Burgundy Culture, Heritage and Tradition

• Burgundy, peaceful region in the centre of France enjoys a rich and varied heritage including religious history, culinary traditions, artistic culture. The Burgundy monuments retrace the past of the region and keep it alive for the Burgundians as for French and foreign people.
• Castles are the eloquent expression of rural Burgundy in medieval times while many churches and Abbeys illustrate the religious spirit.
• Burgundians know how to cook specialities such as, Snails or Fondue and how to welcome warmly the visitors looking for tasting the famous wines the area is so renowned for.
• Effectively the best ambassador of Burgundy is its wine, with some famous appellations such as Chablis, Côte-de-Nuits, Côte-de-Beaune. Nowadays the region is still covered of vineyards and produces more than 1 ,500 ,000 hectolitres per year.

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		Burgundy Gastronomy
Drink		Burgundy has good reputation for its vineyards. The Burgundy region produces both white wines and red wines from several variety grapes growing on about 28 000 ha throughout the region, on 250 kms from north to south. The best-known wines are made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varietals, based around Beaune in the Côte d'Or Others well-known viticulturally part of Burgundy are Beaujolais, Chablis, Côte Chalonnaise, and Mâcon, while in the East near the Loire there are vineyards of Pouilly "Grands crus", famous all over the world are : Côte de Nuits (clos-de-vougeot, gevrey-chambertin, nuits-saint-georges) and Côte de Beaune (aloxe-corton, pommard, meursault, puligny et chassagne-montrachet, santenay).
Food		There are number of culinary specialities in Burgundy. They include as starters: Gougère, Oeufs en Meurette, Jambon persillé and as main dish: les escargots, le coq au vin, Bœuf bourguignon, Fondue bourguignonne, Bresse chicken, Charolais beef, accompagned of mustard. Burgundy is also a cheese territory with the famous types: époisses, saint-florentin, brillat-savarin,chaource.
		Burgundy Leisure and Festivals
Leisure		Burgundians dances, called " bourrée", and folk songs, based on hurdy gurdy and accordion, are traditionnaly inspired by the past daily life including the themes of vineyard, farming, love and family. Other dances from other countries are also practised in Burgundy. Mainly "scottish", "mazurka" and "polka".
Festival Celebrations		Burgundian wine is notably celebrated. The "Hospices de Beaune" Wine Auction taking place in November in Beaune, is the most famous traditional charity auction in the world.
Language		Burgundy has is own regional patois based on number of terms and expressions, forwarded from generation to generation and via word of mouth through towns and countrysides.
		Places of interest in Burgundy
Fortifications		Burgundy Castles retrace the region's past,through many architectural masterpieces and historical figures, such as: the Château de Commarin, the impressive Château de Bussy-Rabutin, the medieval Château de Guédélon, the Italian inspired Château d'Ancy-le-Franc, the imposing Château de Tanlay,the Chateau de Bazoches Home of the victorious days of Louis XIV, the Chateau de Sully, the splendid Chateau Cormatin, the Château de Pierre-de-Bresse Some picturesque medieval villages are also not to miss like : Flavigny-sur-Ozerain with delightful architecture, Nolay with its covered market, Noyers-sur-Serein with half-timbered houses , Montréal seeting on a hill, Semur-en-Auxois, Châteauneuf-en-Auxois and Brancion.
Archaeological sites		Dijon Archeology Museum is home of treasures tracing the beginning of Burgundy. Escolives Sainte Camille has such a rich archaeological heritage Grotto D’arcy and St More: are some of the oldest and finest cave paintings, while Grotto d’Aze are the second important prehistoric cave site in Burgundy. The strange, precipitous rock called Solutré is such an important site that it gave its name to a whole Paleolithic period. Site of Alésia :where supposedly Vercingétorix, leader of the Gauls, was defeated by Caesar and where the giant statue of the Gallic warrior stands, with panoramic views over the valleys.
Religious monuments		Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain has been an important pilgrim route for centuries. There are four main routes through France, and one begins at Vézelay, with its basilica Ste-Madeleine, one of the treasures of Burgundy. All along the route there are religious points of interest such as :Cluny Abbey, Fontenay Abbey, St. Philibert’s Abbey, the Cathedral St-Lazare, Hospices de Beaune, "Hospices" de Beaune this famous building with the multi-coloured roof, Citeaux Abbey and Pontign Abbey. 400,000 pilgrims a year also come to the focal point of Paray-le-Monial with its Basilique Sacré-Coeur, making it one of the great centres of Christianity.
“Beautiful Villages”		Several villages in Burgundy are voted as "France’s most beautiful villages", notably. Côte-d'Or : Chateauneuf en Auxois and Flavigny-sur-Ozerain Saône-et-Loire : Semur-en-Brionnais Yonne : Noyers and Vézelay
Museums		Burgundy accounts for many museums such as:Musée de l’Aventure du Son tracing the history of sound, Musée Colette, the darling of scandal native of Burgundy,Musée des Beaux Arts, collection of fine paintings and sculptures, Musée de la Résisitance tracing the Resistance Movement in the Second World War, the Museum of Celtic Civilisation, the Musée xx of sports cars,motor bikes and model planes.
Wine Routes		To explore the vineyards of Burgundy, the Wine Routes offers several intineraries crossing pretty wine villages and about 280 wine producers between Dijon and Beaune, the Route du Mâconnais, the Route de la Pierre et du Vin between Beaune and Cluny.
Historical Routes		Burgundy accounts for a dynamical touristic activity thanks to its historical and cultural assets, gathered along historical routes including outstanding sites.

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