Autun

Autun, city of art and history, has preserved many traces of ancient and medieval times.

• Antiquity: "Autun, sister and emulator of Rome". It was during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus (27 BC / 14 AD) that Autun was born: its ancient name was Augustodunum. The Roman emperor wanted to create a great city in Gaul that would demonstrate Roman power. Augustodunum was therefore endowed with splendid monuments which still make it famous today. One can thus admire at Autun:

• An honorary rampart, approximately 6 km long, comprising numerous towers. It was pierced by four gates (two of which remain) at the ends of the two main streets which intersected at right angles (cardo maximus and decamanus maximus).
• A Roman theater that can hold up to 20,000 people, the largest in capacity in Gaul.
• An amphitheater now located next to the theatre.
• The gates of Saint-André and Arroux which constituted two of the four entrances which made it possible to cross the walls of the city.
• The so-called "Janus" temple outside the ramparts.
• The astonishing Pierre de Couhard which stands in the heart of an ancient necropolis.
• The creation of Autun attracted the surrounding populations and in particular the inhabitants of Bibracte, the Eduen oppidum, which gradually fell into oblivion.

• Middle Ages:

• The town, recently hosting the supposed relics of Saint Lazarus, becomes an important place of pilgrimage, and sees itself endowed with a new cathedral (the first, the cathedral Saint- Nazaire, having been destroyed).
• Saint-Lazare Cathedral (1120), a Cluniac-style Romanesque church, is famous for its sculpted tympanum with many details representing the Last Judgment and signed by Gislebertus. This masterful portal owes its exceptional preservation to the canons of Autun.

• The territory's 59 marked and GPX marked hiking trails will take you on a journey through the heart of the wide open spaces of Grand Autunois Morvan. You can find these 59 trails and all the riches of the 55 municipalities of Grand Autunois Morvan in the Petit Futé: "Autun Morvan, in the heart of Burgundy".
• The various outdoor activities such as hot-air balloon rides, hang-gliding, carriage rides or horseback riding. Le Grand Autunois Morvan offers canoe-kayak outings on the Arroux, hikes accompanied by birds of prey on Mont Beuvray or sled dogs in the forest.
• Autunois Morvan is also renowned for its many climbing sites.
• Visits to Autun:

• In July-August: Guided tours of Saint-Lazare Cathedral on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and various tours and events organized by the Heritage Department.
• In July-August: Guided tours of the city in a small tourist train. Departures take place every day and at regular times in front of the Tourist Office and the cathedral district. For 45 minutes, the little tourist train allows you to discover the medieval quarter, a large part of the Gallo-Roman monuments, the modern city and the military high school.

• Natural History Museum - Autun: The natural history museum of Autun dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. The collections then constituted by the Natural History Society and currently owned by the City of Autun, are of exceptional quality. The museum manages more than 800,000 samples in its reserves:

• Magnificent collection of birds, eggs and nests representing more than 10,000 specimens;
• Herbaria (300,000 plates);
• Collections of insects, shells and numerous fossils and minerals (300,000 items) which trace the geological history of the region;
• Fossil samples representing animals and plants that lived in the region 300 million years ago.

• Troop Children's Museum - Autun:

• Troop children were originally children of soldiers, they took part in camp life. As teenagers, they went to the front lines with the soldiers with only a drum or a fife as their weapon. As adults, they in turn became soldiers.
• The Museum of Former Troop Children (AET) was created in 1985 and brings together the collections of military schools: souvenirs and objects from the AET are on display, classified by theme such as resistance. It should be known that certain children of troop in 1939-1945 fought in a remarkable way, even giving up the life there sometimes, then returned to the school in all modesty.
• The museum is located within the very walls of the current military high school. It is a place steeped in history and teaching since before becoming a military school, it was a major seminary, a minor seminary, a cavalry preparatory school and then a military preparatory school.

• Lapidary Museum: Free and open access museum with a collection of Gallo-Roman and medieval stelae, tombs, all in a garden in the heart of town.
• Autun leisure centre:

• A few minutes from the town centre, 100 hectares for outdoor activities.
• Nautical center (indoor swimming pool, outdoor pool, spa), golf course, tennis court, sailing school, tennis, FFC approved mountain bike centre, roller skate park.

• Traditional markets every Wednesday morning and Friday morning, under the halls of the Town Hall.
• "Book Festival" in April under the Halles de l'Hôtel de Ville in Autun. Presence of many regional and national authors. Permanent animations: Round tables, conferences.
• "European Square Bowls Championship" in the Saint-Lazare cathedral district. Game of bowls open to all, novices and initiates. The games take place in the sloping streets around Saint-Lazare Cathedral with cube-shaped balls.
• "The Roman Days": The 1st weekend of August. Throughout the weekend, activities and reconstructions are offered to discover daily life in the Gallo-Roman era. Shows, events and workshops in which the public can take part, take place on the Place des Marbles in a specific setting evoking a Gallo-Roman street.
• "Augustodunum, the Great Sound and Light Show": End of July, beginning of August. This show for the whole family at the Romanesque theater of Autun, with a giant screen 20 meters by 7 meters, 300 volunteers, horses, a team of stuntmen, 800 light points, 1000 costumes, 20 rehearsals, giant sets, latest generation special effects, a pyrotechnic show!
• The Historical Days: The Historical Days of Autun are a living history festival that invites you to visit or revisit 2,000 years of history through the daily life, civil and military, of the great periods of our past, but also to come and exchange with the enthusiasts of historical reconstruction who will welcome you in their camps. This festival takes place in September.
• The Beurdin'z festival: Shall we do it again?? Somment, the new stronghold of French rock! Refreshment bar and snack bar on site with the possibility of camping, free parking, unsupervised.
• Fêtes de la vielle: An unmissable event for traditional music from here and elsewhere, the Fête de la Vielle in Anost brings together thousands of festival-goers for three days around a single spirit: "the Fête de la Vielle spirit", that of exchange, meetings, sharing, and celebration! Appointment for three days and three nights of celebration in Anost, a small village in the upper Morvan.
• Ronde du Couchois: Discover the "Bourgogne Côtes du Couchois" appellation, exclusively red, the heritage, the villages and the interest of spending a few days in the region. Take part in the Ronde du Couchois and discover the AOC Bourgogne Côtes du Couchois through the various open domains. Thanks to your passport glass available for purchase (€6 a glass) in all the participating estates, you can taste and savor the wines produced on these versicolor clays.

• On 21 april 2024
• 16 Rue aux Raz, Villa Médicis
• Mary COLE has been singing professionally for 35 years and has always had what we call a "warm voice". - She is joined by her husband, Alain POLET, who plays guitar and dobro, and is an accomplished singer. - The backing singers : Apot Singou, with his fine, warm tenor voice, and Florian - Depending on availability, symphony gospel usually performs as a trio, quartet or quintet for wedding blessings and church concerts. - The soul of Gospel music is conveyed through their repertoire of almost exclusively sacred songs, in the knowledge that Gospel means "Gospel". - Negro Spirituals and Gospel are at the root of the loneliness and suffering of an oppressed people, whose deep, moving songs are a call to hope and freedom. - Symphony gospel perfectly conveys the power of this message and shares it with its audience. - An unforgettable concert ! …

• On 24 april 2024
• Autun et les alentours, Centre de loisirs du Moulin du Vallon
• Take part in the 32nd walk "between Autun and Le Creusot". - There will be looped circuits starting from the leisure centre - PMR-7-10-16-21-26 km for walkers 26-47 km for mountain bikers. - Refreshment points will be provided at the start and finish, as well as intermediate refreshment points on some routes. - Registration will take place at the Moulin du Vallon from 8am until 2pm for the shorter routes.

• From 30 april to 10 may 2024
• La galerie du passage, Passage Balthus
• "Inspired by Japanese calligraphy and the "spirit of things", I work to capture the "imprint" and mystery of the events that pass through me or that I experience, through ink painting, which I usually make from mineral pigments. For me, the imprint is like writing, the first script that Man had to read in order to survive, and with which he dialogued with the world. My work can be identified with calligraphy, but it is not calligraphy because the signs that appear on the paper are not ideograms. It's an instinctive and empirical writing of events, the imprint they leave on me. My approach is akin to lying in wait, tracking the invisible and the unspeakable that pass through me, listening to them without trying to explain or grasp them, leaving them to the mysteries to which they belong (the names of the paintings are a personal interpretation, but not a definitive or exclusive one, each person recognising in them what they see). For me, it is above all a question of bearing witness to the visible and invisible movement of the Living."

• On 3 may 2024
• Place du Champ-de-Mars, Théâtre Municipal
• 1939 : Chaplin is an icon ! He was rich, adored and courageous in his choices. Incredibly free. After attacking Fordism and the exploitation of workers in Modern Times, this time he decided to take on Hitler. Is this really his job as an artist ? He couldn't care less. A madman mistreats minorities and prepares for war. Chaplin was one of the first to realise that nothing could stop this madman. And what's more, this moron dared to steal his moustache. Working on him, he realised that they had been born in the same week of the same year… - But little by little he comes up against this disturbing double more violently than expected. Chaplin thought he was tackling Hitler. An original portrait, centred on a key period in Chaplin's life and entirely inspired by real events.

• On 4 may 2024
• Eglise, Rue Saint-Jean
• The Morvan choir is made up of 100 amateur singers. - Conducted by Flavien BOY - Claire Nicolas Soprano - Delphine Terrier Mazile Alto - Vincent Laloy Tenor - Etienne Chevalier Bass and the musicians of the Ensemble Orchestral de Dijon

• From 4 to 5 may 2024
• 1 bld Frédéric Latouche, Grande Salle de l'Hexagone
• The traditional annual book sale organised by the Autun Amnesty International group will take place over the weekend of 04-05 May 2024. - Over 1000 m² of tables with 30,000 second-hand books, vinyl records and CDs. Books in all categories : novels, thrillers, paperbacks, children's books, science fiction, biographies, history, philosophy, science etc. Also books in English and collectors' books. All at very affordable prices ! Exhibitions of our recent actions in favour of human rights.

• On 9 may 2024
• 10 Rue Saint-Nicolas, musée lapidaire
• On this walk, you'll discover the monumental remains of the Gallo-Roman town through the collections of the lapidary museum, the evocation of the Menian schools and the forum, as well as an exceptional visit to the archaeological crypt which preserves part of the cardo (the main Roman road in the ancient town).

• On 11 may 2024
• D274, Site archéologique de Bibracte
• Set off on an adventure and challenge yourself to discover the Bibracte archaeological site. You'll be supervised by Marine, who will guide you throughout your exploration and set you a few sporting challenges. Don't panic, all levels are welcome, even beginners. - The adventure will begin in the morning, with a convivial lunch break where everyone will bring their own Gallic or Roman speciality. We'll finish with a guided tour of the museum led by a site guide, giving us a better idea of what life was like in this oppidum. - Become our new explorers, with friends, family or colleagues, and relive the Gallo-Roman history of Burgundy ! - A full day's visit is available from 10am to 4pm. Please contact us for more information (booking and prices) (From 6 years old).

• On 13 may 2024
• Centre de Ressources Numériques, rue des maquis de l'Autunois - ZA de Bellevue
• Real fake news - The Internet told me ? - The mysteries of information

• On 16 may 2024
• Place du Champ-de-Mars, Théâtre Municipal
• As in Florence Hinckel's book Renversante, director Léna Bréban unravels the clichés of a world dominated by women. In Léa and Tom's society, the streets and schools are named after famous women, and the children are looked after by men. The play's inventiveness, humour and derision are punctuated by screenings of misappropriated advertisements that ironically demonstrate the inequality between men and women. After the show, there's a debate between the performers and the audience.

• House of galvachers in Anost (24 km from Autun): This museum presents the history and techniques of the galvachers, carters and herdsmen of the Morvan whose departure and return punctuated the life of many villages until the 1930s: Photographs, tools, clothing, film, musical instruments...
• Maison du Patrimoine Oral de Bourgogne in Anost: It is a space of multifaceted resources at the crossroads of different cultural practices: those of the body, of the voice, music from orality, the poetics of languages related to oral traditions.
• Church of Anost (24 km from Autun): The recumbent effigies of Anost, located in the church, are those of Jehan de Roussillon and Isabeau. They have been classified as "historical monuments" since November 23, 1903.
• Chapelle de Velée (20 km from Autun): Velée is a quiet hamlet to the south of Anost, which carefully guards its modest chapel built in the eleventh century. Inside are preserved various decorations, classified in the inventory of historical monuments, as well as murals designed and produced in an "a fresco" technique of Byzantine origin by the monk Dom Angelico Surchamp in 1966-1967.
• Church of Curgy (8 km from Autun): The village of Curgy is located a few kilometers from Autun, along the old Roman road which linked Autun to Besançon. The Saint-Ferréol church is certainly located on the site of a Roman villa. The Christian presence seems very old around the church, we found in particular Merovingian sarcophagi. The church, which can be seen today, was built at the end of the 11th century., except for the somewhat later bell tower (12th century). It is a building with three naves terminated by chapels, in its sober decor, we find the characters of Romanesque architecture. The interior retains a wall painting representing a Christ in Majesty surrounded by the symbols of the four evangelists (1120). The set escaped destruction in the 19th century., thanks to the intervention of JG Bulliot, classified as a historical monument in 1897, it is now well preserved.
• Rose garden of the Villages of France in La Celle-en-Morvan (12 km from Autun): The rose garden of the Villages of France welcomes you in a 6000 m² garden with 1000 roses and 400 perennials. These plants were donated by residents of the village, and many municipalities in France and abroad. Thematic routes are offered to the visitor: The most fragrant roses, those in the name of painters (Michel Angelo…), writers (Marcel Pagnol…), musicians (Johann Strauss…) or personalities (SAS Caroline de Monaco …). Information about the person, the characteristics of the rose and its breeder (the one who created the rose) are given.
• Château de Sully: Sully is the largest Renaissance château in southern Burgundy, birthplace of Marshal Mac Mahon, 1st Duke of Magenta and the 1st President of the French Republic to live in the Palace of 'Elysium. You are invited to browse the furnished apartments of the castle under the guidance of a guide in order to dive together into this high place of Burgundian heritage. Several tasting formulas exist.
• Château de Couches: The main building of the Château de Couches was built between 1844 and 1848. In neo-Gothic style, it is located in the corner of two 13th century curtain walls, and is confined to a round tower of the same period. It consists of a main volume of rectangular plan covered with a four-sided roof. Its southern facade, on the courtyard, is flanked by two square towers half out of work. These towers are surmounted by hipped roofs. This castle offers tours with a guide, but also with an audio guide. You can also book a tasting and eat on site.
• Couchois vineyard: The Burgundy Côtes du Couchois vineyard is located south of the Côte de Beaune and the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, on the left bank of the Dheune, which separates it to the east, from the Côte Chalonnaise. The vines rise to attack the favorable slopes of a hilly relief, offering remarkable panoramic views. Many winegrowers will open their doors to you for a tasting.
• Château Epiry: The Château d'Epiry surprises with its location on the hillside. Stronghold from the 12th century, it saw its military character reinforced by the construction, during the 13th or 14th century, of the four towers integrating a keep built previously, linked together by curtain walls, pierced with defense openings, and surrounded by moats. This castle can be visited by reservation, it is decorated with trees now bicentennial, the park allows you to discover the elegant garden designed in the 19th century set back from the castle.
• Château de Morlet: The Château de Morlet was built around 1244 by the Loges family. On January 7, 1857, Louis de Louvencourt and Marie de Roquefeuille bought the Château de Morlet. Very quickly, several projects take shape: the maintenance of what is still standing, the construction of a park, and that of a new chapel. The Louvencourt family will keep the castle until 2010. This castle can be visited by reservation.
• Rocher du Carnaval: The Uchon massif nicknamed the "Pearl of Morvan" reveals at its summit (684 meters) beautiful granite chaos, the best known of which are the Mammoth, the Devil's Claw, the Nose de Chien… 500 m round trip from the car park. A natural site and an exceptional view of the bocage, the Morvan and sometimes the Puy de Dôme. Also located in the town of Uchon, the forest discovery trail offers 3 walking loops of 4 to 8 km.
• Paldenshangpa La Boulaye Temple: Paldenshangpa La Boulaye is a Buddhist meditation center founded in 1974, in the Shangpa Kagyü lineage, located on the grounds of Plaige castle in the town of La Boulaye in Saône-et- Loire. It is formerly known as the "Thousand Buddha Temple". It is a religious congregation named Dashang Kagyu Ling. The site offers free or guided tours. You can also do internships and faith retreats.