Dijon

History

The inhabitation of this area happened probably already in the neolitical era but first written records about some kind of a settlement come from the era of the Roman Empire. The settlement of Dijon was situated at the crossroads of trading paths and quickly evolved. In the 11th century, Dijon was already a capital city of Burgundy. It was completely ruined in a fire in 1137 and it had to be restored all over again. The city blossomed the most in the Middle Ages during the reign of the Valoises in the 14th and 15th century. Wars of the 20th century didn't touch the city too much so it preserved most of its historical buildings.

Historical Sights

One of the most important sights in the city is the Voivodian Palace from the 14th century that used to be a residence of voivodes of Burgundy. You will find it on the square called Place de la Libération. It serves as a town hall today. Just behind the palace, you can visit the well-known Musée des Beaux-Arts, where you can admire the artworks of such painters as P.-P. Rubens, E. Manet or Véronese. Sacred buildings in the city include a Gothic cathedral Saint Benigne from the 12th century that stands on the remains of a former Romanesque rotunda and a church of Notre-Dame de Dijon from the 13th century which is placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A church of Saint Michel is also very interesting, it was built in the Renaissance era from a white Burgundy stone. Porte Guillaume is a victory arch and you can visit it if you go to the Darcy Square. Shopping lovers should visit a building of local markets from the 19th century, Les Halles de Dijon.

Festivals and culture

Every year at the beginning of September, the Vendage Dijon takes place in the city. Various folklore ensembles from the whole Evropy take part in this event. Every three years, Dijon also organises an international exhibition of flowers called Florissimo, that attracts tourists from the whole world. A jazz festival and multi-genre music event are regularly held in the city, too.

Sport

In the north-western part of the city, there is a racing course Dijon-Prenois that is a place of many motorist events. Even a Grand Prix France of Formule 1 had been held here in the past. A rock-climbing hall was recently built in the city, too. It is called Cime Altitude 245 and is it situated in a sports centre Epirey. In the year of 2010, an Olympic swimming stadium was built in Dijon.

GPS: 47.3271885819, 5.0439262390  Edit

Population: 151576  Edit

Château de Gevrey-Chambertin 12.4 km

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