A Change of Scenery: Beaune and the Hotel Dieu

Friday morning, we left Alsace and headed south and west to Burgundy.  The drive took about 3 1/2 hours and we passed by Mulhouse, Belfort, and Besancon.  With Jeff's help and the car's GPS, we found our hotel, about a 5 minute walk from "centre ville" without a problem.  The bonus was that for most of the day the sun was out and the temperature actually hit a whopping 19 degrees!  

After lunch, where we actually sat outside, albeit under an awning, we toured the famous Hotel Dieu.  The cost, which included an audio-guide, was only 8.50 Euros.

From Wikipedia and other sources, here is some info about the Hotel Dieu, a UNESCO World Heritage site followed with photos I took of our visit: 

The Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse in Beaune, France. It was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor. This was when Burgundy was ruled by Duke Philip the Good. The 100 Year's War had recently been brought to a close but marauding bands continued to roam the countryside, pillaging and destroying, provoking misery and famine. The majority of the people of Beaune were declared destitute.  Nicolas and his wife, Guigone de Salins, responded by building a hospital and refuge for the poor. The hospice was consecrated on 31 December 1452.  In conjunction, Rolin established the "Les soeurs hospitalieres de Beaune" religious order.

The Hotel Dieu actually provided care until 1971, when a new hospital was built.  Today,  visitors can admire the beautiful structure and also many of the interior rooms, including the large and lovely Salle des Povres, or Great Hall of the Poor. The architecture is stunning, and displays in several rooms illustrate daily life for the patients and staff over the centuries. During the audio-guided tour, you also see a pharmacy and a laboratory, as well as the kitchen where meals were prepared for the patients. Costume displays illustrate how the fashion in habits and nursing clothes have changed over the years. 

At the end of the tour, there is also a wonderful display of tastevins, or silver wine tasting cups which traditionally given to little boys in Burgundy at the time of their first communion or at weaning.

The Hotel Dieu owns a significant number of vineyards.  Each year since 1859, on the 3rd Sunday in November, a world-renowned wine auction is held, with all proceeds supporting the current hospital and the maintenance of the Hotel Dieu.  The Hospices Civils de Beaune also includes a nursing school, helping it ensure high quality medical personnel.

Salle des Pôvres, or Great Hall of the Poor

Above and below:   the Kitchen

Above and below:  the Pharmacy

The Hotel Dieu is also just across the street from the Place de la Halle, where a market is held every Saturday so that is where we headed the next morning.  The market, which was both in the square and nearby streets plus in the market hall, offered the usual amazing selection of French products - meats, sausages, cheeses, vegetables, spices and herbs plus household goods and clothing.  There were even several stalls selling chickens from Bresse (a city in France near the Alps).  .Chickens from here are famous for their blue feet - not sure what makes them blue, however.  There was even a dixieland jazz band to entertain us, at least before the rain started and drove us away to shelter!