Everything about Dijon totally explained
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Dijon () is a
city in eastern
France, the capital of the
Côte-d'Or departement and of the
Bourgogne region. Dijon is the historical capital of the
province of
Burgundy. Population (2005): 150,800 for the commune; 236,953 for the greater Dijon area.
History
Dijon began as a
Roman settlement called
Divio, located on the road from
Lyon to
Mainz.
Saint Benignus, the city's
patron saint, is said to have introduced
Christianity to the area before being martyred. This province was home to the
Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th century
AD until the late 1400s and Dijon was a place of tremendous wealth and power and one of the great European centers of art, learning and science. It was occupied by
Nazi Germany between June
1940 and early
1945, when it was liberated by joint
French/
UK/
USA forces.
Main sights
Dijon boasts a surprisingly large number of churches and cathedrals, including St. Bénigne, Notre-Dame, St. Étienne, and St. Michel. The
crypt of
Dijon Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Benignus, dates from 1,000 years ago, and the city has retained many architectural styles from many of the main periods from the past millennium, including
Gothic,
Renaissance and Capetian. Many of the still-inhabited houses in the city's central district date from before the 18th century.
Dijon was spared the destruction of various wars such as the 1870
Franco-Prussian War, despite the fact that the Prussian army invaded the city. Therefore, many of the old buildings such as the half-timbered houses dating from the 12th to the 15th century (found mainly in the city's core district) are undamaged, at least by organized violence.
There are many museums in the city, including one dedicated to mustard and steak. Another is the Musée des Beaux Arts in the old part of the Ducal Palace (see below). It contains, among other things, ducal kitchens that date back to the mid-1400s, and a collection of European paintings from the early Renaissance to the Impressionistic periods.
Among the more interesting of Dijon's "must see" sights is the Ducal Palace, the
Palais des Ducs et des États de Bourgogne or "Palace of the Dukes and the States of Burgundy", which is one of only a few remaining examples of the Capetian period in the region. Another is a curious carving of a little owl,
la chouette, on the church of Notre Dame on the rue de la Préfecture. It is reported that this has become regarded as a good-luck charm: people touch it with their left hand and make a wish. The current carving is a copy as the original was destroyed the night of January 5 or 6 2001 by vandals. The current version is now protected by video surveillance.
Transport
Dijon is located approximately one hour and 40 minutes southeast of
Paris by the
TGV high-speed train (
LGV Sud-Est). By car, it's about three hours from Paris. For comparison, Lyon is 180 km away and two hours distant - although there's no high-speed train link between both cities. Nice takes about six hours by TGV and Strasbourg about three hours at regular train speed.
Culture
Dijon holds the International and Gastronomic Fair every year. With over 500 exhibitors and 200,000 visitors every year, this is one of the ten most important fairs in France. Dijon is also home, every three years, to the international flower show
Florissimo. Dijon also hosts the Fete de la Musique (Music Festival) every summer, with live musical groups playing on street corners throughout the city centre.
To the northwest of Dijon, the
race track of
Dijon-Prenois hosts various
motor sport events. In the past, it once hosted the
Formula 1 French Grand Prix.
Dijon is home to
Dijon FCO, a football team in
Ligue 2, the second-highest league in
French football. Dijon is better known for its national professional league basketball club (Pro A), JDA Dijon.
Dijon has numerous museums such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, the Musée Archéologique, the Musée de la Vie Bourguignonne, the Musée d'Art Sacré, and the Musée Magnin.
Colleges and universities
Food and drink
Mustard
Dijon is famous for its
mustard, even though nowadays around 90% of all mustard seeds used are imported, mainly from
Canada. The term
Dijon mustard (
moutarde de Dijon) designates a method for the making of mustard, particularly strong if made in that fashion. Most Dijon mustard (brands such as
Amora or
Maille) is produced industrially, and in fact need not be produced around Dijon. The name has become
genericized, meaning it can't be registered for
protected designation of origin status under
European Union law.
(External Link
) Dijon mustard shops also feature exotic or unusually-flavored mustard (for example fruit-flavoured Dijon), often sold in decorative hand-painted
faience (china) pots.
Wine
As the capital of the Burgundy region, Dijon reigns over some of the best wine country in the world. Many superb vineyards producing
vins d'appellation contrôlée, such as
Vosne-Romanée and
Gevrey-Chambertin, are within 20 minutes of the city center. The town's university boasts a renowned oenology institute. The drive from
Santenay to Dijon, known as the
route des Grands Crus, passes through an idyllic countryside of vineyards, rivers, villages, forests, and twelfth-century churches. The region's architecture is distinguished by, among other things,
toits bourguignons (Burgundian roofs) made of tiles glazed in terra cotta, green, yellow and black and arranged in eye-catching geometric patterns.
The city is also well known for its
crème de cassis, or blackcurrant
liqueur, used in the drink known as "
Kir" (white wine, especially Bourgogne
aligoté, with blackcurrant liqueur, named after former mayor of Dijon
canon Félix Kir). The same drink made with champagne instead of white wine is known as a
Kir Royal.
The American food writer
M.F.K. Fisher, who moved to Dijon shortly after her marriage in 1929, wrote about the region's cuisine in
Long Ago in France.
Miscellaneous
Notable people
John the Fearless (1371-1419), Duke of Burgundy
Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (Jeanne-Françoise Frémiot, baronne de Chantal, 1572-1641), founder of the Visitation Order
Henry Darcy
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, engineer and architect
Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity (Marie-Élisabeth Catez, 1880-1906), Carmelite nun and religious writer
Charles, Duke of Burgundy
Roger Guillemin
François Jouffroy
Maurice Boitel, painter
Jean-Philippe Rameau, composer
François Rude (1784 - 1855), sculptor
Jean-Pierre Marielle (*1932), actor
Claude Jade (1948 - 2006), actress
Julien Pillet (September 28, 1977 - ), sabre fencer
Augustin Cauchy, mathematician
Photo gallery
Image:DSCN0436.JPG|Some of the beautiful roof work seen throughout Dijon
Image:n39604410_30268799_7019.jpg|The Gargoyles on Notre Dame de Dijon
Image:Porte Guillaume 2 Dijon.JPG|Porte Guillaume on Darcy Square
Image:Rue de la Liberté Dijon.JPG|Rue de la Liberté (Freedom Street)
Image:Place du Miroir.JPG|Carrefour du Miroir (Mirror's Crossroads)
Image:Moutarde de Dijon.JPG|Boutique de moutarde (Typical mustard shop)
Image:Place Francois Rude Dijon .JPG|Place François Rude (François Rude Square)
Image:Dijon Rue vieille.jpg|Typical street in the old town-centre
Image:Place liberation 2.JPG|Place de la Libération (Liberation Square)
Image:Digione palazzo duchi.jpg|Palais des ducs de Bourgogne (Dukes of Burgundy's Palace)
Image:Dijon - Palais des Ducs de Bourgogne 01.jpg|Philippe le Bon Tower
Image:Philippe le Hardi.jpg|Philippe II Le Hardi's tomb
Image:Cathédrale St Bénigne - Dijon.jpg|Dijon Cathedral
Image:Eglise Place Saint Michel Dijon .JPG|Saint-Michel Church
Image:n39604410_30268803_8274.jpg|The Market in Dijon designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (who also designed the Eiffel Tower)
Image:DSCN03961.JPG|La Chouette ("The Owl") at Notre Dame de Dijon (rub it for goodluck)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Dijon'.
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