Oslon

Oslon
Oslon
Location within Burgundy region  Oslon
Administration
Country	France
Region	Burgundy
Department	Saône-et-Loire
Arrondissement	Chalon-sur-Saône
Canton	Chalon-sur-Saône-Sud
Intercommunality	Le grand Chalon
Statistics
Elevation	179–214 m (587–702 ft) (avg. 178 m/584 ft)
Land area1	4.76 km2 (1.84 sq mi)
Population2	1,260  (2006)
- Density	265 /km2 (690 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	71333/ 71380
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 46°47′04″N 4°55′23″E / 46.7844444444°N 4.92305555556°E / 46.7844444444; 4.92305555556

Oslon is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.

History

The village was founded circa 1850 when the French postal services installed a forepost alongside the railroad. Previously the region had been populated by diverse immigration which started under the Roman Empire, which had a great commercial route (the Appian Way) and stopover a few miles away in the city of Autun.

Oslon was the first city where the fighters of the Resistance went when they entered the free zone after the German invasion of France during World War II. The Germans stopped just outside Chalon-sur-Saône. Many Frenchmen died trying to swim across to Oslon and the free zone.

Specialties of the area

The Burgundy "Bresse" area, which starts at Oslon and finishes north and east of Lyon, is famous as the prime area for escargot. It also produces good wines.

Local architecture

The architectural style is predominantly square houses in sandy tones with steep roofs like mountain chalets, as winters are very cold and snowy. This year Oslon was elected the flowery city of the year by the French national board of tourism.

People

The most famous people from the village are Nicephore Niepce, who invented modern photography, and the tycoon family which created Rhone-Poulenc, the French Fortune 200 conglomerate.

See also

• Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department

References

• INSEE