Fresque de La Grande Vadrouille
A painted wall in Beaune's old town that recalls the shooting of La Grande Vadrouille in 1966.
- Heritage site
- In Beaune itself
- Allow 5 to 10 minutes
- UNESCO World Heritage
€290for a half-day wine tour starting here, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Official website
- beaune-tourism.com
Getting there
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
On the place du Docteur Jorrot, in Beaune's old town, a large mural covers the side of a house. It recreates a photograph taken during the shooting of La Grande Vadrouille, the 1966 comedy starring Bourvil and Louis de Funès, and shows them with the director Gérard Oury. It was unveiled in 1996, thirty years after the film crew came to Beaune.
What you will see
The mural shows Gérard Oury, Louis de Funès and Bourvil together, painted after a photograph from the shoot. It covers the wall of a house on the place du Docteur Jorrot, where the rue des Tonneliers meets the rue du Château, and you can see it from the street at any time.
History
La Grande Vadrouille tells of two Frenchmen who help British airmen escape across occupied France, and part of the story is set in Burgundy. The actors arrived at the Hôtel-Dieu on 31 May 1966 for about a week of filming. The old hospital, then still caring for patients, stood in for the hospice where the airmen hide among the nursing sisters, and its great ward was the setting for the scene in which a sister asks the English officer to say 'thirty-three'. Other scenes were filmed at the town hall of Meursault and near La Rochepot.
The film sold more than 17 million tickets and stayed France's biggest box-office hit for some thirty years, until Titanic overtook it in 1997. Beaune marked the thirtieth anniversary of the shooting in 1996 with this mural near the Hospices, inaugurated in the presence of Gérard Oury.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
Allow a few minutes; the mural is outdoors and free. It is a short walk from the Hôtel-Dieu, so it fits well after a visit there. To follow the film further, the tourist office runs guided tours of the filming locations in Meursault.
Around here
What to combine with Fresque de La Grande Vadrouille on the same day, nearest first.
Beaune
1 km awayChorey-lès-Beaune
3 km awayPommard
4 km away
- Culture
Mois des Climats
Each year over several weeks in late spring and early summer, usually ending in early JulyBeaune - Wine festival
Beaune Saveurs de Vignes
Usually Ascension Thursday, in May, with staggered departures from late morningBeaune - Music
Festival international d’opéra baroque de Beaune
Usually four consecutive weekends in JulyBeaune
Questions
For the visit, allow 5 to 10 minutes.
Did you know? When the crew filmed at the Hôtel-Dieu, the hospital was still in use, so doctors, nurses and patients carried on around the cameras.
Sources
From Fresque de La Grande Vadrouille into the vineyards
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests