Towns of Burgundy
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Auxerre
Auxerre
is the capital city of the département of Yonne. It is located to the southeast of
Paris, on the Yonne River.
The town abounds in Gallic and Roman remains.
There is also a museum, a library, a college, and a
palace of justice.
The
city boasts the 13th century Gothic cathedral of Saint Étienne,
the churches of Saint Germain and Saint Pierre, and the
Episcopal palace.
Auxerre
has been the seat of a bishopric since the 3rd century.
The town was a duchy of the
Carolingian empire, the second
dynasty of Frankish kings.
Later, it was ruled by the house of Nevers.
In 1370, the département was bought by
King Charles
V. It was
ceded, in 1435, to the duchy of
Burgundy.
Following the death of King Charles the Bold, It was
reunited with France in 1477.
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Beaune
Beaune
is located on the Bouzaise River, in the département of Côte-d'Or.
The town is a center of tourism and wine marketing.
Wine auctions are held each November.
Beaune was an important town in
Roman times.
With the fall of Rome, in the 5th century,
its fortunes declined.
Its fortunes revived, with the growth of the wine
market, in the 18th century.
Beaune is encircled by a wall reinforced by 13th and
15th century towers.
Many
other historic structures have also survive the years.
The Hôtel-Dieu, which was constructed in 1443, is
still in use as a retirement home and a museum.
The 12th century Church of Notre-Dame contains
15th century tapestries depicting the life of the Virgin
Mary.
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Chalon-sur-Saône
Southeast
of
Paris is Chalon-sur-Saône.
The town is located in the département of Saône-et-Loire,
in east central France.
It is a regional commercial center for the Saône
Valley. Chalon
has a harbor and is a crossroads for river and rail
traffic.
Chalon owes its significance to its location on the Saône
and the canals linking the Saône to the Loire, Marne, and
Rhine rivers. In
the 19th century, the completion of this canal system made
Chalon an important river port, allowing it to attract a
variety of industries.
Before the existence of railroads, travelers from
Paris came to Chalon by coach to take the riverboat to
Lyon,
France
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Dijon
Dijon,
which was known as Castrum Divionense in the 9th
century, is located in east central France.
It is the capital of the département of Côte-d'Or.
It is a port city, situated at the confluence of the
Ouche and Suzon rivers and the Burgundy Canal.
It is also a shipping center for
Burgundy wine and a
commercial and manufacturing center.
Points of interest are: the 12th century city
hall that was rebuilt during the17th 18th centurys.
It was formerly the ducal palace, but now houses a
museum that has a collection of fine statues by the medieval
Dutch sculptor Claus Sluter; the 14th century
Cathedral of Saint Bénigne
and the 13th century Church of Notre Dame
were both constructed mainly in the Bourguignon Gothic
style; the Renaissance Church of Saint Michel, which was
built during the 15th century; and the Palace of Justice
(15th to16th century), which was once the seat of the Burgundy
parliament. The
city also boasts of its own
University of Dijon, which was
founded in 1722.
Dijon is a
splendid city, filled with the great palaces of the old
Burgundian nobility.
It
possesses a collection of great paintings and sculptures
which are located in the
Musée des Beaux-Arts.
The Musée
was the palace of the dukes of
Burgundy.
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