Dijon tourist information
Dijon France
Dijon, former capital of the Dukes of Burgundy, is a town steeped in history proud heir to a rich architectural legacy. Lying at the gates of the famous vineyards of the Côte de Nuits, Dijon is one of the glories of the French gastronomic tradition, known throughout the world for its mustard, blackcurrant liqueur, gingerbread, etc... It is also a university town, a business and cultural centre boasting a wide and varied choice of hotels, an auditorium and extensive reception facilities capable of hosting all kinds of events.
In the third century of the modern era, Dijon was established in an exceptional environment of parks and gardens, just off the Via Agrippa and along the Amber and Tin Road. Vestiges of this first chapter in the town's history can be seen in the Archaeological Museum and in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Vesvrotte. The mediaeval town, which grew up around the 3rd century military settlement, all but vanished in the fire of 1137.
With the spread of Christianity came the creation of Saint-Etienne, the Franciscan friars and above all the impressive ensemble of Saint-Bénigne whose church, with its three-storey rotunda, is a gem of Lombard architecture and the work of the Piedmont master Gugliemo da Volpiano. The bewildering diversity of half-timbered houses which visitors find so delightful developed between the middle years of the 12th century and the end of the 15th century.
The names of Saint-Philibert, Saint-Jean, Saint-Médard, Saint-Nicolas, Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vincent, Saint-Michel, the Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame read like a litany of the saints and constitute the religious legacy of a town whose array of spires, turrets and steeples earned it the title of "the town of a hundred church towers".
While relatively little remains of the Capetian period, the era of the Valois dukes (from 1364 to 1477) was to make Dijon a centre of international art and architecture whose European dimension is still clearly visible today. The visitor cannot fail to be impressed by this headquarters of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the Ducal Palace with its imposing kitchens, the extraordinary wealth of its museums and the diversity of its secular architecture - not forgetting the Chartreuse (charterhouse) de Champmol.
The opulent sculpture characterising this period is in large part due to the ingenuity of Hugues Sambin, a native of Franche-Comté. The aesthetic sensitivity which characterizes Sambin's work sets Dijon somewhat apart from a Burgundy dominated by both Italian and Flemish influences.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Dijon was governed by the Princes of Condé, keen to give the town a new aspect and to adorn it with institutions worthy of an authentic capital.
Their legacy is illustrated chiefly in the neo-classical Palais des Etats, the Parliament and the distinguished mansions built in a relatively small area around the seats of power. The creation of the La Colombière estate and the development of the Port du Canal are a measure of the determination to add a new dimension to the town.
The industrial revolution did not, as is sometimes supposed, pass Dijon by. The coming of the railways brought new prosperity to a town which was also the birthplace of Gustave Eiffel and the adjustable spanner.
The 20th century was marked among other things by the construction of churches in Dijon and its vicinity, and by an auditorium testifying to the cultural vibrancy of a town attracting almost 25,000 students each year.
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