Liberty Day in Beaune

May 8, 2025

As I mentioned in the previous post, this is my fourth visit to Beaune. Amazingly, I've never before taken time to actually look around the city. I corrected some of that oversight today, visiting some of the sites highlighted on the city map from Tourist Information.

Today was Liberty Day - Fête de la Liberté - a national holiday in France marking the day in 1945 when Charles de Gaulle announced the official end to WWII. Carla had informed me that when a national, or bank, holiday falls on a Thursday “nobody in France works on Friday.” In Noyers for example, most businesses had already posted “closed” or reduced hours for the upcoming holiday. I was therefore expecting lots of business/restaurant closures as well as hordes of visitors taking advantage of a long weekend to visit Beaune. But the holiday impact was less than I expected – fewer closings and less visitors. And there was a parade.

Hôtel-Dieu - Hospices de Beaune

The first stop was the renown L'Hôtel Dieu- Hospices de Beaune, founded in 1443 as a charitable hospital for the poor. At the time of its founding, the Hundred Year War had formally ended following the Treaty of Arras but roving gangs continued to pillage the countryside. There was a great need to serve the people of Beaune who were destitute and had suffered an outbreak of the plague.

To address that need, the hospital was founded by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy, who also established a religious order of nuns to serve the hospital and its patients. Guigone de Salins, Rolin’s wife and noted philanthropist, was the driving force behind the charitable mission of the hospital. The building’s design is a marvel, the most striking being the gabled roof of glazed tiles in distinctive patterns of red, brown, yellow and green.

Hôtel Dieu continued to receive patients until 1983 but the mission continues today at a modern hospitals in Beaune and surrounding towns. The charitable work is supported from proceeds of the Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction, held annually since 1859.

My day of exploration starts with greetings from a giant bronze panda, a work by Julien Marinetti

Row of curtained beds the great Room of the Poor. The large room contains two rows of beds, with a total of 28 beds

Decorated arched roof over the Room of the Poor

The Saint-Hugues room, for the more affluent patients.

The different uniforms of the Les sœurs hospitalières de Beaune signify the various stages the nuns progress through in their training, from novice to professor (l to r)

Stills used in preparation of medicines and tinctures. The nuns were responsible not only for care of the patients but for preparing meals and formulating medicines.

A three-day wine auction is held each November to raise money for the Hospices de Beaune. On offer are world class wines from the vineyards of Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits.

Fête de la Liberté

After my remarkable visit to Musée de L'Hôtel-Dieu, I wandered aimlessly about the city. It wasn’t long before I found myself at the Monument aux Morts de Beaune, the war memorial site of the Fête de la Liberté celebration. Uniformed groups from the French military and service organization were gathering around the obelisk in a somewhat casual fashion, suggestive of a ceremony about to begin. I paused for photos and had continued making my way toward Porte Saint-Nicolas when I heard the distinctive notes of a marching band. I arrived at the arch just as the parade was passing through, led by a band from Beaune, followed by decorated veterans and, eventually townspeople.

Every town, village, and hamlet in France has a obelisk engraved with the names those who lost their lives fighting for the glory of France during WWI, and often WWII as well. Festivities today served not only to celebrate the end of past conflicts, but also as a reminder to stay vigilant against conflicts that might arise the future.

Gathering at Monument aux Morts de Beaune in celebration of Fête de la Liberté

Firefighters and first responders are well-respected members of the service community

The celebratory band passes through Porte Saint-Nicolas

The parade marches toward the Monument aux Morts de Beaune, with townspeople bringing up the rear

Wandering the Streets of Beaune

I continued my exploration of Beaune, still aimless but getting hungry. I popped into a bakery for picnic supplies that were enjoyed at a small park facing one of my previous lodgings in Beaune. Though there was more to see, I’d grown a bit weary and headed back to my room – saving the rest for my next time through Beaune.

Ramparts are a reminder that Beaune was once a walled city

Looking through Porte Saint-Nicolas into the old city

Picnic spot - overlooking the Monument Gaspard Monge my 2022 lodging spot

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Nancy GrahamNice to join you on your little trip through Beaune. The story of the hospice and its start AND continuation is inspirational, and all your photos tell a good story.
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2 weeks ago

Susan CarpenterTo Nancy GrahamThanks Nancy - I'd heard about the hospital but hadn't realized how impactful and long-lasting the charitable mission has been
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2 weeks ago

Rich FrasierGreat tour through a city I’ve never been through. May 8th is always about parades to the monuments of the dead. We owe so much to those who gave so much to the cause of freedom. Thanks for reminding me.
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2 weeks ago

Susan CarpenterTo Rich FrasierThanks Rich. You and Robin really need to visit Beaune and cycle through the vineyards
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2 weeks ago