Saône-et-Loire

History

When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern Burgundy and Bresse, uniting lands that had no previous common history nor political unity and which have no true geographical unity. Thus its history is that of Burgundy, and is especially to be found in the local histories of Autun, Mâcon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles and Louhans.

Geography

Saône-et-Loire is the seventh largest department of France. It is part of the region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. In the west, the department is composed of the hills of the Autunois, the region around Autun, in the southwest the Charollais, and the Mâconnais in the south.

In the centre, the department is traversed from north to south by the Saône in its wide plain; the Saône is a tributary of the River Rhône that joins it at Lyon and thus is connected to the Mediterranean Sea. The source of the Loire, is south of the department, in the department of Ardèche. It then makes its way in the opposite direction, forming the southwest border of the department, and eventually draining into the Atlantic Ocean. The Canal du Centre links the Saône to the Loire between Chalon-sur-Saône and Digoin, thereby linking the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, the department occupies the northern part of the plain of Bresse. In the west, its industrial heart is in Le Creusot and Montceau-les-Mines, formerly noted for their coal mines and metallurgy.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Chalon-sur-Saône; the prefecture Mâcon is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:

Subdivisions

The department consists of five arrondissements:

• Autun
• Chalon-sur-Saône
• Charolles
• Louhans
• Mâcon

There are 29 cantons in the department and 565 communes.

Demographics

Politics

The president of the Departmental Council is André Accary, elected in 2015.

Current National Assembly Representatives

Tourism

Touristic sites :

• Roche de Solutré,
• Abbaye de Cluny,
• Taizé and Taizé Community,
• Paray-le-Monial,
• La Clayette,
• Dompierre-les-Ormes (Galerie européenne de la forêt et du bois, Arboretum de Pézanin).

File:Saône-et-Loire (septembre 2012) 032.JPG|Lamartine's statue in Mâcon File:Temple Janus angle.jpg|Temple of Janus in Autun File:Abbaye Cluny Kreuzgang1.jpg|Cluny Abbey File:Chalon-sur-Saône--place-du-marché.jpg|Chalon-sur-Saône File:Tournus abbaye.jpg|Tournus File:Arboretum, lac de Pezanin.jpeg|Lake of Pézanin File:Château de la Clayette vu de la rive du lac.jpg|Château de La Clayette

References

References

1. (4 May 2022). "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux".
2. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep71.pdf Populations légales 2019: 71 Saône-et-Loire], INSEE
3. "Historique de Saône-et-Loire".
4. "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
5. Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français".