In the morning before checking out we want to visit the major attraction in Beaune, the Hospices the Beaune, a famous hospital founded in 1443. There are other attraction in the town and surrounding area but we have a few more stops planned today so only the hospital it is.
The Hospices are relatively close to our accomodations, we are still wondering how we were able to fit the car through the narrow entrance. And we have to exit again later…
The Hospices de Beaune were founded by the chancellor of Burgundy as a hospital for the poor. It was a hospital till 1971 and the building itself is a masterpiece of Flemish architecture.
Inside there are lots of interesting details and we really like identifying as many of them as we can as we walk around through the buildings.
The exhibits are quite interesting, we really like the kitchens showing how the nuns were preparing food for the patients. The beds themselves were quite good for the era, in fact the hospital seems to have been quite well managed and run, at least according to the reconstruction.
There is also a section showing how the doctors were creating the medicines for all the patients, this section is always interesting as you can observe how weird the cures were centuries ago. We assume that this is how future people will look to the medicines of the 21th centuries….
There is also artwork exhibited throughout including some old Flemish tapestry and the Beaune altarpiece which was part of the Beaune chapel.
Before leaving we buy some good sweets and enjoy them, yummy, and then it is time to move on towards our next goal.
It is surprising how empty the highways are even closer the the central areas of France. We pass through one of the wine regions of France with fields and forests all around us.
As we approach Fontenay Abbey we leave the main highway and pass through small towns and villages as we make our way to the famous Abbey that is on the Unesco World Heritage Site.
