, not having had received supplies, the Roman troops revolted, and were pacified by the grand chamberlain Eusebius with money.
The bishopric of Chalon-sur-Saône, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lyon since Roman times, was merged into the diocese of Autun
Diocese of Autun
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Autun, is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in France. The diocese comprises the entire Department of Saone et Loire, in the Region of Bourgogne....
shortly after the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Chalon is best known as the birthplace of photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. Its most famous resident, Nicéphore Niépce
Nicéphore Niépce
Nicéphore Niépce March 7, 1765 – July 5, 1833) was a French inventor, most noted as one of the inventors of photography and a pioneer in the field.He is most noted for producing the world's first known photograph in 1825...
also has a lycée (secondary school) named after him. There is a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
which contains some early photography relics, located on the Quai des Messageries in the town, containing more than two million photographs and many old artefacts such as cameras and other equipment for old and modern photography. Also on display are Niépce's 1807 Pyréolophore
Pyréolophore
The Pyréolophore was probably the world's first internal combustion engine. It was invented in the early 19th century in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, by the Niépce brothers: Nicéphore Niépce and his brother Claude....
which is probably the world's first internal combustion engine
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
, plus his 1818 implementation of a draisienne for which he coined the word vélocipède
Velocipede
Velocipede is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle....
.
Another famous resident is Dominique Vivant Denon (1747–1825) who was involved in the creation of the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
museum, converting the former royal palace into a museum after the French Revolution.
Main sights
- St. Vincent's CathedralChalon CathedralChalon Cathedral is a former Roman Catholic cathedral located in Chalon-sur-Saône. It was the seat of the Bishop of Chalon. The diocese was abolished by the Concordat of 1801 and was absorbed by the Diocese of Autun.Parts of the building date from the 8th century, but the neoclassical façade is...
on the Place Saint-Vincent, which has some elements dating from the eighth century and a neoclassical nineteenth century façade. - This city square also has a number of cafés and a busy market on Fridays and Sundays.
Transport
The Gare de Chalon-sur-SaôneGare de Chalon-sur-Saône
Gare de Chalon-sur-Saône is the railway station serving the town Chalon-sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire department, eastern France. It is situated on the Paris–Marseille railway.-Services:-References:*...
railway station offers connections with Paris, Dijon, Lyon and several regional destinations.
Events
Chalon-sur-Saône hosts, every year in July, an international street artists festival, called Chalon dans la Rue ("Chalon in the street"). Over four days, artists from across Europe and beyond come to the streets of Chalon to perform, mostly for free, in music, theatre, acrobatics, comedy, etc. A program is made available by the town, so people know of the main groups performing, and several newspapers report what performances are must-see and where and when to find them. Plus, there are always things to discover simply by wandering down the streets.Twin towns
Chalon-sur-Saône is twinned with: St. Helens, United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Like Chalon, which has a large Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain S.A. is a French multinational corporation, founded in 1665 in Paris and headquartered on the outskirts of Paris at La Défense and in Courbevoie. Originally a mirror manufacturer, it now also produces a variety of construction and high-performance materials.The company has its head...
factory, St. Helens is a prominent centre of glass manufacturing. Solingen
Solingen
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is the second largest city in the Bergisches Land...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Novara
Novara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Næstved, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
See also
- Élan Sportif ChalonnaisÉlan Sportif ChalonnaisThe Élan Sportif Chalonnais is a French basketball club, based in Chalon-sur-Saône.The club was founded in 1970 as the merger of Chalon-sur-Saône and Bourgneuf Mercurey, reaching professional status in 1994...
- Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department
- Côte ChalonnaiseCôte ChalonnaiseCôte Chalonnaise is a subregion of the Burgundy wine region of France. Côte Chalonnaise lies to the south of the Côte d'Or continuing the same geology southward. It is still in the main area of Burgundy wine production but it includes no Grand cru vineyards...
- Neuilly sa mère !Neuilly sa mère !Neuilly sa mère ! is a 2009 French comedy film directed by Gabriel Julien-Laferrière. It stars Samy Seghir as a beur teenager who moves from the housing projects to the upscale neighborhood of Neuilly-sur-Seine...
, 2009 film set partially in Chalon-sur-Saône