Located in the south of Côte d’Or, the beautiful city of Beaune is hiding behind the fortifications surrounding it. The “Capital of Wine” is world famous for the “Hospices”, one of the most impressive architectural pieces in the region. Built in 1443 by Nicolas Rollin, chancellor to the king Philippe le Bon (Philip the Good), at the end of the Hundred Years War, its unique style was inspired by Flemish architecture. Also called “l’Hotel-Dieu”, its purpose was to serve and take care of the pauper who had fought for the French armies. From the very beginning, it was decided to create an amazing piece of art, so only the best workmen and artists were hired to achieve it. It took them eight years. In 1452, the first patient came in this “Hospital of the Poor”; the building remained a hospital for over five centuries, until it was modernized and became a retirement home in 1971.
The roof in itself is a masterpiece. It is entirely made of glazed tiles with different colours creating geographic shapes. A double row of skylights adorn this splendour, making this fairy look like lace. And the interior of the monument is as amazing as the outside: very long rooms flanked with two rows of beds, under a roof shaped like a ship’s hull, very medieval looking. The museum displays weird medical instruments, always funny to discover, as well as pieces of art like tapestries. But the major masterpiece in this collection is the gigantic 15th century Van der Weyden painting, representing “the last judgment”, destined to frighten uneducated people to making sure they would remain pious.
The Hospices de Beaune are wealthy. It all started when Philippe the Good authorized the rich to donate part (if not all) of their wealth to the Hospital in order to sustain its generous orientation. It allowed the Hospices estate to grow. And in the region, it means grow….wine.
Some of the 39 vineyards from the Côte-de-Beaune produce the very best wines in the whole world. They are sold each year (except for the very bad years) in an auction held on the third Sunday in November, in the large market adjoining the Hotel-Dieu. But maybe before you attend to that largest charity auction in the world, you want to have a taste of some of them. The place to go is the vine and wine Athenaeum: there you can satisfy your palate as well as your intellectual thirst: books, rare objects and wine tasting make the place exciting and fun.
And for more intellectual food, visit the Wine museum (Musee du Vin), located in the Dukes of Burgundy Palace, you will then know everything about the nectar from the Antique times on to the present days.
Wine is, of course, a major guideline to your trip to Burgundy, and Beaune is at the center of the best wines region. A visit to the vineyards is an enchanting moment. The emerald colour of the hills and the darker green of the vines offer a beautiful contrast to the white stone patrician castles or the Romanesque churches. You can start with the northern part, “La Côte de Beaune”, which includes 33 appellations among which are listed 9 “grands crus”. When you cross a village, it always bares the name of one of the most famous, and inaccessible, nectars, so you are both excited and frustrated: Aloxe-Corton, Corton-Charlemagne, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, and Puligny-Montrachet. In the middle of this route, you can have an extended stop at the castle in Savigny-les-Beaune; in the medieval cellar, you can savour 9 different vintages then visit the museum devoted to….scale models.
And don’t forget that you are in an opulent region, which implies that gastronomy is always part of pleasure. This is the native “terroir” of Charolais beef, and a great but very strong cheese, Epoisses. Enjoy!