Villefranche-sur-Saône

Villefranche-sur-Saône
Subprefecture and commune
A general view of Villefranche-sur-Saône

Coat of arms
Villefranche-sur-Saône
Location within Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
Villefranche-sur-Saône
Coordinates: 45°59′00″N 4°43′00″E / 45.9833°N 4.7167°E / 45.9833; 4.7167Coordinates: 45°59′00″N 4°43′00″E / 45.9833°N 4.7167°E / 45.9833; 4.7167
Country France
Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Rhône
Arrondissement Villefranche-sur-Saône
Canton Villefranche-sur-Saône
Intercommunality Villefranche-Beaujolais-Saône
Government
 • Mayor Bernard Perrut (UMP)
Area1 9.48 km2 (3.66 sq mi)
Population (2011)2 35,640
 • Density 3,800/km2 (9,700/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 69264 /69400

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Villefranche-sur-Saône (French pronunciation: ​[vilfʁɑ̃ʃ syʁ son]; Arpitan: Velafranche) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.

It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the Saône River, and is around 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lyon. The inhabitants of the town are called Caladois.

Notable people

The popular French singers Coralie Clément and Benjamin Biolay, as well as football player hopeful Grégory Bettiol and actor and cellist Maurice Baquet were born in the town.

History

Villefranche-sur-Saône was founded in 1212 by Guichard IV, count of Beaujeu (Arpitan: Bôjor/Biôjœr), and became in the 14th century the capital of the Beaujolais (Arpitan: Biôjolês) province.[1] It endured three sieges in the 15th and 16th centuries. The town walls were taken down early in the 19th century.

Economy

Industries include wine-trading, metallurgy, textiles, and chemicals.

Buildings

The church of Notre-Dame des Marais, begun at the end of the 14th and finished in the 16th century, has a tower and spire (rebuilt in 1862), standing to the right of the 15th century façade, in which are carved wooden doors.[1]

Sport

FC Villefranche is based in the town.

Transport

The Autoroute du Sud (the principal road from Paris to the south of France) is adjacent to the east of the town, running alongside the Saône.

See also

References

  1. 1 2  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Villefranche-sur-Saône". Encyclopædia Britannica. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 77.


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