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Villefranche-sur-Saône |
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Villefranche-sur-Saône
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Rhône |
| Arrondissement | Villefranche-sur-Saône |
| Canton | Villefranche-sur-Saône |
| Intercommunality | Villefranche-sur-Saône |
| Mayor | Bernard Perrut (UMP) |
| Statistics | |
| Land area1 | 9.48 km2 (3.66 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 34,626 (2006) |
| - Density | 3,653 /km2 (9,460 /sq mi) |
| 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. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Villefranche-sur-Saône (Velafranche in the Arpitan language) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.
It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the Saône River, and is around 25 kilometres (16 mi)north of Lyon. The inhabitants of the town are called Caladois.
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The popular French singers Coralie Clément and Benjamin Biolay, as well as football player hopeful Grégory Bettiol were born in Villefranche-sur-Saône.
Villefranche-sur-Saône was founded in 1212 by Guichard IV, count of Beaujeu (Bôjor / Biôjœr), and became in the 14th century the capital of the Beaujolais (Biôjolês) province. It endured three sieges in the 15th and 16th centuries. The town walls were taken down early in the 19th century.
Industries include wine-trading, metallurgy, textiles, and chemicals.
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 River.