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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Bourbon-Lancy

Bourbon-Lancy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.

It is a rural town on the river Loire with a walled medieval area on the dominant hill. It has an authentic medieval belfry, wooden frame houses and fortifications which date from 1495.

Geography

The commune is located primarily on the right bank of the Loire, the river running through the far west corner of its territory.

History

Situated in Burgundy on the road from Paris to Lyon, and on the Loire River, the city's history spans well over 2000 years. Bourbon-Lancy is a spa town with thermal springs which have been known since Roman times, when it was known as Aquae Bormonis and enjoyed great prosperity. In the Middle Ages, Bourbon-Lancy was an important stronghold and a fief of the Bourbon family, and its suffix is derived from the name of a member of the family.

Cardinal Richelieu, Madame de Sévigné, James II of England, Catherine de Medici and other celebrated people visited the thermal springs in the 17th and 18th centuries.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was a center for the manufacture of agricultural machinery.

Toponymy

The name Bourbon is derived from the name of the Gallic and Italic god Borvo and signifies bubbling or boiling, referring to the thermal hot springs in the town.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 6,263—    
1975 6,640+0.84%
1982 6,507−0.29%
1990 6,178−0.65%
1999 5,634−1.02%
2007 5,401−0.53%
2012 5,187−0.81%
2017 4,927−1.02%
Source: INSEE

Industry

Sights

Bourbon-Lancy has some of the most well-preserved medieval structures in Saône-et-Loire:

  • Musée Saint Nazaire – housed in the 11th century Saint Nazaire Church - artifacts from ancient & modern Bourbon-Lancy
  • Medieval center – shops, restaurants and an inn
  • Thermal spas

The church of the Sacred Heart is an impressive example of nineteenth-century architecture.

The museums and casino also deserve a visit:

  • Musée du Breuil
  • Musée de la Machine Agricole Puzenat et des outils du bois
  • Le Casino De Bourbon-Lancy
Church of Saint Nazaire
Medieval walls of Bourbon-Lancy
Eglise du Sacré Coeur

See also

References

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bourbon-Lancy". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 328–329.
  4. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE