Mâcon

Mâcon
Coat of arms of Mâcon
Mâcon is located in France
Mâcon
Administration
Country France
Region Burgundy
Department Saône-et-Loire
Arrondissement Mâcon
Canton Chef-lieu for 3 cantons (Mâcon-Centre, Mâcon-Nord and Mâcon-Sud)
Intercommunality Mâconnais–Val de Saône
Mayor Jean-Patrick Courtois]
(2001–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 167–347 m (548–1,138 ft)
(avg. 175 m/574 ft)
Land area1 27.04 km2 (10.44 sq mi)
Population2 35,393  (2006)
 - Density 1,309 /km2 (3,390 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 71270/ 71000
Website http://www.macon.fr/
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.
The bridge over the Saône: Tour de France peloton entering Mâcon July 2006.

Mâcon is a commune of France and prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, in the region of Bourgogne. It is the capital of the Mâconnais district. Inhabitants of Mâcon are called Mâconnais.

Contents

Geography

The city lies on the western bank of the Saône river, between Bresse in the East and the Beaujolais hills in the South. Mâcon is the southernmost city in the region of Burgundy, which gives it a southern flair with its Roman tile roofs and its colourful facades. It is located 65 kilometres north of Lyon and 400 kilometres from Paris.

The area of Mâcon is 27.04 km2 (16.8 sq mi) including 5.76km2 (3.58 sq mi) of green spaces .

Hydrography

The Saône river runs through the town.

History

Mâcon’s Coat of arms has the heraldic definition: “Gules charged with three silver annulets”. This coat of arms is said to have been used since the Renaissance Period.

Blason Mâcon.svg

The agglomeration of Mâcon originates from the establishment of an oppidum and of a river port by the Celts from the Aedui, probably at the beginning of the first century BC. Known then under the name of Matisco, the town developed rapidly during the first two centuries of our era.

During the 4th century, the town was fortified.

During the Middle Ages, Mâcon was the administrative center of a county belonging to the Duchy of Burgundy, situated at the extremity of the bridge over the Saône leading to the Bresse territory belonging to the Duchy of Savoy. The town was controlling access to present-day Lamartinien Valley (Val Lamartinien), where the southern end of the Côte de Bourgogne joins the first foothills of the Beaujolais hills, opening the way to the rich plains of the Loire.

On 3 June 1564, Charles IXfrom Chalon, stopped in the town during his Royal Tour of France (1564–1566), accompanied by the Court and the nobles of his kingdom, including his brother the Duke of Anjou, Henry of Navarre, the cardinals of Bourbon and Lorraine.[1]. The town is strategically built: it was a possible entrance into the kingdom for the Swiss or German mercenaries during the French Wars of Religion. He was welcomed by the Queen Jeanne III of Navarre, nicknamed the “Queen of Protestants”, and 1,500 Huguenots.

The French Revolution and Empire

In 1790, the town became the chef-lieu of the newly created Saône-et-Loire department.

In 1814, the town was invaded by Austrian troops and then liberated twice by French troops before being permanently occupied until the fall of the Empire. After Napoléon’s return and the subsequent Hundred Days, Mâcon and the Mâconnais were again captured by the Austrians.

Second World War

During World War II, Mâcon was the first town in the unoccupied zone libre between Paris and Lyon. The town was liberated on 4 September by the troops who had landed in Provence[2].

Photograph of the city of Mâcon taken from Saint-Laurent-sur-Saône (Ain), on the other side of the Saône river

Climate

The climate is temperate with a slight continental tendency.

Transport links

Mâcon is connected to neighbouring major cities through various routes:

Public transport

City Transport

Mâcon uses the urban transport service Tréma, run by the organising transport authorities, the SITUM (Inter-communal City Transport Union of Mâconnais – Val de Saône). The SITUM currently consists of 3 members: CAMVAL (Agglomeration Community of Mâcon-Val de Saône) (26 communes) and the Chaintré and Crèches-sur-Saône communes. The Urban Transport Area of the SITUM extends over 28 communes in total.

On the evening of 30 June 2009, the Mâcon Bus services ceased operation. This was due to the public service delegation contract between the SITUM and the Mâcon Bus company (a subsidiary of Transdev), operating the network since 1987, not being renewed at the last call for bids. So since 1 July 2009, the company CarPostal Mâcon (CarPostal France's subsidiary) has been providing city transport services on the network renamed Tréma.

The network Tréma, restructured on 31 August 2009, made the following bid:

Inter-city departmental transport

Mâcon is run by the network Buscephale of Saône-et-Loire’s local council.

Administration

Mâcon City Hall located in the Hôtel de Montrevel (18th century).

In 2010, the Mâcon commune was awarded the plaque "Ville Internet @@"[3].

Politics

List of successive mayors
Period Identity Party Position
March 1953 – March 1977 Louis Escande DVD .
March 1977– March 2001 Michel Antoine Rognard PS
mars 2001– Jean-Patrick Courtois UMP Senator

Education

Mâcon has five collèges and four lycées. These establishments are located in the same area in the west of the city, with the exception of the collèges Schuman (north) and Saint-Exupery (south). Collèges Collège Louis Pasteur Collège Bréart Collège Schuman Collège Saint-Exupéry Collège Notre-Dame (private) Lycées Lycée Lamartine Lycée René-Cassin Lycée hôtelier Dumaine Lycée Ozanam (private)

Cooperation between municipalities

Mâcon is a member of CAMVAL (agglomeration community of the Mâconnais – Val de Saône districts). It is also where the CAMVAL headquarters is located.

Demography

Date of Population
(Source: Cassini[4] et INSEE[5])
1793 1800 1806 1820 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851
12 000 10 807 10 653 - 10 411 12 384 13 515 14 466 15 112 16 783
1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896
16 546 18 765 19 175 18 239 17 570 19 567 19 669 19 573 18 739
1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
18 298 19 059 19 779 18 207 18 427 18 496 19 324 21 073 22 393
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2004 - -
25 714 33 445 39 344 38 404 37 275 34 469 - - -
For the census of 1962 to 1999 the official population corresponds with the population without duplicates according to the INSEE.


The influence of Mâcon seems to have grown. It is one of the department’s major employment areas which is by far the most dynamic (13.5% increase between 1999 and 2006) compared to cities such as Chalon-sur-Saône or Montceau-les-Mines which are losing jobs. This dynamism is particularly helped by the many transportation links available and its proximity to Lyon.

It should be noted that the decline in the town’s population is much to the profit of a phenomenon of urban sprawl in the communes of the Mâconnais as well as the adjacent Ain. That is why the area of influence of Mâcon, the “Greater Mâcon”, focuses on three departments: the Saône-et-Loire, the Ain and the Rhône. Thus, among the 47 communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants in the urban area, 41 are currently growing and 6 are stable or in slight decline.

Associated districts and communes

Town center

Mâcon Cathedral (Cathédrale le Vieux Saint-Vincent)
Saint Pierre Church (1859–1865)
The Hôtel-Dieu built in the 18th century by Melchior Munet, a student of Soufflot

Mâcon’s town center of extends from Place Gardon, in the north, to the Roundabout of Europe in the south, from Place de la Barre, in the west, to the banks along the Saône in the east of the city. The center is the town’s shopping area. Most shops are located near the Town Hall (rue Carnot, rue Dufour, rue Sigorgne, rue Philibert-Laguiche, rue Dombert, rue Franche, the quay Lamartine, the esplanade Lamartine and rue de la Barre). It is also the historical center of the town. Most monuments are located in that area (Cathedral of Saint-Vincent, Church Saint Pierre...), as are the town’s two museums. The town center consists of several districts which are all rather different from each other. With its Place aux Herbes, the Saint-Antoine district is the historic heart of Mâcon, despite its relative distance from the Town Hall. This district covers the northern part of the town center; it is crossed by the rue de Strasbourg and consists of narrow lanes. There is the prefecture of Saône-et-Loire and the old Saint-Vincent Cathedral commonly called the Old Saint-Vincent. Further west lies the Square de la Paix, bordered by the Hôtel-Dieu, the Palais de Justice, Saint-Vincent Cathedral, plus the Vallon des Rigollettes and the Héritan district.

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, the esplanade Lamartine underwent extensive redevelopment and upgrades. The winding car park and damaged cobblestones were replaced by an underground parking lot on three levels, a larger and brighter esplanade, bars, and a stage on the water (of the Saône river) which now accommodates all kinds of events, concerts and shows. The Statue Lamartine, which sits proudly on the esplanade, was completely renovated. Small gardens now brighten up the immense space that Mâcon’s Esplanade Lamartine occupies. All along, one can find an extract from the famous poem by Lamartine, “Le Lac”: "Time, halt in your flight... " engraved in the ground in silver letters.

North of Mâcon

The north of Mâcon is split, with the Neusdadt roundabout marking the boundary between the two sections. Flacé-lès-Mâcon, a village built in the city, constitutes the north-west of Mâcon. . In addition to the adjoining Town Hall, church and small downtown area, Flacé consists entirely of residential areas.
The north-east of Mâcon is composed of various residential areas and the town’s sport centres (Physical Activity Training Course (P.A.P.A), public swimming pool, Center for Sports Education, rowing, sailing and water skiing clubs, several football fields and clubs, and the Sports Palace). ). The residential areas consist mainly of low-rent council estates ( HLM) with districts such as the priority development areas (ZUP) of Mâcon or the boulevard des États-Unis (road belonging administratively to the Saugeraies district).

South of Mâcon

The south of Mâcon is composed of three major areas.

  1. The first area is the Saint-Clément/Les Blanchettes block, also called Percée Sud. Saint-Clément only accounts for a small area but it is southern Mâcon’s main business area with the Europe roundabout. Les Blanchettes is a district of low-rent council estates (HLM) passing through Édouard-Herriot Avenue. It is a very woody area, which includes most notably the Parc des Allumettes and its numerous games for children. The Romanesque church is situated in Saint-Clément, bearing the name of this town.
  2. The second area is the largest in this part of the town; it is the industrial area south of Mâcon (the largest metropolitan area) which is composed of the Port River at Mâcon (6 in France).
  3. The third and final area in the south of Mâcon is the Chanaye / Fontenailles and is located southwest of the town. Fontenailles is a residential area consisting of detached houses. La Chanaye (pronounced "Chanai") is an area of low-rent council estates (HLM) bordered by the greenhouses of Mâcon. This district, along with the Boulevard des États-Unis and priority development areas (ZUP) of Mâcon, belongs to the sensitive urban zones (French ZUS).

West of Mâcon

The west of Mâcon is the least populated part of the town.
This is where Mâcon’s lycées (René Cassin, Lamartine, Alexandre Dumaine and Ozanam) and most of the collèges are located, along with some residential areas merged with those of Charnay-lès-Mâcon, the Hospital of Mâcon and the historic working class area of Mâcon,Bioux.

Flacé

Formerly an independent commune, Flacé-lès-Mâcon was re-attached to Mâcon in 1965. It is now a residential area with a very prominent village atmosphere.

Associated communes

Loché

Loché is an associated commune of Mâcon. The fusion-association dates from 1972. Mâcon-Loché-TGV station is located in this wine- producing village.

Saint-Jean-le-Priche

Saint-Jean-le-Priche is an associated commune of Mâcon. The merging association dates from 1972.

Sennecé-lès-Mâcon

Sennecé-lès-Mâcon is an associated commune of Mâcon. The merging association dates from 1972.

Urbanism

On Sunday 28 June 2009, three buildings in the Marbé district were destroyed by an implosion.[6].

Wine

The area west and north of Mâcon produces well-known wines from the Chardonnay grape. The best known appellation of the Mâconnais is Pouilly-Fuissé.

Economy

Mâcon holds the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Saône-et-Loire, which manages the river port of Mâcon through Aproport, the Automotive Training Center (CFA Automobile) and the Macon-Charnay airport. The headquarters for the Chamber of Agriculture of Saône-et-Loire is also based in Mâcon.

Sports and leisure

Mâcon has 73 clubs with 55 organisations, 40 different sports to play, and 14,506 members of a sports association (42% of the population). It was elected the most sportive town in France in 2001.

Notable people

Monuments and tourist attractions

Parks and gardens

In 2007, the city was awarded the Grand Prix prize and “4 flowers” in the Entente Florale competition[7].

Mosque

In popular culture

Twin towns

Culinary specialties

Notes and references

Bibliography

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ , p 253
  2. ↑ Stéphane Simonnet, Atlas de la Libération de la France, ed. Autrement, Paris, 1994, reissued. 2004 (ISBN 2-7467-0495-1), p 63, p. 35
  3. ↑ Palmarès 2010 des Villes Internet sur le site officiel de l'association. Consulté le 19/12/2009.
  4. ↑ "http://cassini.ehess.fr/ Population par commune avant 1962 (résultats publiés au journal officiel ou conservés aux archives départementales)". Cassini.ehess.fr. http://cassini.ehess.fr/cassini/fr/html/6_index.htm. Retrieved 29 August 2010. 
  5. ↑ "INSEE : Population depuis le recensement de 1962". Insee.fr. http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/docs_ffc/psdc.htm. Retrieved 29 August 2010. 
  6. ↑ "rénovation urbaine de Marbé sur". Macon.fr. http://www.macon.fr/?page=news&type_news=actualite&id=95. Retrieved 29 August 2010. 
  7. ↑ Source : Villes et Villages Fleuris

External links