Beaune

Beaune
Ov-beaune-hotel-dieu.jpg
Courtyard of the Hospices de Beaune
Beaune is located in France
Beaune
Administration
Country France
Region Burgundy
Department Côte-d'Or
Arrondissement Beaune
Mayor Alain Suguenot
(2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 193–407 m (633–1,335 ft)
(avg. 219 m/719 ft)
Land area1 31.30 km2 (12.08 sq mi)
Population2 21,923  (1999)
 - Density 700 /km2 (1,800 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 21054/ 21200
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.

Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy, in the Cote d'Or department. It is located between Paris and Geneva.

Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France. Indeed the annual wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune is the primary wine auction in France. Beaune is surrounded by some of the world's most famous wine villages; the facilities and cellars of many producers large and small are in Beaune.

It is an ancient and historic town on the plain, by the hills of the Cote d'Or. There are features from pre-Roman and Roman times, from the Antiquity, medieval, renaissance and modern times.

Beaune is a walled city: about half of the battlements, ramparts, and the moat, remain in good condition. The central "old town" is extensive. Historically Beaune is intimately connected with the Dukes of Burgundy.

Landmarks in Beaune include the Halles, the Hospices, the Beffroi, and Notre Dame.

There is extensive "traditional" shopping clustered around the central square with a focus on gourmet food, fashion, and wine. Large supermarkets, business parks, etc., are on the outskirts of town. Beaune is the center for wine industry services (such as tractor and cuverie equipment) and a number of wine-related institutes and educational facilities. The train station is served by TGV, through Dijon or Lyon.

Beaune has a major fine food market on Saturdays from 9 sharp to 12 sharp with a large number of suppliers of everything produced in Burgundy and surrounding regions (for example, Bresse chickens, Jura cheeses, smallgoods, epicerie, produce of every type and seasonal specialties such as truffles). There is also a smaller market on Wednesday. There are various special-event markets and fetes throughout the year.

Beaune enjoys a good amount of tourism, but it is not primarily a tourist driven town, as it is sustained by the wine industry. There are about five traditional smaller hotels intramuros, and about five chain hotels on the outskirts.

Technically Beaune is a commune in eastern France, a sub-prefecture of department 21, the Côte-d'Or department, in the Bourgogne region.

Contents

Wine

Vineyards on the outskirts of Beaune

Beaune is one of the wine communes of the Côte de Beaune subregion of the Burgundy wine region, which bears the name of this town. Although Beaune is lacking a Grand Cru vineyard within the commune, it is the hub of the region's wine business, as most of Burgundy's major négociants are located here. Beaune is renowned for its annual charity wine auction on behalf of the Hospices de Beaune.

It is situated on the route des Grands Crus tourist route among the vineyards. The road runs north from Beaune to Gevrey Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges and south to Nolay, Saisy and Autun.

Hospices de Beaune

Founded in 1442 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, and his wife, the Hospices are a charity running hospitals and other services for the needy. Following from past donations, they own vineyards in Burgundy.

Notable people

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Beaune is twinned with:

See also

Beaune, France

References

External links