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Saulieu (Municipality, Côte-d'Or, France)

Flag of Saulieu - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 7 June 2021

Presentation of Saulieu
Flag of Saulieu

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Presentation of Saulieu

Saulieu (2,324 inhabitants in 2021; 3,203 ha) is a commune in the Côte-d’Or department.

The territory of the commune was inhabited from the Gallo-Roman era, under the name of Sidolocus (or Sedelocus), as evidenced by the engraved steles and tombs found on the hills which dominate the current commune.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the feudal family of Saulieu, vassal of the bishops of Autun, led the city: William I around 1147 (knight), Guillaume II around 1198 (knight, lord of Montbroin, viscount and mayor of Saulieu), Geoffroy around 1252 (knight, viscount and mayor of Saulieu), then William III around 1276 (knight, viscount and mayor of Saulieu). The only daughter of Guillaume III de Saulieu, the last representative of the eldest branch of the viscounts, married Ponce de Trechery and sold the viscounty in 1288. In 1359, during the Hundred Years War, the city was burnt down by English troops. From 1409, the bishop of Autun had the city walls rebuilt. That same century, a hospital was founded. Saulieu, a small trading town, had a market in the Middle Ages where cereals were traded (wheat, barley, oats, rye, meslin) and there were two annual fairs. In the 16th century, it was an important center for tanning and pelting.

During World War II, Saulieu was released on September 10, 1944, when the 2nd Dragoon Regiment (landed in Provence) and the U.S. 86th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (landed in Normandy) joined forces in the town.

Known as the "Capital of Morvan", Saulieu has been part of the Morvan regional natural park since its creation in 1970. When travelers left Paris for Lyon on the Nationale 6 in the morning, Saulieu became the stopover for lunch. Among the restaurants of the city, La Côte d'Or, 2 stars in the Michelin Guide, by Alexandre Dumaine, Bernard Loiseau then Patrick Bertron is a very famous gastronomic institution. Other renowned restaurants in the city are Hostellerie de la Tour d'Auxois, La Poste, and Le Sédélocien.

François Pompon (1855 – 1933), sculptor and animalier, was born in Saulieu, where a museum reserves a wide space for his work.

Olivier Touzeau, 7 June 2021

Flag of Saulieu

The flag is white with the coat of arms: photo (2012), photo (2017), photo (2021).

The coat of arms of Saulieu is blazonned: Gules a sword in pale Argent hilted and pommelled Or between three fleurs-de-lis Or 1,2.

Olivier Touzeau, 7 June 2021