Burgundy in France
Burgundy is an area in the center of France. With 1.61 million residents, it is one of the larger regions of France. The capital of the province is Dijon.
Surroundings and countryside of Burgundy
The immediate neighbors of Burgundy are the Franche-Comte, the Champagne-Ardenne andIle-de-France, both in the north. The Center region lies to the west of Burgundy’s borders. Auvergne and Rhone-Alpes lie in the southern border area of Burgundy.
The mountain Morvan is one of the most famous elevations in the region and is an extension of the Massif Central. Parts of the old crystal area are also located here.
The history of Burgundy
Today we know that the Burgundy region must have been inhabited as early as the Palaeolithic. As early as 15,000 BC BC people lived here. This is shown by the finds on the rocks of Solutre. It is even assumed that the settlement must have been quite dense. From the 6th century until the arrival of the Romans, the ruled Gauls and the Celtic culture.
The Roman rule also ensures that the population was Romanized of Burgundy made. So the language of the region was systematically converted into that of the Roman. The entire culture underwent a change. The cultivation of wine began as early as 280. This has remained to this day.
The historic Benedictine monastery of Cluny was founded in 910. However, it was not until 1131 that the large monastery church of Cluny was consecrated. The terrible plague epidemic did not stop at Burgundy either. And so, around 1348, almost half of the region’s residents died of the insidious disease.
From 1789 to 1790, after the end of the French Revolution, France was divided into departments. At that time, the former Duchy of Burgundy lost its political power and has since consisted of four departments.
The famous Canal du Center, which is now also used as a postcard motif, was opened in 1794. It is the link between the Saone and the Loire. The current borders of the Burgundy region, which is written in French as Bourgogne, have existed since the program regions were redistributed in 1956. The four departments that exist today were formed at that time.
Living and working in Burgundy
The largest areas of the region are turned into agriculture utilized. Especially the red wines known all over the world are grown here. The white wines are produced in the towns of Cote-d’Or and Chablis and are no less popular or well-known. The livestock plays a major role here. The Bresse chickens and cattle from the famous Charolaise region come from here.
When visiting Burgundy, one should not only see the great vineyards, but also the historic Jean Leblanc oil mil l, which is still in operation today. There nuts and plants are pressed into valuable oil.
Although the Burgundy area is in an ideal location, there is less industry her eset. This is therefore correspondingly little developed. The metal industry has been a focus of the few factories since the 19th century.
Medium-sized companies and smaller businesses in particular benefit from this situation. Since there are few large companies based, the smaller ones have a good order book and can hardly complain economically. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that there is a large electrical industry in Chalon-sur-Saone. What is even more astonishing, however, is that shipbuilding is also carried out here. Even submarines are made there. The ships built here reach the sea via the Saone and later the Rhone.
