Mâcon is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in east-central France. It is the préfecture (capital) of the department.

Even if Mâcon is the capital of the department, it is only the second largest city in population after Chalon-sur-Saône.

History
The Celts from the Aedui (people that lived between the Saône and Loire rivers) had an oppidum and a river port in the present place of Mâcon. This settlement was called Matisco by Julius Caesar.

Geography
Mâcon is the southernmost capital city in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is at  north of Lyon and  from Paris.

The city lies on the western (left) side of the Saône river, on the border with the Ain department.

It has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

Since 1972, the commune of Mâcon is divided in two parts: the southern part, including the old city, and the northern part. Both parts are surrounded by the communes:

Climate
The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Charnay-lès-Mâcon, less than  to the west of Mâcon and where is the local airport, is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Maritime Temperate climate) and of the subtype "Cfb".

The average temperature for the year in Charnay-lès-Mâcon is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month, on average is January, with an average temperature of .

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Charnay-lès-Mâcon is . The month with the most precipitation on average is October with  of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is August with an average of .

Population
The inhabitants of Mâcon are known, in French, as Mâconnais (women: Mâconnaises ).

With a population of 33,456, Mâcon has a population density of  inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Mâcon

Administration
Mâcon is a prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department since 1800. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Mâcon and the administrative centre () of two cantons:
 Mâcon-1 formed by the communes Charnay-lès-Mâcon and Sancé, and part of Mâcon, with 22,266 inhabitants (2014).
 Mâcon-2 formed by the commune Varennes-lès-Mâcon and part of Mâcon, with 20,566 inhabitants (2014).

It is part of the intercommunality Mâconnais Beaujolais Agglomération ().

Twinned and partner towns
Mâcon is twinned with:

 Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany, since 26 June 1956
 Crewe and Nantwich, United Kingdom, since 1957
 Overijse, Belgium, since 28 August 1960
 Macon, United States, since 1972
 Lecco, Italy, since 12 May 1973

 Alcázar de San Juan, Spain, since 15 March 1980
 Eger, Hungary, since 11 May 1985
 Pori, Finland, since 11 May 1990
 Santo Tirso, Portugal, since 20 June 1992

Places of interest
Some interesting places in Mâcon are:
 The Mâcon Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Vincent de Mâcon) in the town centre
 The Saint-Pierre Church (Èglise Saint-Pierre) in the Place Saint-Pierre
 The Museum of Fine Arts (former Ursuline Convent)
 Hôtel Senecé (Lamartine museum)

People from or related to Mâcon
 Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869), poet
 Georges Duby (1919–1996), historian

Gallery

Related pages
 Arrondissement of Mâcon
 Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department

References

Other websites

 Ville de Mâcon - official website  
 Tourist office website
 Mâconnais Beaujolais Agglomération website 

Departmental capitals in France
Communes in Saône-et-Loire