 |
Luxury 4-star Hotel Chateau la Chassagne is
a former 19th century hunting lodge, located in
the heart of Burgundy, France. The history of this chateau,
like many in France is very long and spans across many
decades of time. To fully appreciate the story of this
region, you must understand a little about the role of
Burgundy in European history, from the first traces of
human life 5,0000 years ago, to the siege of Alesia
in 58 BC; to the founding of Vezaly in 868; the beginnings
of Cluny in 1098; the siege of Dijon in 1513 by the Swiss;
the conquering of Dijon by the Prussians in 1870; the
Americans arriving in 1917; the battle of Cluny in 1944. |
| The Palaeolithic age in Burgundy: At certain
times the temperature in Burgundy rose enough between
ice-ages for certain types of tortoise and other animals
to be found in the valleys of the Yonne and the Cure.
Signs of human industries are to found in again the Yonne
area and the Soâne and Loire, where large amounts of single
sided and double faced flint stones have been found, it
is only in the Morvan, and on the plateaux of the Côte
d'0r, where signs of life in Burgundy are negligible.
During the middle Palaeolithic times (120 000 to 35 000
BC), begins a long period of temperate climate, where
the forest began to develop and warm species of animals
such as the Merck Rhinoceros. Then the forest retreated
in front of the conifer trees and signs of deer and boar
appeared. In Burgundy signs are to be found in many areas
such as the Auxois and the hills of Macon. With the superior
Palaeolithic age, men settled many times at the Rock of
Solutre in the Soâne and Loire, also known for the very
large graveyard of horses which spreads across many hectares.
Afterwards is the development of a flint stone called
'Laurel leaf' due to its surprising shape, by the Soultreen.
Then the arrival of the Magdalenien who hunted not only
the horses but also the deer and bison. The life style
of this period was not that different to the preceding
ones, there was however much more use of blades and tools
made of bones. In Burgundy at the village of Racy, traces
of huts with walls made of mammoth tusk have been found.
The greatest change for this time was the beginnings of
art, with some remarkable examples at Arcy sur Cure in
the centre of Burgundy. The specialist conclude that Burgundy
was not a region where people settled, but where the came
during good hunting periods, unlike the times before,
where signs of long settlement are to be found.
Burgundy 8000 BC: With the end of the
ice age the forest quickly recover the land, mainly
with conifers but soon hazel and then oak and lime.
The animals rapidly change and deer and wild boar replace
horses and reindeer. The men also change lifestyles
and begin collecting vegetation and shell fish from
the rivers, the tools change dramatically, traces of
humans are to be found everywhere except in the Yonne,
even in the Morvan region, people lived on the summits
of the hills, which leads us to believe that the forest
was much different than it is today.
The Neolithic age in burgundy has a
climate very similar to that of now, this period stretches
from 55000 to 2 000 BC, and then 2000 to 1800 BC where
metal appeared. During this time the life of men complete
changes, Lives are based not purely on hunting, but
on livestock and agriculture. The main species are cattle,
pork sheep and goats. Wheat is cultivated and hunting
becomes secondary. Agriculture forces the tribes to
settle down and build real homes and small villages.
Stones are not completely forgotten, as arrowheads are
still made, but they are then polished and axes and
scissors are made. The settling also permits the discovery
of clay and pottery. With all this factors, the small
groups of people began to grow in size, as the basic
hygiene of life became better. This also forced the
people to move in search of other lads to cultivate,
and they brought with them their own techniques and
traditions. People came to Burgundy following the Danube
and moving north from the Mediterranean. With the arrival
of people from the Danube, Burgundy saw the first large
house constructions 20 to 30 meters long.
|
