Burgundy

February 2022 - we arrived at the Bourgogne early in the morning. Since February is not the most suitable time to visit vinyards we limited the visit to taking fotos of a chateaux and the adjacent vignoble.

 In Beaune we visited the local market which offered a tremendous selection of cheeses, fuetes, vines, juices and even homebrewed beers. 

Unfortunately you can only visit the colorful rooftops of the old Hotel Dieu in combination with the museum. We didn't have the time for that, so just a short visit to the Bourgogne. Probably will come back sometime for grape harvest and to see Dijon as well.

With great amazement, despite many trips to Cote d’Or with my family, I sadly found out that our favorite vineyards are outside UNESCO designated zone, and apart from having lunch or dinner in Dijon and Beaune, I have no memory that I have seen those UNESCO listed components. As a result, I had little choice to not revisit Burgundy, and to make it more miserable I went with my friends who are non-wine drinkers! We used Beaune as our base, after checked in our hotel and had great time on mustard sampling and shopping at La Moutarderie Fallot, we shockingly found long queue at entrance of the famous Hotel de Dieu with American tour groups. The former hospital with its beautiful roof, unique display of old system of medical care and lovely decorating arts really made Hotel de Dieu to be one of the most interesting components of this World Heritage Site. Like other reviewers this place deserved to be listed on its own merit or specific mentioned on the official name when listing.

It was unreasonable and unthinkable for my non-wine drinker friends to join wine sampling tour in various chateaus, so instead of finding best wine of Cote d’Or, the trip turned out to be fine a best spot to see beautiful vineyard landscape. We drove across those “Climats” around Beaune passing many well-known chateaus that wanted me to stop by for few bottles. We noticed that the local authorities seem to use stone arched …

After having already visited the Besancon and Dijon areas of this WHS in July 2013 and May 2015, in June 2020 I decided to visit the area around Beaune. Of the three areas, the latter is definitely a highlight and should not be missed.

Even if you're not a vineyard enthusiast, a visit to Beaune's iconic Hotel-Dieu alone is worth the trip. For those of you who decide to travel by car, the easiest indoor parking option is Parking St Etienne. After the Covid-19 lockdown measure, in June 2020 the Hospices de Beaune's Hotel-Dieu (photo) re-opened to the public for free (till the end of the month) which meant 9 euros each saved.

Perfectly preserved since the end of the Middle Ages, it was built in 1443 by nicholas Rolin, Chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy Philippe le Bon. At the end of the Hundred Years' War, Beaune suffered from misery and famine. Three quarters of the town's inhabitants were destitute. To redeem their salvation, the Chancellor and Guigone de Salins, his wife, decided to create a hospital for the poor. They endowed it with an annual income (from the Salins saltworks!) and with their own resources (vines among others), and called on many artists to decorate it. This hospital is considered a jewel of Burgundian medieval architecture with its glazed tile roofs which have become a characteristic of Burgundy. Without interruption from the 15th to the 20th century, the Sisters of Beaune's Hotel-Dieu welcome and cared for …

"Again a vineyard, again a serial nomination." Ever since hiking through the Piedmont and then later the same year the Prosecco hills have I a certain skepticism when it comes to any site featuring vineyards. Luckily, my skepticism in the case of Burgundy was not warranted as Burgundy to me is primarily a late medieval landscape that happens to have some surrounding vineyards.

The two main locations of the site are Dijon and Beaune. I managed to see both in half a day. Dijon is the regional capital and boasts quite a large old town. For me the Ducal Palace and the Place de La Liberation were the highlights of the town.

To see the vineyards I traveled to Beaune. Beaune is way smaller than Dijon and within 15min you are on the edge of town where the vineyards begin. For those interested there are multiple hiking trails. To get started walk to Park de la Bouzaize (Northwest of the old town). For me this was not an option due to time reasons. And I have seen plenty of vineyards as it stands.

Beaune features the Hôtel-Dieu or Hospices de Beaune. The Hôtel-Dieu is probably the single most iconic component of the inscription with its polychrome roof. It was also featured prominently in my French book in 8th grade.

Based on a donation by the then chancellor of Burgundy, Nicolas Rolin, the Hospices have operated since the 15th century. The initial funding came from another …

This was a difficult site to truly appreciate. I think it's quite difficult to really grasp the subtleties and nuances behind the Appellation of Controlled Origin moniker without tasting lots of different wines from the various winemakers, experiencing how the small variations in soil, climate and so on can strongly alter the final product. So we opted to enjoy the area the same way most people do - marvelling at the landscapes in the full bloom of spring, and enjoying a glass or two of vin along the way.

The Climats, terroirs of Burgundy is a fairly recent addition to the evergrowing list of wine-related WHS. The site covers a large area in the east of France, with officially two components: (1) the over 1,200 viticultural parcels called ‘Climats’ with villages and the town of Beaune and (2) the historic centre of Dijon. The site so far has only attracted one review on this website. And no one has written about the Beaune component yet. So that’s where my focus was on my weekend trip to Burgundy. An early warning: I am not going to write about wine!

Beaune once was the seat of the Duchy of Burgundy, a medieval state (or more precisely: a personal union of many lands) that originated in the current French region of Bourgogne. The power of the Burgundian dukes stretched into what is now Holland and Belgium – the Burgundian Netherlands is still part of history lessons in the Netherlands. The Burgundian dukes managed to impose a central rule on the various provinces and city-states of the Lowlands.

During exactly this period, the 15th century, the city’s one true highlight was constructed: the Hospices de Beaune. This hospital for the poor was founded in 1442 by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Burgundy, Nicolas Rolin. He wanted to spend part of his money on social work, but the building also displays his wealth and is somewhat of a shrine for himself and his wife. The Hospices are a masterpiece of art …

I visited this newly inscribed WHS on two occasions once in July 2013 and once in May 2015. On both occasions I admit to have only enjoyed the splendid vineyard landscapes and tiny villages which I think are the highlight of yet another vineyard landscape inscription. I also stopped by Dijon and enjoyed its cathedral before heading to Besancon when visiting the Vauban WHS series of sites. I will most definitely try to visit Beaune in the very near future to better understand the OUV of the Climats and to do some wine tasting.