Chalon-sur-Saône lies in the south of theBourgogne-Franche-Comté and in the east of France, approximately 55 km (34 mi) north of Mâcon. It is located on theSaône 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 theCanal du Centre, opened in 1792.
Though the site (ancientCabillonum)[3] was a capital of theAedui and objects ofLa Tène culture have been retrieved from the bed of the river here, the first mention ofCavillonum is found inCommentarii de Bello Gallico (VII, chs. 42 and 90). The Roman city already served as a river port and hub ofroad communications, of theVia Agrippa and side routes.[4] In 354 AD the Roman EmperorConstantius II stationed the Roman 7th Army in Chalon (then called Cabyllona) for an invasion against the brother kings,Gundomadus andVadomarius of theAlamanni. However, not having received supplies, the Roman troops revolted, and were pacified by the grand chamberlainEusebius with money. InLate Antiquity the city had dwindled so much that a wall round it encircled fifteen hectares.[5]
Marcel de Chalon (Saint Marcel) is said to have been martyred here in 179. Chalon became one of thede facto capitals of the kingdom ofBurgundy underGuntram, king from 561 to 592, who died here.[6] Guntram also promoted the cult of Marcel.[7] It continued to pay for its importance by being frequently attacked until the 10th century.[3]
Chalon in the 19th century is best known as the birthplace ofphotography. Its most famous resident,Nicéphore Niépce, also has a lycée (secondary school) named after him. There is amuseum which contains some early photography relics, located on theQuai 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 1807Pyréolophore, which is probably the world's firstinternal combustion engine, plus his 1818 implementation of adandy horse, for which he coined the wordvélocipède.[9]
Another famous resident isDominique Vivant Denon (1747–1825), who was involved in the creation of theLouvre museum, converting the former royal palace into a museum after the French Revolution.
In the late 19th century, copper and iron works were the town's main industry. The large engineering works of Petit-Creusot, a branch of those ofLe Creusot, manufactured heavy industrial items.[3]
The primary industries are nuclear, plastics, metallurgy, and mechanics.
The Chamber of Commerce of Saône-et-Loire manages theÉcole de Gestion et de Commerce de Chalon-sur-Saône, as well as the river port on theSaône.
There are 2,472 businesses: 764 stores, 454 retail services, 409 schools and health and social services, 378 wholesale services, 122 construction companies, 69 agricultural and alimentary businesses, 64 real estate businesses, 60 transportation business, 49 industries de biens intermédiaires, 35 industries de biens de consommations, 34 entreprises d'énergie, 33 industries de biens d'équipements et 1 industrie automobile.[citation needed]
The most important companies areFramatome (formerly Areva),Saint-Gobain, Nordeon, Cartonnerie Laurent, Chalondis, Carrefour 2000, Géant Casino, Comptoirs des Fers, Cayon, Amazon andLe journal de Saône-et-Loire. Until the early 2000s, Kodak was the largest employer in town. Their production site became the campus ofLe Grand Chalon en Bourgogne in 2005.
The public transportation companySTAC offers a bus networkZOOM, including a free bus in the center, lines to surrounding communities, and services for disabled riders. There also exists abike sharing schemeRéflex.
St. Vincent's Cathedral on the Place Saint-Vincent which, while dating mainly from the 12th to the 15th centuries,[3] has some elements dating from the eighth century and a neo-gothic nineteenth century façade.
The church of St Pierre, with two steeples, dates from the late 17th century.[3]
Thecity square also has a number of cafés and a busy market on Fridays and Sundays.
Every year in July, Chalon-sur-Saône hosts an international street artists festival, called Chalon dans la Rue ("Chalon in the street").[13] 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.
An institute of research of the engineering schoolArts et Métiers ParisTech was established in Chalon in 1997. This institute offers graduate and doctoral programs in the domain of virtual reality and image engineering.
TheÉlan Chalon basketball club is a member of theLNB Pro A, and plays its home matches at theLe Colisée. Other sports clubes includeFC Chalon, HBC Chalon-sur-Saône, Volley-Ball Chalon-sur-Saône and the formerRC Chalon.
Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (Grosser Atlas zur Weltgeschichte), 1 January 1997 by Priscilla Strain and Frederick Engle (authors);ISBN978-3075095201(in German)
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