# Montbard

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

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
### Climate

Montbard has an 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 (1992–2020 normals, 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) | 23.5 (74.3) | 26.4 (79.5) | 29.1 (84.4) | 32.4 (90.3) | 38.5 (101.3) | 40.7 (105.3) | 40.5 (104.9) | 35.9 (96.6) | 32.4 (90.3) | 24.0 (75.2) | 18.6 (65.5) | 40.7 (105.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) | 8.6 (47.5) | 12.7 (54.9) | 16.5 (61.7) | 20.2 (68.4) | 24.2 (75.6) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.1 (79.0) | 21.7 (71.1) | 16.9 (62.4) | 11.1 (52.0) | 7.7 (45.9) | 16.6 (61.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.8 (38.8) | 4.5 (40.1) | 7.3 (45.1) | 10.4 (50.7) | 14.3 (57.7) | 17.9 (64.2) | 19.9 (67.8) | 19.6 (67.3) | 15.7 (60.3) | 12.1 (53.8) | 7.3 (45.1) | 4.5 (40.1) | 11.4 (52.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) | 0.4 (32.7) | 1.9 (35.4) | 4.3 (39.7) | 8.3 (46.9) | 11.7 (53.1) | 13.4 (56.1) | 13.1 (55.6) | 9.7 (49.5) | 7.2 (45.0) | 3.4 (38.1) | 1.2 (34.2) | 6.3 (43.3) |
| 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) | 71.8 (2.83) | 62.6 (2.46) | 64.8 (2.55) | 68.2 (2.69) | 79.1 (3.11) | 64.9 (2.56) | 70.2 (2.76) | 58.4 (2.30) | 70.2 (2.76) | 81.0 (3.19) | 80.8 (3.18) | 81.5 (3.21) | 853.5 (33.60) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.4 | 11.3 | 10.8 | 10.4 | 11.4 | 9.6 | 8.9 | 8.5 | 9.4 | 11.4 | 12.7 | 13.5 | 130.3 |
| Source: Meteociel ||||||||||||||

## Population

| Year | Pop. | ±% 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% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% 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% |
| 2021 | 4,788 | −1.85% |
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017) :

## Attractions

* Abbey of Fontenay

## Transportation

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
### Births

Montbard was the birthplace of:
* Jean Bardin (1732–1809), historical painter
* Pierre Daubenton (1703–1776), lawyer, politician, author and Encyclopédiste
* Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707–1788), naturalist and mathematician
* Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, (1716–1800), naturalist and collaborator of Buffon
* Benjamin Guérard (1797–1854), historian and librarian
* Eugène Guillaume (1822–1905), sculptor
* George Montbard (1841–1905), caricaturist and author

### Deaths

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