Villefranche-sur-Saône

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Villefranche-sur-Saône

Velafranche  (Arpitan)
Subprefecture and commune
A general view of Villefranche-sur-Saône
A general view of Villefranche-sur-Saône
Coat of arms of Villefranche-sur-Saône
Coat of arms
Location of Villefranche-sur-Saône
Villefranche-sur-Saône is located in France
Villefranche-sur-Saône
Villefranche-sur-Saône
Coordinates: 45°59′00″N 4°43′00″E / 45.9833°N 4.7167°E / 45.9833; 4.7167Coordinates: 45°59′00″N 4°43′00″E / 45.9833°N 4.7167°E / 45.9833; 4.7167
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentRhône
ArrondissementVillefranche-sur-Saône
CantonVillefranche-sur-Saône
IntercommunalityVillefranche-Beaujolais-Saône
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Thomas Ravier
Area
1
9.48 km2 (3.66 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2018)[1]
36,288
 • Density3,800/km2 (9,900/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Caladois
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
69264 /69400
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Villefranche-sur-Saône (US: /ˌviːl(ə)ˈfrɒ̃ʃ sʊər ˈsoʊn/,[2] French: [vilfʁɑ̃ʃ syʁ son] (About this soundlisten); Arpitan: Velafranche) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.

It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the river Saône, and is around 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lyon. The inhabitants of the town are called Caladois.

History[]

Villefranche-sur-Saône was founded in 1212 by , count of Beaujeu (Arpitan: Bôjor/Biôjœr), and became in the 14th century the capital of the Beaujolais (Arpitan: Biôjolês) province.[3] 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.[4]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 4,706—    
1800 4,374−1.04%
1806 5,095+2.58%
1821 5,250+0.20%
1831 6,460+2.10%
1836 7,533+3.12%
1841 6,848−1.89%
1846 7,064+0.62%
1851 7,769+1.92%
1856 11,686+8.51%
1861 11,650−0.06%
1866 12,469+1.37%
1872 12,170−0.40%
1876 12,485+0.64%
1881 13,074+0.93%
1886 12,518−0.87%
1891 12,928+0.65%
1896 13,627+1.06%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 14,793+1.66%
1906 16,031+1.62%
1911 16,388+0.44%
1921 16,588+0.12%
1926 17,339+0.89%
1931 18,188+0.96%
1936 18,871+0.74%
1946 20,017+0.59%
1954 21,703+1.02%
1962 24,516+1.54%
1968 26,338+1.20%
1975 30,341+2.04%
1982 28,881−0.70%
1990 29,542+0.28%
1999 30,647+0.41%
2007 33,840+1.25%
2012 36,241+1.38%
2017 36,857+0.34%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

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 Saône.

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.[3]

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
  • Benjamin Biolay (born 1973), singer, songwriter and musician
  • Coralie Clément (born 1978), singer
  • Grégory Bettiol (born 1986), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities[]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Villefranche-sur-Saône is twinned with:[6]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Villefranche". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Villefranche-sur-Saône". Encyclopædia Britannica. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 77.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Villefranche-sur-Saône, EHESS. (in French)
  5. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  6. ^ "Comité des associations de jumelage de Villefranche". villefranche.net (in French). Villefranche-sur-Saône. Retrieved 2021-04-13.

External links[]



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