Country France Department Rhône Canton Villefranche-sur-Saône Local time Monday 5:28 PM | Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Arrondissement Villefranche-sur-Saône Area 9.48 km² | |
Intercommunality Villefranche-Beaujolais-Saône Weather 20°C, Wind N at 14 km/h, 48% Humidity Points of interest Museum Paul Dini, Happy City, Crazygolf | ||
Villefranche-sur-Saône ([vilfʁɑ̃ʃ syʁ son]; Arpitan: Velafranche) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.
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Map of 69400 Villefranche-sur-Saone, 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.
Notable people
The popular French singers Coralie Clément and Benjamin Biolay, as well as football player hopeful Grégory Bettiol and actor and cellist Maurice Baquet were born in Villefranche-sur-Saône.
History
Villefranche-sur-Saône was founded in 1212 by Guichard IV, count of Beaujeu (Arpitan: Bôjor/Biôjœr), and became in the 14th century the capital of the Beaujolais (Arpitan: Biôjolês) province. It endured three sieges in the 15th and 16th centuries. The town walls were taken down early in the 19th century.
Economy
Industries include wine-trading, metallurgy, textiles, and chemicals.
Transport
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.