FRANCHE-COMTE STORY ANGLES 2002

 

 

v     UNESCO site at Arc et Senans. 

o       Royal Saltworks – the original C18 ‘Rowntree village’ of France. 

o       An architect with a ‘different’ view of the ‘grand design’ – Claude-Nicholas Ledoux.

o       Eleven unique buildings – half a dream!

o       Pipelines of yesteryear!

o       The fourteen gardens that exist today.

 

v     Yellow wine – unique in the world 

o       Vin jaune’ is unique to the Franche-Comte.  Wine –growers in other parts of the world have tried to imitate the wine but nowhere else can it be replicated.

o       There is also ‘Macvin’, not anything to do with whisky, and ‘vin de paille’ – literally ‘straw wine’ – again not found anywhere else in the world.

o       The centre of the wine industry of the Franche-Comte is Arbois where the wine museum is situated.

o       Very modern methods for tasting etc are employed in this region.

o       The wine route of the Franche- Comte runs through some of the most beautiful rolling countryside.

o       The Mexican branch – who still celebrate Bastille Day and sing the Marseillaise even though they are in Mexico.

 

v     Ronchamps – the Chapel of Le Corbusier. 

o       An inside and outside chapel – designed to hold services both indoors and outdoors.

o       Deceptively large – appears so tiny inside.

o       Stained glass windows that throw a wonderful light on the interior.

o       Materials used specifically on this project as decreed by the architect. 

 

v     Victor Hugo – 2002 – his bi-centennial year. 

o       Victor Hugo was born in Besancon in 1802.

o       One of the most important writers in the history of French literature.

o       ‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’ – his most famous and revered novel.

o       A whole series of events throughout the year in the Franche-Comte starting in February 2002.  

 

v     Going Underground! 

o       Geologists paradise – caves, caverns, marvellous underground phenomenon.

o       Gouffre de Poudrey – the largest subterranean cave network in France – 70 metres below the surface.

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