Villefranche-sur-Saône

See also: Villefranche

Villefranche-sur-Saône is a common French, located in the department of the the Rhone and the area the Rhone-Alps.

The inhabitants of Villefranche-sur-Saône are called the Caladoises and the Caladois .

Geography

It is the principal agglomeration of the Beaujolais, it is sometimes called Villefranche-in-Beaujolais wine. The city is located at 25 km in the North of Lyon.

History

The old city (which corresponds today to the hyper-center) was built while following the diagram of a boat built around the axis of current National Rue. The latter being inclined at each end. The heart of this old city being collegial the Notre-Dame of the Marshes.

The city was surrounded by ramparts.

Thereafter, the city extended towards the West.

Gentilé the caladois finds its origin in the word Occitan calada which means street with inclined rollers. By extension, in the area of Villefranche, it indicates any paved street of rollers of the Rhone as it is the case on the square of Our-Lady-of-Marsh.

Administration

Villefranche belongs to the community of the Agglomeration of Villefranche-sur-Saône, to which also the communes of Arnas belong, Limas and Gleizé.

Demography

Economy

Villefranche-sur-Saône is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Villefranche and of the Beaujolais wine. It manages the river port, ParcExpo and the aerodrome of Villefranche Tarare.

Places and monuments

  • Place of the Marshes
  • Niche of the Gothic Pelican
  • Sculpture located vis-a-vis the town hall.
  • Church Notre-Dame of the Marshes Frontage of the 16th century and Romance Bell-tower of the 13th century.
  • There exists in Villefranche a Musée of the Conscription.
  • the Museum Paul Dini includes/understands works of artists having milked with the area the Rhone-Alps 19th century at our days.

Famous characters

Traditions

See also: Festival of the Conscripts of Villefranche-sur-Saône

The Fête of the Conscrit S is held each year, last Sunday of January. The conscripts are all those which have the same figure at the end of their year of birth. In the beginning, it is about a festival related to the military Conscription: the young people called in service had fun the festival before leaving.

The festivities begin the previous Friday evening with the torchlight procession , a dressed up procession. Saturdays, the conscripts return visit to the conscripts to give their rosette to them. Sunday morning with 11:00, all the conscripts launch out in a large procession called the Wave, out of smoking and gibus with ribbon (the Couleur of the ribbon indicates the old one of the conscript). The Wave breaks in the national street: the conscripts, each age group following its brass band, ravel in zigzag by group of 5 or 6 being held by the arms and jumping. After this moment of sport the banquet comes which lasts until the evening and with the balls organized by each class. Monday and Tuesday which follow are the subject also of new banquets…

After this week quite charged, one organizes factitious funeral to bury the class, and to close again the page for this year; the conscripts will have to wait 10 years before again being able “to make the wave”. This tradition is also followed in the common neighbors, with some alternatives like the participation of the women and the children in the procession.

Twinnings

See too

Communes bordering

External bonds

  • Official site of the Town of Villefranche-sur-Saône
  • Official site of the Community of Agglomeration of Villefranche-sur-Saône
  • Villefranche-sur-Saône on the site of INSEE
  • Localization of Villefranche-sur-Saône on a chart of France and communes bordering
  • Plane on Villefranche-sur-Saône on Mapquest^

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