4. A region rich in history, culture and geography. Until the late 18th century Burgundy was not part of France, but a Dukedom with the powerful and long reigning Burgundy Dukes. One time allies to the English kings against the French king. The Burgundy frontiers stretched across eastern France and into Flanders. The Cistercian influence is also very significant, with many abbeys and monasteries such as Cluny, Fontanne and Citeaux. Wine is one of the pillars and pride of Burgundy, with some of the most famous wines in the world coming from the concentrated vineyards. The Romans introduced grapes and the production was mastered by the local monks. Farming is dominated by cereal crops in the Saone plain and Nivernais plateau, whilst in the hill areas the is much cattle farming with the traditional white Charolais.

5. Burgundy is located in central eastern France. The region begins a hundred kilometers south from Paris and stretches down to Lyon on 360 kilometers. It is bordered to the east by Franche-Comté, to the south-East by Rhône-Alpes, south-West by Auvergne, to the north by Champagne-Ardennes and Ile-de-France, and to the west by the Centre region. Burgundy is a paradise for nature lovers. The region indeed offers a green environment through its rivers like Saône and Yonne, its canals, including the famous Canal of Burgundy, and its forests notably in the Morvan Regional Nature Park.

6. The battle of Grandson helped to shape modern Europe, more so than any of the other 117 castles in canton Vaud. And the past comes alive during a visit to the castle on the southwestern shore of Lake Neuchâtel. The key date in Grandson history was March 2, 1476, the day when the might and splendour of Burgundy was forced to flee by the fledgling Swiss confederation.The Battle of Grandson was the first of three major battles between Charles of Burgundy – known as le Téméraire or the Reckless - and the then largely Germanic Swiss, who were encouraged by the other European powers to block Charles expansionism.