Mâcon

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For other places called Macon, see Macon.
Commune of Mâcon
The bridge over the Saône: Tour de France peloton entering Mâcon Jul 2006
The bridge over the Saône: Tour de France peloton entering Mâcon Jul 2006
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Location
Longitude 04° 49' 57" E
Latitude 46° 18' 26" N
Administration
Country France
Region Bourgogne
Department Saône-et-Loire (préfecture)
Arrondissement Mâcon
Canton Chief town of 3 cantons
Intercommunality Communauté
d'Agglomération du
Mâconnais Val de Saône
(CAMVAL)
Mayor Jean-Patrick Courtois
(2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude 167 m–347 m
(avg. 175 m)
Land area¹ 27.04 km²
Population²
(1999)		 34,469
 - Density (1999) 1,275/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 71270/ 71000
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
France

Mâcon is a commune of France, préfecture (capital) of the Saône-et-Loire département, in the Bourgogne region.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Mâcon is located on the Saône River, north of Lyon. It has an area of 27.04 km². Average altitude: 175 m.

[edit] History

For the ecclesiastcial history, see bishopric of Mâcon

From Matisco to the present day… The foundation of ancient Matisco dates back to the 2nd century B.C. The city very soon became a busy crossroad. Border between the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire from 843 to 1600, Mâcon prospered thanks to the customs duties that were established. Mâcon was a Huguenot stronghold in the 16th century. In 1790, Mâcon became the capital of the "département of Saône-et-Loire" and saw the birth of one of its most famous inhabitants: Alphonse de Lamartine. The Resistance was particularly active here during World War II and Mâcon was the first town in the French zone between Paris and Lyon.

Mâcon Saint-Vincent Cathedral

Mâcon Saint Pierre Cathedral

Mâcon and Saint-Laurent Bridge at Night

Mâcon Town Hall

[edit] Economy

The area produces wines, including Pouilly-Fuissé. The town also has foundries and plants that manufacture motorcycles, electrical equipment and clothing. The town is also a touristy place with its river bank (with the Saône river), its old center and notably the "Maison de Bois" which was built in the 15th century.

The Tour de France frequently passes through Mâcon on its way down from the Alps around the month of July.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Mâcon was the birthplace of Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869), writer, poet and politician.

The Baby of Mâcon is a 1993 film directed by Peter Greenaway.

Mâcon and the Saône River
Mâcon and the Saône River

[edit] Twinned towns

Coat of Arms of Mâcon
Coat of Arms of Mâcon


[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Préfectures of Départements of France
Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain) • Laon (Aisne) • Moulins (Allier) • Digne-les-Bains (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) • Gap (Hautes-Alpes) • Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) • Privas (Ardeche) • Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes) • Foix (Ariège) • Troyes (Aube) • Carcassonne (Aude) • Rodez (Aveyron) • Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) • Caen (Calvados) • Aurillac (Cantal) • Angoulême (Charente) • La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) • Bourges (Cher) • Tulle (Corrèze) • Ajaccio (corse-du-Sud) • Bastia (Haute-Corse) • Dijon (Côte-d'Or) • Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor) • Guéret (Creuse) • Périgueux (Dordogne) • Besançon (Doubs) • Valence (Drôme) • Évreux (Eure) • Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) • Quimper (Finistère) • Nîmes (Gard) • Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) • Auch (Gers) • Bordeaux (Gironde) • Montpellier (Hérault) • Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) • Châteauroux (Indre) • Tours (Indre-et-Loire) • Grenoble (Isère) • Lons-le-Saunier (Jura) • Mont-de-Marsan (Landes) • Blois (Loir-et-Cher) • Saint-Étienne (Loire) • Le Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire) • Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) - Orléans (Loiret) • Cahors (Lot) • Agen (Lot-et-Garonne) • Mende (Lozère) • Angers (Maine-et-Loire) • Saint-Lô (Manche) • Châlons-en-Champagne (Marne) • Chaumont (Haute-Marne) - Laval (Mayenne) • Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle) • Bar-le-Duc (Meuse) • Vannes (Morbihan) • Metz (Moselle) • Nevers (Nièvre) • Lille (Nord) • Beauvais (Oise) • Alençon (Orne) • Calais (Pas-de-Calais) • Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme) • Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) • Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées) • Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) • Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) • Colmar (Haut-Rhin) • Lyon (Rhône) • Vesoul (Haute-Saône) • Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire) • Le Mans (Sarthe) • Chambéry (Savoie) • Annecy (Haute-Savoie) • Paris (Paris) • Rouen (Seine-Maritime) • Melun (Seine-et-Marne) • Versailles (Yvelines) • Niort (Deux-Sèvres) • Amiens (Somme) • Albi (Tarn) • Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) • Toulon (Var) • Avignon (Vaucluse) • La Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée) • Poitiers (Vienne) • Limoges (Haute-Vienne) • Épinal (Vosges) • Auxerre (Yonne) • Belfort (Territoire de Belfort) - Évry (Essonne) - Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) • Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis) • Créteil (Val-de-Marne) • Cergy (Val-d'Oise)


Overseas departments
Cayenne (French Guiana) • Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) • Fort-de-France (Martinique) • Saint-Denis (Réunion)

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