The Creusot-Montceau Community is situated right at the heart of the department of Saône-et- Loire, between Charolais and Morvan, in Burgundy, a region with a rich local heritage covering man’s history and activity, from prehistoric times to the present. 70 kilometres from the Roche de Solutré and the Solutré Museum, 40 kilometres from the Oppidum of Bibracte and from the Musée de la Civilisation celtique. Close to Autun, to Cluny roman sites, Tournus, Paray-le-Monial, Beaune and the Côte des Vins, Chalon-sur-Saône and the Nièpce Museum, and to the Écomusée de la Bresse bourguignonne, the other ecomuseum in Saône et Loire.

For more information : Musées de Bourgogne, Comité Régional au Tourisme, Comité Départemental au Tourisme, OTSI Creusot et OTSI Montceau

On January 13, 1970, 16 industrial and rural municipalities got together to create the Creusot-Montceau Community. With six million people, i.e about one tenth of the French population, the Creusot-Montceau Community is one of 14 urban communities in today’s France. Unlike the first four urban communities (Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon and Strasbourg) which were part of the 1901 Act, the Creusot-Montceau Community was a spontaneous creation by elected representatives. Adjoining municipalities came to realise they were providing similar services with costly equipment and investments. Although some inter-municipal structures were partially providing such services, it was decided to create more important structures with wider responsibilities to cover a larger territory.

Towards a regional-size conglomeration

As they were looking for a common answer to certain basic needs and to set up new services, elected representatives wanted to create a regional-size conglomeration likely to attract important activities. This common development project proved to be a key asset during the major steel industry crisis of the 1980’s. While it was providing basic public services as waste collection, road network, urban panning, water distribution and sewage systems, the Community quickly extended its action to other key areas such as economic development, regional promotion, higher education and research, and the development of industrial parks. The community spirit was also present when the unified occupation and business tax was adopted on January 1, 2002 to help the municipalities face their central expenses such as swimming pools, music schools or street lighting.

New challenges

Over the last years, new challenges have been taken up : housing management, urban centres revitalisation, environment protection, heritage economic cluster and the new technologies.

For more information :www.lacommunaute.fr

Follow a 100 km marked route and discover 21 sites, places and buildings witnesses of the industrial age, but also much older buildings such as the XIth century priory church of Perrecy-les-Forges, the Montcenis church with its baroque-style, and Le Breuil castle. On each site a sign highlights the history of the area.

For more information : www.lacommunaute.fr