Montbard

Montbard
Brenne river
Coat of arms
Location of Montbard
Country	France
Region	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Department	Côte-d'Or
Arrondissement	Montbard
Canton	Montbard
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Christelle Silvestre
Area 1	46.37 km2 (17.90 sq mi)
Population  (2008)	5,554
• Density	120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	21425 /21500
Elevation	202–366 m (663–1,201 ft) (avg. 221 m or 725 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Montbard (French: [mɔ̃.baʁ]) is a commune and subprefecture of the Côte-d'Or department in the Bourgogne region in eastern France.

Montbard is a small industrial town on the river Brenne. The Forges de Buffon, ironworks established by Buffon, are located in the nearby village of Buffon. There has been a cricket team in the town since 1993.

History

Montbard is near the site of the Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.

The chateau was the scene of the marriage of Anne de Bourgogne and John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford in 1423. It was acquired by the naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, who was born in Montbard.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1793	2,316	—
1800	2,118	−8.5%
1806	2,061	−2.7%
1821	1,875	−9.0%
1836	2,123	+13.2%
1841	2,215	+4.3%
1846	2,315	+4.5%
1851	2,697	+16.5%
1856	2,428	−10.0%
1861	2,617	+7.8%
1866	2,713	+3.7%
1872	2,628	−3.1%
1876	2,653	+1.0%
1881	2,607	−1.7%
1886	2,571	−1.4%
1891	2,509	−2.4%
1896	2,653	+5.7%
1901	2,632	−0.8%
1906	3,824	+45.3%
1911	3,957	+3.5%
1921	4,863	+22.9%
1926	4,193	−13.8%
1931	4,423	+5.5%
1936	4,097	−7.4%
1946	4,455	+8.7%
1954	4,871	+9.3%
1962	6,386	+31.1%
1968	7,050	+10.4%
1975	7,513	+6.6%
1982	7,707	+2.6%
1990	7,108	−7.8%
1999	6,300	−11.4%
2008	5,554	−11.8%

Attractions

• Abbey of Fontenay
• Buffon

Transportation

Some TGV express trains between Paris and Dijon stop at Montbard.

The Burgundy Canal also passes through the town.

Personalities

Births

Montbard was the birthplace of:

• Jean Bardin (1732-1809), historical painter
• Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788), naturalist and mathematician
• Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, (1716-1800), naturalist and collaborator of Buffon
• Eugène Guillaume (1822-1905), sculptor
• George Montbard (1841-1905), caricaturist and author

Deaths

Jean-Andoche Junot (1771-1813), general during the First French Empire, committed suicide in Montbard

See also

• Communes of the Côte-d'Or department

References

• INSEE