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Pont-de-Veyle | |
|---|---|
 Castle | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Pont-de-Veyle  | |
  Pont-de-Veyle  Pont-de-Veyle | |
| Coordinates:46°15′49″N4°53′19″E /46.2637°N 4.88870°E /46.2637; 4.88870 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Ain |
| Arrondissement | Bourg-en-Bresse |
| Canton | Vonnas |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Michel Marquois |
| Area 1 | 1.94 km2 (0.75 sq mi) |
| Population | 1,641 |
| • Density | 850/km2 (2,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 01306 /01290 |
| Elevation | 172–179 m (564–587 ft) (avg. 178 m or 584 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers> 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Pont-de-Veyle is acommune. It is in theAuvergne-Rhône-Alpesregion in theAindepartment in the east ofFrance. It is 10 kilometers east ofMâcon, and about 400 km fromParis. In 1999, there were 1571 people living in the commune.[2] It is on an island made where the River Veyle separates into two branches. The Veyle then flows into the River Saône, which was made the border between the Kingdom of France and theGerman Empire in 843 by theTreaty of Verdun.
Pont-de-Veyle was first started by the Lords of Bage, and legally made a city by the Counts of Savoy in 1275. It only became French in 1601 under KingHenri IV of France as part of theTreaty of Lyon.
Because it was close to the border, this city had to build acastle to defend themselves against the Lords of Macon, the Sires ofBeaujeu and the Princes ofDombes. The castle had 14 towers, but today only one remains, the Clock Tower and a doorway from the 14th century, joined by brick walls. Today there is very little left of these walls. The castle was surrounded by amoat filled with water. From 1750 to 1800, they pulled down the city walls and towers that had become dangerous and were about to fall down.
There are many old and historic buildings from theRenaissance and later centuries. The "Savoy" or "House of Lords", whose facade was restored, is one of the most beautiful in the region. There is apriory ofSaint Benedict with itsGothic doors. There are many half-timbered houses, such as "The House of the Watchman", which was redeveloped with great care and taste. There are also many spiral staircases of stone, including one at City Hall which was part of the former College of theJesuits. The Jesuit style church was built in 1755. The hospital which was started in 1322, still has18th century buildings.
After theReformation and the religious wars there was a large group ofProtestants living in the city. When theEdict of Nantes, a law which gave them religious freedom, was overturned, they fled the city and went to live inSwitzerland andGermany.
Jean-Louis Carra, a Frenchjournalist andrevolutionary, was born in Pont-de-Veyle on 9 March 1742. He wasexecuted by theguillotine in Paris on 31 October, 1793.
