Charolles (; Burgundian: ''Tsarolles'') is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Saône-et-Loire department in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

in eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Since 2004 is Charolles part of the

Charolais-Brionnais Country The Charolais-Brionnais region (french: Pays Charolais-Brionnais) is located in the southwest of the French department of the Saône-et-Loire in Burgundy. Created in 2004, the region comprises a population of 90,000 inhabitants across 129 munic ...

Geography

Charolles is located at the confluence of the Semence and the Arconce rivers, west-northwest of

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home to near 34,000 residents, who are referred to in French as ...

History

Charolles was the capital of Charolais, an old division of France, which from the early 14th century gave the title of count to its possessors. In 1327 the county passed by marriage to the

house of Armagnac The House of Armagnac is a French noble house established in 961 by Bernard I, Count of Armagnac. It achieved its greatest importance in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The House of Armagnac, at the end of the thirteenth century, was not y ...

, and in 1390 it was sold to Philip of Burgundy. After the death of

Charles the Bold Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

, who in his youth had borne the title of

count of Charolais Charolais (; also Charollais) is a historic region of France, named after the central town of Charolles, and located in today's Saône-et-Loire ''département'', in Burgundy. History It was held by the French noble house of Chalon-Arlay, until ...

, it was seized by Louis XI of France, but in 1493 it was ceded by Charles VIII to Maximilian of Austria, the representative of the Burgundian family. Ultimately passing to the Spanish kings, it became for a considerable period an object of dispute between France and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, until at length in 1684 it was assigned to the great Condé, a creditor of the king of Spain. It was united to the French crown in 1771.

Sights

The ruins of the castle of the counts of Charolais occupy the summit of a hill in the immediate vicinity of the town.

Economy

According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, in the early 20th century there were stone quarries in the vicinity; the town manufactured pottery, and was the centre for trade in the famous breed of Charolais cattle and in agricultural products.

Tourism

In the Southern Bourgogne-Franche-Comté area, you can see : * The

Arboretum de Pézanin The Arboretum de Pézanin or Arboretum Domanial de Pézanin (''Federal Arboretum of Pézanin'') is an arboretum located in Dompierre-les-Ormes, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France. It is one of the oldest and richest forest collections in France, ...

, one of the richest forest collection in France, near Charolles, * The

Rock of Solutré The Rock of Solutré (French: ''Roche de Solutré'') is a limestone escarpment west of Mâcon, France, overlooking the commune of Solutré-Pouilly. It is an iconic site in the department of Saône-et-Loire, in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Prote ...

, * The Cluny abbey and its medieval city, *

Paray-le-Monial Paray-le-Monial is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Since 2004 is Paray-le-Monial part of the Charolais-Brionnais Country. It is nicknamed the "city of the Sacred Heart ...

, La Clayette...

People

Charolles was the birthplace of: * Louis Jacolliot (1837–1890), author * Albert Roux (born 1935) and

Michel Roux Michel Roux, OBE (; 19 April 1941 – 11 March 2020), also known as Michel Roux Snr., was a French chef and restaurateur working in Britain. Along with his brother Albert, he opened Le Gavroche, later to become the first three Michelin starr ...

(1941-2020), French-born Michelin-starred restaurateurs working in Britain

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate).Climate Summary For Charolles, France
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