Villefranche-sur-Saône (, ; ) is a commune in the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

department in eastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the river

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

, and is around north of

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. The inhabitants of the town are called ''Caladois''.

History

Villefranche-sur-Saône was founded in 1212 by Guichard IV, count of Beaujeu (), and became in the 14th century the capital of the

Beaujolais Beaujolais ( , ) is a French ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wine in the Burgundy wine, Burgundy region. Beaujolais wines are generally made of the Gamay grape, which has a thin skin and is low in grape tannins, tannin, but like most ...

() province. It endured three sieges in the 15th and 16th centuries. The town walls were taken down early in the 19th century.

Population

The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Villefranche-sur-Saône proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Villefranche-sur-Saône absorbed the former communes of Béligny and Ouilly (partly) in 1853.

Economy

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

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

Villefranche Notre Dame des Marais Portal

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.

Sport

FC Villefranche Beaujolais is based in the town.

Notable people

* Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955), Jesuit priest and scientist, attended school here in 1892–1897 * Maurice Baquet (1911–2005), actor and cellist * François Picard (1921–1996), racing driver * Christian Lavieille (born 1965), racing driver * Benjamin Biolay (born 1973), singer, songwriter and musician * Coralie Clément (born 1978), singer * Grégory Bettiol (born 1986), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Villefranche-sur-Saône is twinned with: *

Bertinoro Bertinoro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the Italy, Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It is located on hill Mount Cesubeo, in Romagna, a few kilometers from the ''Via Aemilia, Via Emilia''. History There ...

, Italy * Bühl, Germany *

Călărași District Călărași () is a district () in the centre of Moldova, with the administrative headquarters in Călărași, Moldova, Călărași. As of January 1, 2011, its population was 78,800. History The district territory is inhabited since Paleolithic ...

, Moldova * Kandi, Benin * Schkeuditz, Germany

Climate

References

External links

Official website
Communes of Rhône (department) Subprefectures in France Beaujolais (province) {{Rhône-geo-stub