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

Montbard
Brenne river
Flag of Montbard
Coat of arms of Montbard
Location of Montbard
Map
Montbard is located in France
Montbard
Montbard
Montbard is located in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Montbard
Montbard
Coordinates: 47°37′25″N 4°20′16″E / 47.6236°N 4.3378°E / 47.6236; 4.3378
CountryFrance
RegionBourgogne-Franche-Comté
DepartmentCôte-d'Or
ArrondissementMontbard
CantonMontbard
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Laurence Porte[1]
Area
1
46.37 km2 (17.90 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
4,788
 • Density100/km2 (270/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
21425 /21500
Elevation202–366 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 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 edit

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 in 1707.

Geography edit

Climate edit

Montbard has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Montbard is 11.2 °C (52.2 °F). The average annual rainfall is 836.7 mm (32.94 in) with May as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 19.6 °C (67.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 3.6 °C (38.5 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Montbard was 40.7 °C (105.3 °F) on 25 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −16.7 °C (1.9 °F) on 20 December 2009.

Climate data for Montbard (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1992−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.9
(64.2)
22.5
(72.5)
26.4
(79.5)
29.1
(84.4)
32.4
(90.3)
38.5
(101.3)
40.7
(105.3)
40.5
(104.9)
35.2
(95.4)
28.1
(82.6)
24.0
(75.2)
18.6
(65.5)
40.7
(105.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.0
(44.6)
8.6
(47.5)
12.3
(54.1)
15.9
(60.6)
20.2
(68.4)
23.9
(75.0)
26.0
(78.8)
25.7
(78.3)
21.0
(69.8)
16.6
(61.9)
10.5
(50.9)
7.0
(44.6)
16.3
(61.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.6
(38.5)
4.5
(40.1)
7.1
(44.8)
10.1
(50.2)
14.3
(57.7)
17.7
(63.9)
19.6
(67.3)
19.3
(66.7)
15.2
(59.4)
11.8
(53.2)
6.9
(44.4)
3.9
(39.0)
11.2
(52.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.1
(32.2)
0.4
(32.7)
1.9
(35.4)
4.2
(39.6)
8.5
(47.3)
11.5
(52.7)
13.3
(55.9)
13.0
(55.4)
9.5
(49.1)
6.9
(44.4)
3.2
(37.8)
0.8
(33.4)
6.1
(43.0)
Record low °C (°F) −15.7
(3.7)
−14.5
(5.9)
−14.6
(5.7)
−6.7
(19.9)
−1.3
(29.7)
1.8
(35.2)
5.9
(42.6)
3.7
(38.7)
0.3
(32.5)
−6.9
(19.6)
−10.6
(12.9)
−16.7
(1.9)
−16.7
(1.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 69.7
(2.74)
60.4
(2.38)
62.5
(2.46)
66.7
(2.63)
82.5
(3.25)
70.6
(2.78)
69.5
(2.74)
54.7
(2.15)
72.4
(2.85)
77.9
(3.07)
71.1
(2.80)
78.7
(3.10)
836.7
(32.94)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 12.2 10.8 11.4 10.3 11.9 9.9 8.7 8.4 9.5 11.6 12.5 13.2 130.4
Source: Meteociel[3]

Population edit

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 2,316—    
1800 2,118−1.27%
1806 2,061−0.45%
1821 1,875−0.63%
1836 2,123+0.83%
1841 2,215+0.85%
1846 2,315+0.89%
1851 2,697+3.10%
1856 2,428−2.08%
1861 2,617+1.51%
1866 2,713+0.72%
1872 2,628−0.53%
1876 2,653+0.24%
1881 2,607−0.35%
1886 2,571−0.28%
1891 2,509−0.49%
1896 2,653+1.12%
1901 3,632+6.48%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1906 3,824+1.04%
1911 3,957+0.69%
1921 4,863+2.08%
1926 4,193−2.92%
1931 4,423+1.07%
1936 4,097−1.52%
1946 4,455+0.84%
1954 4,871+1.12%
1962 6,386+3.44%
1968 7,050+1.66%
1975 7,513+0.91%
1982 7,707+0.36%
1990 7,108−1.01%
1999 6,300−1.33%
2007 5,582−1.50%
2012 5,437−0.53%
2017 5,160−1.04%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

Attractions edit

Transportation edit

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

The Burgundy Canal also passes through the town.

Personalities edit

Births edit

Montbard was the birthplace of:

Deaths edit

  • Jean-Andoche Junot (1771–1813), general during the First French Empire, committed suicide in Montbard
  • Pierre Daubenton (see births)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Normales et records pour Montbard SAPC (21)". Meteociel. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  4. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Montbard, EHESS (in French).
  5. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE