Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône (French pronunciation: [ʃalɔ̃ syʁ son] , literally Chalon on Saône) is a city in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône-1, 2 and 3
Gilles Platret[1]
15.22 km2 (5.88 sq mi)
45,031
3,000/km2 (7,700/sq mi)
172–190 m (564–623 ft)
(avg. 185 m or 607 ft)
It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon.
History[edit]
Ancient times[edit]
Though the site (ancient Cabillonum)[3] 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 road communications, of the Via Agrippa and side routes.[4] 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 with money. In Late Antiquity the city had dwindled so much that a wall round it encircled fifteen hectares.[5]
Economy[edit]
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.
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[edit]
Railway[edit]
The Gare de Chalon-sur-Saône railway station offers connections with Paris, Dijon, Lyon and several regional destinations.
The station is located along the PLM mainline from Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille-Saint-Charles, at kilometre post 382.150 from Paris.
Road[edit]
The primary national roads serving Chalon are the A6 autoroute from Paris to Lyon, the route nationale 73, from Chalon to Besançon and the route nationale 80, from Chalon to Montchanin.
The city is also located on the pan-European bicycle route the EuroVelo 6, which stretches from Saint-Nazaire on the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes to Constanta on the Black Sea.
Air transport[edit]
The closest major commercial airport is Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, located about 120 kilometres away.
Public transport[edit]
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.
Notable people associated with the city include:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the : Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Lausanne and Geneva". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
