Villefranche-sur-Saône
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| Commune of Villefranche-sur-Saône | |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Rhône (sous-préfecture) |
| Arrondissement | Villefranche-sur-Saône |
| Canton | Villefranche-sur-Saône |
| Intercommunality | Communauté de communes de l'agglomération de Villefranche-sur-Saône |
| Mayor | Jean-Jacques Pignard |
| Statistics | |
| Land area¹ | 9.48 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
30,647 |
| - Density (1999) | 3,233/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 69264/ 69400 |
| 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). | |
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Villefranche-sur-Saône (Velafranche in Arpitan language) is a town and commune in the Rhône département of the Rhône-Alpes région of east-central France, one mile (1.6 km) west of the Saône River. The inhabitants of the town are called Caladoise(s) (feminine) and Caladois (masculine).
The popular French singers Coralie Clément and Benjamin Biolay were born in Villefranche-sur-Saône.
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[edit] History
Villefranche-sur-Saône was founded in 1212 by Guichard IV, count of Beaujeu, and became in the 14th century the capital of the Beaujolais district. It faced three sieges in the 15th and 16th centuries. The town walls were taken down early in the 19th century.
[edit] Economy
Industries include wine-trading, metallurgy, textiles, and chemicals.
[edit] Transport
The Autoroute du Sud is adjacent to the east of the town, running alongside the Saône.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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