Introduction
Subprefecture and commune in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
For other uses, see Beaune (disambiguation).
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Subprefecture and commune in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, FranceBeaune
Beane (Burgundian)Subprefecture and communeHospices de Beaune
Coat of armsLocation of BeauneBeauneShow map of FranceBeauneShow map of Bourgogne-Franche-ComtéCoordinates: 47°01′30″N 4°50′23″E / 47.025°N 4.8397°E / 47.025; 4.8397CountryFranceRegionBourgogne-Franche-ComtéDepartmentCôte-d'OrArrondissementBeauneCantonBeauneIntercommunalityCA Beaune Côte et SudGovernment • Mayor (2020–2026) Alain SuguenotArea131.30 km2 (12.08 sq mi)Population (2023)20,352 • Density650.2/km2 (1,684/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code21054 /21200Elevation193–407 m (633–1,335 ft) (avg. 219 m or 719 ft)1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Beaune (French pronunciation: [bon] ⓘ; in Burgundian: Beane) is a town in eastern France widely considered the wine capital of Burgundy, in the Côte-d'Or department. It is between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of France's key wine centers and a major hub of Burgundy wine production and business. The Hospices de Beaune's annual wine auction is the primary wine auction in France.
The town is surrounded by some of the world's most famous wine villages, such as Meursault or Puligny Montrachet, while the facilities and cellars of many producers, large and small, are in the historic center of Beaune itself, as they have been since Roman times. With a rich historical and architectural heritage, Beaune is considered the "Capital of Burgundy wines". It is an ancient town on a plain by the hills of the Côte d'Or, with features from pre-Roman and Roman eras through the medieval and Renaissance periods.
Beaune is a walled city, with much of the battlements, ramparts, and moat having survived in good condition. The central "old town" within the walls is extensive. Historically Beaune is intimately connected with the Dukes of Burgundy.
The 15th-century Hospices de Beaune, in the town center, is one of Europe's best-preserved Renaissance buildings.[citation needed] Other landmarks in Beaune include the old market (les Halles), the Beffroi (clock tower), and the collegiate church of Notre Dame. Beaune is the main center of the region's "Burgundian tile" polychrome Renaissance roofing style. Because of its historical importance in wine production and the unique system of terroir in the region, the town of Beaune was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 as part of the Climats, terroirs of Burgundy site.
Wine
[edit]
Main article: Beaune wine
Vineyards on the outskirts of Beaune
Beaune is one of the key wine towns in the Côte de Beaune section of the Burgundy wine region. Although Beaune itself does not have a Grand cru named for it, it is the hub of the region's wine business, as many of Burgundy's major négociants are here. Beaune is renowned for its annual charity wine auction on behalf of the Hospices de Beaune.
It is on the route des Grands Crus which is a road that runs through the vineyards, north from Beaune to Gevrey Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges and south to Nolay, Saisy and Autun.
The town
[edit]
Beaune is the centre for wine industry services (such as tractors and equipment for vat-rooms) as well as a number of wine-related institutes and education facilities.[citation needed] The train station is served by TGV, through Dijon or Lyon.
There is a comprehensive "traditional" shopping area clustered around the central square with a focus on gourmet food, fashion, and wine, while large supermarkets, business parks, etc., are situated on the outskirts of town.
Beaune has a major fine food market on Saturdays, where there are a large number of stall holders supplying a broad selection of products and specialties from Burgundy and the surrounding regions. For example, Bresse chickens, Jura cheeses, small goods, spices, produce of every variety as well as seasonal specialties such as truffles. There is a smaller market on Wednesday, and special-event markets and festivals are held throughout the year.
Beaune attracts a large number of tourists, around 400,000 each year according to the Hôtel Dieu.[citation needed]
Beaune is one of a number of towns in Europe asserting a key role in the "invention of film"; a number of murals and other tourist attractions reflect this.[citation needed]
Technically Beaune is a commune in eastern France, a sub-prefecture of department 21, the Côte-d'Or department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
Place de la Halle in Beaune, France
Population
[edit]
Historical populationYearPop.±% p.a.1793 10,114—    1800 8,344−2.71%1806 9,298+1.82%1821 9,947+0.45%1831 9,908−0.04%1836 10,678+1.51%1841 10,585−0.17%1846 11,362+1.43%1851 10,969−0.70%1856 10,453−0.96%1861 10,715+0.50%1866 10,907+0.36%1872 11,176+0.41%1876 11,421+0.54%1881 12,038+1.06%1886 12,146+0.18%1891 12,470+0.53%1896 13,726+1.94%1901 13,887+0.23%YearPop.±% p.a.1906 13,540−0.50%1911 13,409−0.19%1921 11,661−1.39%1926 11,990+0.56%1931 11,862−0.21%1936 12,161+0.50%1946 11,990−0.14%1954 13,175+1.19%1962 15,367+1.94%1968 16,874+1.57%1975 19,060+1.76%1982 20,207+0.84%1990 21,289+0.65%1999 21,923+0.33%2007 22,012+0.05%2012 21,806−0.19%2017 21,031−0.72%2023 20,352−0.55%Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2023)
Origin, geography and climate
[edit]
The name "Beaune" derives from the Latinised Gaulish word "Belena", which was the name of a spring around which the settlement was established. That name in turn is derived from "Belen" or "Belenos", a god of fast-flowing water. A Roman fort was built there in the first century A.D. and it was already a prosperous wine-growing region in the 13th century.
The town is served by a small river, the "Bouzaise" (or "Bouzaize") of which the source is in a public park on the north-east edge of town.
Beaune has a semi-continental climate with an oceanic influence, seen with frequent rains in each season (though autumn has the most and summer the least) and frequent weather changes. There are significant temperature differences between the seasons, characterized by cold winters with frequent snowfall, and hot summers with sometimes violent thunderstorms.[citation needed] It is this climate which creates the unique environment for which the Côte d'Or is known.
Hospices de Beaune
[edit]
Founded in 1442 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, who was encouraged to do so by his wife, Guigone de Salins, the Hospices are a charity running hospitals and other services for the needy. Thanks to generous donations from benefactors, they own vineyards in Burgundy.
The American Expeditionary Forces University at Beaune
[edit]
At the end of WWI the American Expeditionary Forces University was established in Beaune under the leadership of Brigadier General Robert I. Rees, complete with its own chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Faculty included Walter M. Chandler, a Progressive Party member and, later, a Republican Party member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the State of New York.
Notable people
[edit]
Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941), race car driver, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, co-founder of the Frontenac Motor Corporation with brothers Gaston and Arthur
Arthur Chevrolet (1884–1946), race car driver and co-founder of the Frontenac Motor Corporation with brothers Louis and Gaston
Gaston Chevrolet (1892–1920), 1920 Indianapolis 500 winner and 1920 AAA National Champion race car driver, co-founder of the Frontenac Motor Corporation with brothers Louis and Arthur
Nicolas Grozelier (1692–1778), 18th-century French fabulist
Lucien Jacob (1930–2019), politician
Bruno Latour (1947–2022), anthropologist and an influential theorist in the field of science and technology studies
Étienne-Jules Marey (1830–1904), scientist and chronophotographer, widely considered to be a pioneer of photography and an influential pioneer of the history of cinema
Gaspard Monge (1746–1818), mathematician and inventor of descriptive geometry
Enzo Peugeot (born 2005), racing driver
Félix Ziem (1821–1911), painter in the style of the Barbizon School
Léna Grandveau (born 2003), French handball player
Twin towns
[edit]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France
Beaune is twinned with:
Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States, since 2006
Bensheim, Hessen, Germany, since 1960
Malmedy, Liège Province, Belgium, since 1962
Krems an der Donau, Lower Austria, Austria, since 1976
Kōshū, Yamanashi, Japan, since 1976
Gallery
[edit]
Beaune Altarpiece, Hôtel-Dieu, Beaune
Nicolas Rolin, founder of the Hôtel-Dieu, Beaune
"Salle des Pôvres", Hôtel-Dieu, Beaune
Hôtel-Dieu, Beaune
Beaune City Hall
Collégiale Notre-Dame de Beaune
Collégiale Notre-Dame de Beaune
Bâtiment de la caisse d'épargne
Climate
[edit]
Climate data for Beaunne (Savigny-lès-Beaune) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1940–present)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
17.0(62.6)
21.0(69.8)
24.9(76.8)
28.7(83.7)
31.8(89.2)
37.5(99.5)
39.0(102.2)
39.8(103.6)
34.0(93.2)
29.0(84.2)
21.6(70.9)
17.9(64.2)
39.8(103.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
5.9(42.6)
7.9(46.2)
12.8(55.0)
16.5(61.7)
20.5(68.9)
24.5(76.1)
26.8(80.2)
26.5(79.7)
21.9(71.4)
16.4(61.5)
10.0(50.0)
6.4(43.5)
16.3(61.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)
3.1(37.6)
4.3(39.7)
8.2(46.8)
11.5(52.7)
15.4(59.7)
19.1(66.4)
21.2(70.2)
20.9(69.6)
16.8(62.2)
12.2(54.0)
6.9(44.4)
3.7(38.7)
11.9(53.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
0.3(32.5)
0.6(33.1)
3.6(38.5)
6.4(43.5)
10.4(50.7)
13.8(56.8)
15.6(60.1)
15.3(59.5)
11.7(53.1)
8.1(46.6)
3.7(38.7)
1.0(33.8)
7.5(45.5)
Record low °C (°F)
−20.5(−4.9)
−20.0(−4.0)
−11.0(12.2)
−4.5(23.9)
−2.0(28.4)
3.0(37.4)
5.0(41.0)
4.5(40.1)
0.5(32.9)
−4.5(23.9)
−9.5(14.9)
−16.5(2.3)
−20.5(−4.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)
58.9(2.32)
49.2(1.94)
52.0(2.05)
57.3(2.26)
69.2(2.72)
62.1(2.44)
67.4(2.65)
56.3(2.22)
55.3(2.18)
76.0(2.99)
80.3(3.16)
68.9(2.71)
752.9(29.64)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)
10.8
9.4
9.5
9.6
10.4
8.8
8.2
7.4
7.9
10.1
11.3
11.3
114.8
Source: Meteociel
