CHALON
, a sizeable port and bustling industrial centre on a broad meander of
the Saône, is generally uninteresting, though its old riverside quarter
does have an easy charm, and it makes a good base for exploring the
more expensive areas of the Côte d'Or. Today it's a thriving business
centre, and trade fairs frequently take over the town, but more festive
occasions are also an important part of its appeal and good reasons to
stop if you're around at the right time. Three major events are: a carnival in March, which features a parade of giant masks, confetti battle and "laughter evening"; a national festival of street artists in July; and a film festival in October.
The old town
is just back from the river around Grande-Rue and rue du Châtelet. At
the junction of these two streets you'll see a fifteenth-century
timber-framed house, and around the quarter you'll find a number of
half-timbered jettied facades. Nearby, 200m to the west on place de
l'Hôtel-de-Ville, is the Musée Denon
(daily except Tues & hols 9.30am-noon & 2-5.30pm; €2.13, Wed
free), whose most vaunted exhibit is the 18,000-year-old Volgu flint,
rated one of the finest stone tools yet discovered. Apart from the
usual collection of bits and pieces excavated nearby, look out for the
local furniture.
More interesting and unusual is the Musée Niepce
, 28 quai des Messageries (daily except Tues: July & Aug 10am-6pm;
Sept-June 9.30-11.30am & 2.30-5.30pm; €2.13), just downstream from
Pont St-Laurent. Niepce, who was born in Chalon, is credited with
inventing photography in 1816, and the museum possesses a fascinating
range of cameras, from the first machine ever to the Apollo moon
mission's equipment, plus a number of 007-type spy-camera devices, all
attractively displayed under a set of glass domes. Upstairs is a
library of works on the subject of photography, to be thumbed through
at leisure, and a space for temporary exhibitions, with some big names
in the history of the art.
The other interesting target in town is the Maison des Vins
on Promenade Ste-Marie (daily 9am-7pm), where you can taste and buy
Côte Chalonnaise wines, chosen from the wines of 44 local villages by a
choice committee of professional wine tasters; even the cheaper ones
are really good.
Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides.
All rights reserved.The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.
