Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC;
Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of
Burgundy and
Franche-Comté. The new region came into existence on 1 January 2016, after the
regional elections of December 2015, electing 100 members to the
Regional Council of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
The region covers an area of and eight
departments; it had a population of 2,811,423 in 2017.
Its
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...
and largest city is
Dijon, although the
regional council sits in
Besançon, making Bourgogne-Franche-Comté one of two regions in France (along with
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
) in which the
prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect' ...
does not sit in the same city as the regional council.
Toponymy
The text of the territorial reform law gives interim names for most of the merged regions, combining the names of their constituent regions separated by hyphens. Permanent names would be proposed by the new regional councils and confirmed by the by 1 October 2016.
Hence the interim name of the new administrative region is composed of the names of former administrative regions of
Burgundy and
Franche-Comté. The region chose to retain its interim name as its permanent name, a decision made official by the Conseil d'État on 28 September 2016.
The merger represents a historic reunification of the
Duchy of Burgundy () and the
Free County of Burgundy () that were created by the partition of the
Kingdom of Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various successive Monarchy, kingdoms centered in the historical region of Burgundy during the Middle Ages. The heartland of historical Burgundy correlates with the border area between France and Switze ...
in the 843
Treaty of Verdun
The Treaty of Verdun (; ), agreed to on 10 August 843, ended the Carolingian civil war and divided the Carolingian Empire between Lothair I, Louis the German, Louis II and Charles the Bald, Charles II, the surviving sons of the emperor Louis the ...
.
History
Middle Ages
The territory that is now Burgundy and Franche-Comté was already united under the
Kingdom of Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various successive Monarchy, kingdoms centered in the historical region of Burgundy during the Middle Ages. The heartland of historical Burgundy correlates with the border area between France and Switze ...
(from the 5th to the 8th century). It was divided into two parts: the
Duchy of Burgundy (now Burgundy) of France, and the
County of Burgundy (now Franche-Comté) of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
. The County was reintegrated as a free province within the
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
in the 17th century, separately from the Duchy which remained a vassal province of the Kingdom of France. These two former provinces were abolished during the
French Revolution.
Le royaume Burgonde au Ve siècle.png, The Kingdom of Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various successive Monarchy, kingdoms centered in the historical region of Burgundy during the Middle Ages. The heartland of historical Burgundy correlates with the border area between France and Switze ...
during the 5th century.
Duché et Comté de Bourgogne au XIVe siecle.svg, Duchy
A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition.
There once existed an important differe ...
and County of Burgundy during the 14th century.
Modern times
Most of the area making up the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté used to belong to the former provinces of
Burgundy and
Franche-Comté, but it also includes a significant part of the former provinces of
Nivernais (now
Nièvre),
Champagne (now the northern part of
Yonne),
Orléanais (now the southwestern part of
Yonne), the
Territoire de Belfort (the region of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
that remained French territory after
1871) and a small portion of
ÃŽle-de-France
The ÃŽle-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
(now the northwestern part of
Yonne).
From 1941 to 1944 the regional
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...
of
Vichy reunited
Burgundy and
Franche-Comté, as did the ' of
Dijon from 1948 to 1964. During the formation of the
regions of France
France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collectivities, which ha ...
,
Burgundy and
Franche-Comté once again became two separate regions, first as public establishments in 1972, then as
territorial collectivities in 1982.
On 14 April 2014,
François Patriat and
Marie-Guite Dufay (the presidents of
Burgundy and
Franche-Comté, respectively) announced in a press conference the desire for the merger of the two regions, further to the declarations of Prime Minister
Manuel Valls, who proposed a simplification of the
administrative divisions of France. On 2 June 2014 a map presented by President
François Hollande
François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
showed the two regions as one. These two regions were the only ones to have voluntarily discussed a merger, and their alliance was the only one not needing revision by the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
or the
Senate.
''Acte III de la décentralisation'' officially adopted the merger of the two regions on 17 December 2014. It became effective on 1 January 2016.
Geography
The region borders
Grand Est
Grand Est (; ) is an Regions of France, administrative region in northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...
to the north,
ÃŽle-de-France
The ÃŽle-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
to the northwest,
Centre-Val de Loire
Centre-Val de Loire (; ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior ...
to the west,
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to the south and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
(the cantons of
Vaud,
Neuchâtel and
Jura) to the east.
Departments
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté comprises eight departments:
Côte-d'Or,
Doubs,
Jura,
Nièvre,
Haute-Saône,
Saône-et-Loire,
Yonne,
Territoire de Belfort.
Major communities
The largest communes are (population as of 2017):
[Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017]
INSEE.
*
Dijon (156,920; headquarters regional prefecture)
*
Besançon (115,934; headquarters regional council)
*
Belfort (47,656)
*
Chalon-sur-Saône (45,096)
*
Auxerre (34,634)
*
Mâcon (33,638)
*
Nevers (32,990)
Economy
The gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was €75.6 billion in 2018, accounting for 3.2% of the total economic output of France. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €24,200 or 80% of the European Union average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 96% of the EU average.
Gallery
File:Besancon boucle Doubs.jpg, The old city of Besançon in the oxbow of the Doubs River
File:Rue Verrerie 005.jpg, Verrerie Street, Dijon
File:Belvoir, le château.jpg, Belvoir Castle
File:Hôtel du département 1.JPG, Departmental Council building, Belfort
File:Nevers-Palais ducal.JPG, Palais ducal de Nevers
File:Port fluvial d'Auxerre en 2006.jpg, The Yonne River at Auxerre
File:Vignobles de Volnay.jpg, Vineyards in Volnay
See also
*
Burgundy
*
Franche-Comté
*
Regions of France
France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collectivities, which ha ...
References
External links
Merger of the regions - France 3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourgogne-Franche-Comte
Regions of France
2016 establishments in France
States and territories established in 2016