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Origin and history

The Beaune Girls' School, now Jules Ferry College, was built between 1935 and 1937 to respond to the increase in school enrolment and to replace old premises. The project, launched in 1933 by the city, includes a school, a party room, a gymnasium and a horticultural garden. Architects Robert Camelot, Jacques and Paul Herbé won the competition, and the plans were approved in 1934. The building, made of local stone and reinforced concrete, follows a functional plan: two single-storey wings articulated around a central meadow, with classrooms exposed to the south and soundly isolated by washbasins.

During the Second World War (1939-1945), the school was requisitioned and turned into a hospital, first secondary and then German military. Released in 1944, it served as a triage centre for the permissionary until 1945. In 1963, she became a general education college for girls, then mixed in 1971 under the name Jules Ferry. A major extension, entrusted to architect Pierre Cornuejols, was carried out between 1972 and 1976, adding a socio-educational complex and specialized rooms.

The architecture reflects the hygienist and pedagogical principles of the 1930s: strict separation between public (street) and private spaces (courses), optimized traffic by symmetrical stairs, and durable materials. The facade, facing the ancient walls of Beaune, highlights the urban integration of the building. Ranked Historic Monument in 2002, only the original part (1937) is protected, excluding the 1976 extensions.

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