View source for Chalon-sur-Saône

{{Infobox French commune
|name               = Chalon-sur-Saône
|commune status     = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
|image              = Chalon-sur-Saône - Place Saint-Vincent - 01.jpg
|caption            = Place Saint-Vincent, a square in the historic center
|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire).svg
|arrondissement     = Chalon-sur-Saône
|canton             = [[Canton of Chalon-sur-Saône-1|Chalon-sur-Saône-1]], [[Canton of Chalon-sur-Saône-2|2]] and [[Canton of Chalon-sur-Saône-3|3]]
|INSEE              = 71076
|postal code        = 71100
|mayor              = [[Gilles Platret]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term               = 2020&ndash;2026
|intercommunality   = [[Communauté d'agglomération Le Grand Chalon|CA Le Grand Chalon]]
|coordinates        = {{coord|46.7806|4.8528|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m        = 185
|elevation min m    = 172
|elevation max m    = 190
|area km2           = 15.22
|population         = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}

'''Chalon-sur-Saône''' ({{IPA|fr|ʃalɔ̃ syʁ son|-|Fr-Paris--Chalon-sur-Saône.ogg}}, literally ''Chalon on [[Saône]]'') is a city in the [[Saône-et-Loire]] [[Departments of France|department]] in the [[Regions of France|region]] of [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]] in eastern [[France]].

It is a [[Subprefectures in France|sub-prefecture]] of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of [[Mâcon]].

==Geography==
Chalon-sur-Saône lies in the south of the [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]] and in the east of France, approximately {{convert|55|km|abbr=on}} north of Mâcon. It is located on the [[Saône]] river, and was once a busy port, acting as a distribution point for local wines which were sent up and down the Saône river and the [[Canal du Centre (France)|Canal du Centre]], opened in 1792.

==History==
===Ancient times===
Though the site (ancient ''Cabillonum'')<ref name="EB1911">{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Chalon-sur-Saône|volume=5|pages=811–812}}</ref> was a capital of the [[Aedui]] and objects of [[La Tène culture]] have been retrieved from the bed of the river here, the first mention of ''Cavillonum'' is found in ''[[Commentarii de Bello Gallico]]'' (VII, chs. 42 and 90). The Roman city already served as a river port and hub of [[Roman road|road communications]], of the [[Via Agrippa]] and side routes.<ref>[[Pierre Lévêque]]. ed. ''Histoire de Chalon-sur-Saône'' :19.</ref> In 354 AD the Roman Emperor [[Constantius II]] stationed the Roman 7th Army in Chalon (then called Cabyllona) for an invasion against the brother kings, [[Gundomadus]] and [[Vadomarius]] of the [[Alamanni]]. However, not having received supplies, the Roman troops revolted, and were pacified by the grand chamberlain [[Eusebius (consul 359)|Eusebius]] with money. In [[Late Antiquity]] the city had dwindled so much that a wall round it encircled fifteen hectares.<ref>Gérard Coulon, ''Les Gallo-Romains : vivre, travailler, croire, se distraire - 54 av. J.-C.-486 ap. J.-C.'', Paris : Errance, 2006. Collection Hespérides, {{ISBN|2-87772-331-3}}, p. 21.</ref>

===Christian centre===
{{see|Ancient Diocese of Chalon-sur-Saône}}

[[Marcel de Chalon]] (''Saint Marcel'') is said to have been martyred here in 179. Chalon became one of the [[de facto]] capitals of the kingdom of [[Burgundy]] under [[Guntram]], king from 561 to 592, who died here.<ref>{{Citation|last=Van Dam|first=Raymond|pages=193–231|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781139053938|doi=10.1017/chol9780521362917.010|title=The New Cambridge Medieval History|year=2005|chapter=Merovingian Gaul and the Frankish conquests}}</ref> Guntram also promoted the cult of Marcel.<ref>Jacques Le Goff, ''Time, Work, and Culture in the Middle Ages'' :160 note 5.</ref> It continued to pay for its importance by being frequently attacked until the 10th century.<ref name="EB1911"/>

The [[Ancient Diocese of Chalon-sur-Saône]], a [[suffragan bishop]]ric of the [[Archdiocese of Lyon]], was also established here in the 6th century, and a Church Council was held here from 644–655.<ref>{{Catholic|prescript=|wstitle=St. Peter Damian}}</ref> After the [[French Revolution]], in accordance with the [[Concordat of 1801]], the diocese of Chalon was amalgamated with the [[diocese of Autun]], which gave the name to the new entity.

===Modern developments===
[[File:Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.jpg|thumb|left|[[Nicéphore Niépce]]]]
[[File:Chalon-sur-Saône - Hôtel de Ville.jpg|thumb|The [[Hôtel de Ville, Chalon-sur-Saône|Hôtel de Ville]]]]
Chalon in the 19th century is best known as the birthplace of [[photography]]. Its most famous resident, [[Nicéphore Niépce]], also has a lycée (secondary school) named after him. There is a [[museum]] which contains some early photography relics, located on the ''Quai des Messageries'' in the town, containing more than two million photographs and many old artefacts such as cameras and other equipment for old and modern photography. Also on display are Niépce's 1807 [[Pyréolophore]], which is probably the world's first [[internal combustion engine]], plus his 1818 implementation of a [[dandy horse]], for which he coined the word [[vélocipède]].<ref name="NieMus">[http://niepce.house.museum/pagus/pagus-other.html Niepce Museum, Other Inventions] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051220092838/http://niepce.house.museum/pagus/pagus-other.html |date=2005-12-20 }}</ref>

Another famous resident is [[Dominique Vivant Denon]] (1747–1825), who was involved in the creation of the [[Louvre]] museum, converting the former royal palace into a museum after the French Revolution.

The [[Hôtel de Ville, Chalon-sur-Saône|Hôtel de Ville]] was completed in 1845.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://openagenda.com/en/jep-2016-bourgogne-franche-comte/events/hotel-de-ville_967|title=Hôtel-de-Ville de Chalon-sur-Saône|publisher=Open Agenda|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref>

In the late 19th century, copper and iron works were the town's main industry. The large engineering works of Petit-Creusot, a branch of those of [[Le Creusot]], manufactured heavy industrial items.<ref name="EB1911"/>

==Population==

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|7729|Chalon-sur-Saône}}</ref> and INSEE (1968–2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-71076#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |8798
|1800 |10431
|1806 |11204
|1821 |10952
|1831 |12338
|1836 |14810
|1841 |17240
|1846 |19878
|1851 |20403
|1856 |21062
|1861 |20896
|1866 |21247
|1872 |21756
|1876 |20895
|1881 |21618
|1886 |22768
|1891 |24686
|1896 |26288
|1901 |29058
|1906 |29951
|1911 |31550
|1921 |31609
|1926 |31500
|1931 |32533
|1936 |33201
|1946 |32683
|1954 |37399
|1962 |43655
|1968 |50589
|1975 |58187
|1982 |56194
|1990 |54575
|1999 |50124
|2007 |46676
|2012 |44564
|2017 |45096
}}

==Economy==
The primary industries are nuclear, plastics, metallurgy, and mechanics.
 
The Chamber of Commerce of Saône-et-Loire manages the ''École de Gestion et de Commerce de Chalon-sur-Saône'', as well as the river port on the [[Saône]].
 
There are 2,472 businesses: 764 stores, 454 retail services, 409 schools and health and social services, 378 wholesale services, 122 construction companies, 69 agricultural and alimentary businesses, 64 real estate businesses, 60 transportation business, 49 industries de biens intermédiaires, 35 industries de biens de consommations, 34 entreprises d'énergie, 33 industries de biens d'équipements et 1 industrie automobile.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}
 
The most important companies are [[Framatome]] (formerly Areva), [[Saint-Gobain]], Nordeon, Cartonnerie Laurent, Chalondis, Carrefour 2000, Géant Casino, Comptoirs des Fers, Cayon, Amazon and ''Le journal de Saône-et-Loire''. Until the early 2000s, Kodak was the largest employer in town. Their production site became the campus of ''Le Grand Chalon en Bourgogne'' in 2005.

==Transport==

===Railway===
The [[Gare de Chalon-sur-Saône]] railway station offers connections with Paris, Dijon, Lyon and several regional destinations.

The station is located along the [[Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée|PLM]] mainline from [[Paris Gare de Lyon]] to [[Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles|Marseille-Saint-Charles]], at kilometre post 382.150 from Paris.

===Road===
The primary national roads serving Chalon are the [[A6 autoroute]] from Paris to Lyon, the [[:fr:Route nationale 73 (France)|route nationale 73]], from Chalon to [[Besançon]] and the [[:fr:Route nationale 80 (France)|route nationale 80]], from Chalon to [[Montchanin]].

The city is also located on the pan-European bicycle route the [[EV6 The Rivers Route|EuroVelo 6]], which stretches from [[Saint-Nazaire]] on the [[Atlantic Ocean]] near [[Nantes]] to [[Constanta]] on the [[Black Sea]].

===Air transport===
The closest major commercial airport is [[Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport|Lyon-Saint-Exupéry]], located about 120 kilometres away.

===Public transport===

The public transportation company ''STAC'' offers a bus network ''ZOOM'', including a free bus in the center, lines to surrounding communities, and services for disabled riders. There also exists a [[bike sharing]] scheme ''Réflex''.

==Culture==
[[Chalon Cathedral|St. Vincent's Cathedral]] on the Place Saint-Vincent which, while dating mainly from the 12th to the 15th centuries,<ref name="EB1911"/> has some elements dating from the eighth century and a neo-gothic nineteenth century façade.
[[File:Cathédrale Saint-Vincent de Chalon-sur-Saône - DSC06099.JPG|thumb|[[Chalon Cathedral]]]] The church of St Pierre, with two steeples, dates from the late 17th century.<ref name="EB1911"/>

The [[city square]] also has a number of cafés and a busy market on Fridays and Sundays.

Every year in July, Chalon-sur-Saône hosts an international street artists festival, called Chalon dans la Rue ("Chalon in the street").<ref>[http://www.chalondanslarue.com/ Festival Chalon dans la rue official website]</ref> Over four days, artists from across Europe and beyond come to the streets of Chalon to perform, mostly for free, in music, theatre, acrobatics, comedy, etc. A program is made available by the town, so people know of the main groups performing, and several newspapers report what performances are must-see and where and when to find them.

===Education===
An institute of research of the engineering school [[Arts et Métiers ParisTech]] was established in Chalon in 1997. This institute offers graduate and doctoral programs in the domain of virtual reality and image engineering.

It includes a municipal library.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bm-chalon.fr/ |title=Home |website=bm-chalon.fr}}</ref>

===Sports===
The [[Élan Chalon]] basketball club is a member of the [[LNB Pro A]], and plays its home matches at the [[Le Colisée]]. Other sports clubes include [[FC Chalon]], HBC Chalon-sur-Saône, Volley-Ball Chalon-sur-Saône and the former [[RC Chalon]].

==Notable people==
Notable people associated with the city include:
* [[Joseph Touchemoulin]] (1727–1801), composer
* [[Dominique Vivant Denon]] (1747–1825), involved in creating the ''Louvre''
* [[Roger Grosjean]] (1920–1975), double agent in World War II and later a noted archaeologist in Corsica
* [[Eugène Genet]] (1850–1904), politician
* [[Robert Marchi]] (1919–1946), World War II fighter ace
* [[Nicéphore Niépce]], (1765–1833), pioneer of photography, took the [[View from the Window at Le Gras|earliest surviving photograph]]
* [[Jean Baptiste Félix Descuret]] (1795–1871), physician and writer
* [[Omer Letorey]] (1873–1938), composer

==Tourism==
{{Main|Tourism in Saône-et-Loire}}
* The [[Arboretum de Pézanin]], one of the richest tree collections in France,
* The [[Rock of Solutré]]
* [[Cluny abbey]], and its medieval city
* [[Charolles]] and the "bœuf charolais"
* [[Mâcon]], [[Paray-le-Monial]]

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}

Chalon-sur-Saône is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Les villes partenaires|url=https://comitejumelagechalonsursaone.org/les-villes-partenaires/|website=comitejumelagechalonsursaone.org|date=17 January 2016|publisher=Chalon-sur-Saône|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-20}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[St Helens, Merseyside|Saint Helens]], United Kingdom
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Solingen]], Germany
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Novara]], Italy
<!--Næstved - not twinning-->

==Climate==

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  Chalon-sur-Saône (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1991–present)
|Jan record high C = 17.9
|Feb record high C = 20.4
|Mar record high C = 24.5
|Apr record high C = 27.9
|May record high C = 32.3
|Jun record high C = 37.0
|Jul record high C = 39.0
|Aug record high C = 39.7
|Sep record high C = 34.3
|Oct record high C = 28.9
|Nov record high C = 21.5
|Dec record high C = 17.7
|Jan record low C = -13.5
|Feb record low C = -13.7
|Mar record low C = -12.4
|Apr record low C = -6.2
|May record low C = -1.5
|Jun record low C = 1.6
|Jul record low C = 4.8
|Aug record low C = 3.6
|Sep record low C = -1.1
|Oct record low C = -7.6
|Nov record low C = -10.4
|Dec record low C = -17.6
|Jan high C = 6.2
|Feb high C = 8.2
|Mar high C = 12.9
|Apr high C = 16.7
|May high C = 20.8
|Jun high C = 24.6
|Jul high C = 26.7
|Aug high C = 26.5
|Sep high C = 22.0
|Oct high C = 16.6
|Nov high C = 10.3
|Dec high C = 6.7
| year high C = 16.5
|Jan mean C = 3.0
|Feb mean C = 4.1
|Mar mean C = 7.5
|Apr mean C = 10.6
|May mean C = 14.6
|Jun mean C = 18.3
|Jul mean C = 20.2
|Aug mean C = 19.9
|Sep mean C = 16.0
|Oct mean C = 11.8
|Nov mean C = 6.6
|Dec mean C = 3.6
| year mean C = 11.4
|Jan low C = -0.2
|Feb low C = 0.0
|Mar low C = 2.0
|Apr low C = 4.5
|May low C = 8.4
|Jun low C = 12.0
|Jul low C = 13.8
|Aug low C = 13.3
|Sep low C = 9.9
|Oct low C = 7.0
|Nov low C = 2.9
|Dec low C = 0.5
| year low C = 6.2
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 53.6
|Feb precipitation mm = 43.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 44.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 58.4
|May precipitation mm = 73.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 58.3
|Jul precipitation mm = 67.5
|Aug precipitation mm = 57.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 63.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 77.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 79.6
|Dec precipitation mm = 59.3
|year precipitation mm = 736.5
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 9.9
| Feb precipitation days = 7.9
| Mar precipitation days = 8.4
| Apr precipitation days = 9.1
| May precipitation days = 10.0
| Jun precipitation days = 8.0
| Jul precipitation days = 8.2
| Aug precipitation days = 7.3
| Sep precipitation days = 7.6
| Oct precipitation days = 9.8
| Nov precipitation days = 10.5
| Dec precipitation days = 10.6
| year precipitation days =107.2
|source 1 = Meteociel<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=71081001
|title=Normales et records pour Chalon - Champforgeuil (71)
|publisher=Meteociel
|access-date=21 November 2024}}</ref>}}

==See also==
{{Portal|France}}
* [[Élan Sportif Chalonnais]]
* [[Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department]]
* [[Côte Chalonnaise]]
* ''[[Neuilly sa mère !]]'', 2009 film set partially in Chalon-sur-Saône

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Lausanne and Geneva}}
* ''Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte'' (Grosser Atlas zur Weltgeschichte), 1 January 1997 by Priscilla Strain and Frederick Engle (authors); {{ISBN|978-3075095201}} {{in lang|de}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.chalon.fr}} {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.vivre-a-chalon.com/ Local web portal www.vivre-a-chalon.com] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Commons category|Chalon-sur-Saône}}
{{Saône-et-Loire communes}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalonsursaone}}
[[Category:Chalon-sur-Saône| ]]
[[Category:Communes of Saône-et-Loire]]
[[Category:Subprefectures in France]]
[[Category:Gallia Lugdunensis]]
[[Category:Burgundy]]