Dijon (, , )
(dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

of the

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or (; literally, "Golden Slope") is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

and of the

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in northeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earliest archaeological finds within the city limits of Dijon date to the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

period. Dijon later became a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

settlement named ''Divio'', located on the road between

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

and Paris. The province was home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th centuries, and Dijon became a place of tremendous wealth and power, one of the great European centres of art, learning, and science. The city has retained varied

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

s from many of the main periods of the past millennium, including Capetian,

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

, and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

. Many still-inhabited town-houses in the city's central district date from the 18th century and earlier. Dijon's architecture is distinguished by, among other things, '' toits bourguignons'' (Burgundian polychrome roofs) made of tiles glazed in

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

: green, yellow, and black and arranged in geometric patterns. Dijon holds an International and Gastronomic Fair every year in the northern-hemisphere autumn. With over 500 exhibitors and 200,000 visitors every year, it is one of the ten most important fairs in France. Dijon also hosts every three years the international flower show ''

Florissimo Florissimo is an international flower show held in the city of Dijon, France. It features exhibits from French and non-French cities, botanical gardens, agricultural schools, and private corporations. Florissimo is normally held every three years ( ...

''. Dijon has become famous for

Dijon mustard Dijon mustard (french: Moutarde de Dijon) is a traditional mustard of France, named after the town of Dijon in Burgundy, France, which was the center of mustard making in the late Middle Ages and was granted exclusive rights in France in the 17t ...

, which originated in 1856, when Jean Naigeon of Dijon substituted

verjuice Verjuice ( ; from Middle French ''vertjus'' 'green juice') is a highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples or other sour fruit. Sometimes lemon or sorrel juice, herbs or spices are added to change the flavour. In the Midd ...

, the acidic "green" juice of not-quite-ripe grapes, for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe. Dijon is a

green city The sustainable city, eco-city, or green city is a city designed with consideration for social, economic, environmental impact (commonly referred to as the triple bottom line), and resilient habitat for existing populations, without compromisi ...

with an important tertiary sector, as well as a regional economic center with a diversified fabric, a traditional food-processing center (Dijon ''crême de cassis'' and kir, gingerbread, Lanvin chocolate...) and a renowned pharmaceutical sector. On 4 July 2015 UNESCO registered the historical centre of the city as a

World Heritage site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, as one of the components of the " Climats, terroirs of Burgundy" site, because of its historical importance in regulating the system of wine production in Burgundy.Climates of Burgundy
- "La seconde composante est le centre historique de Dijon qui matérialise l'impulsion politique donnée à la formation du système des climats. Le site est un exemple remarquable de production viti-vinicole développé depuis le haut Moyen Âge."

History

The earliest archaeological finds within the city limits of Dijon date to the

period. Dijon later became a

settlement called ''Divio'', which may mean ''sacred fountain'', located on the road from

to Paris. Saint Benignus, the city's apocryphal

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

, 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 until the late 15th century, and Dijon was a place of tremendous wealth and power and one of the great European centres of art, learning, and science. The Duchy of Burgundy was key in the transformation of medieval times toward

early modern Europe Early modern Europe, also referred to as the post-medieval period, is the period of European history between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the late 15th century to the late 18th century. Histori ...

. The Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy now houses the city hall and a museum of art. In 1513, Swiss and Imperial armies invaded Burgundy and besieged Dijon, which was defended by the governor of the province,

Louis II de la Trémoille Louis II de la Trémoille (29 September 1460 – 24 February 1525), also known as La Trimouille, was a French general. He served under three kings: Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I. He was killed in combat at the Battle of Pavia. Milit ...

. The siege was extremely violent, but the town succeeded in resisting the invaders. After long negotiations, Louis II de la Trémoille managed to persuade the Swiss and the Imperial armies to withdraw their troops and also to return three hostages who were being held in Switzerland. During the siege, the population called on the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

for help and saw the town's successful resistance and the subsequent withdrawal of the invaders as a miracle. For those reasons, in the years following the siege the inhabitants of Dijon began to venerate Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir (Our Lady of Good Hope). Although a few areas of the town were destroyed, there are nearly no signs of the siege of 1513 visible today. However, Dijon's museum of fine arts has a large tapestry depicting this episode in the town's history: it shows the town before all subsequent destruction (particularly that which occurred during the French Revolution) and is an example of 16th-century art. Dijon was also occupied by anti-Napoleonic coalitions in 1814, by the Prussian army in 1870–71, and by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

beginning in June 1940, during WWII, when it was bombed by US Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, before the liberation of Dijon by the French Army and the French Resistance, 11 September 1944.

Geography

Dijon is situated at the heart of a plain drained by two small converging rivers: the Suzon, which crosses it mostly underground from north to south, and the Ouche, on the southern side of town. Farther south is the ''côte'', or hillside, of vineyards that gives the department its name. Dijon lies southeast of Paris, northwest of

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, and north of

Climate

Dijon features an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(Cfb) with continental influence under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

. The city is highly influenced by its position far inland in Northeastern France. Thus, winters are cool to cold with moderate frosts at night and thawing conditions during the day while summers are warm to hot and humid with frequent thunderstorms.

Sights

Dijon has a large number of churches, including Notre Dame de Dijon, St. Philibert, St. Michel, and

Dijon Cathedral Dijon Cathedral, or the Cathedral of Saint Benignus of Dijon (french: Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne de Dijon), is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in the town of Dijon, Burgundy (region), Burgundy, France, and dedicated to Saint ...

, dedicated to the apocryphal Saint Benignus, the

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

of which is over 1,000 years old. The city has retained varied

s from many of the main periods of the past millennium, including Capetian,

and

. Many still-inhabited town houses in the city's central district date from the 18th century and earlier. Dijon architecture is distinguished by, among other things, '' toits bourguignons'' (Burgundian polychrome roofs) made of tiles glazed in

, green, yellow and black and arranged in geometric patterns. F09

Dijon was largely spared the destruction of wars such as the 1870 Franco-Prussian War and the Second World War, despite the city being occupied. Therefore, many of the old buildings such as the

half-timbered Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

houses dating from the 12th to the 15th centuries (found mainly in the city's core district) are undamaged, at least by organized violence. Dijon is home to many museums, including the

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon is a museum of fine arts opened in 1787 in Dijon, France. It is one of the main and oldest museums of France. It is located in the historic city centre of Dijon and housed in the former ducal palace which was ...

in part of the Ducal Palace (see below). It contains, among other things, ducal kitchens dating back to the mid-15th century, and a substantial collection of primarily European art, from Roman times through the present. Among the more popular sights is the

Ducal Palace Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke. Notable palaces with the name include: France *Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon *Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy *Pa ...

, the ''Palais des Ducs et des États de Bourgogne'' or "Palace of the Dukes and the States of Burgundy" (), which includes one of only a few remaining examples of Capetian period architecture in the region. Many art interested visitors flock to the ''Puits de Moïse'' or

Well of Moses The Well of Moses (French: ''Puits de Moïse'') is a monumental sculpture recognised as the masterpiece of the Dutch artist Claus Sluter (1340–1405–06), assisted by his nephew Claus de Werve. It was executed by Sluter and his workshop in ...

, a monumental sculpture by

Claus Sluter Claus Sluter (1340s in Haarlem – 1405 or 1406 in Dijon) was a Dutch sculptor, living in the Duchy of Burgundy from about 1380. He was the most important northern European sculptor of his age and is considered a pioneer of the "northern reali ...

. The church of Notre Dame is famous for both its art and architecture. Popular legend has it that one of its stone relief sculptures, an owl (''la chouette'') is a good-luck charm: visitors to the church touch the owl with their left hands to make a wish. (The current carving was restored after it was damaged by vandalism in the night of 5 and 6 January 2001). The Grand Théâtre de Dijon, built in 1828 and one of the main performing venues of the

Opéra de Dijon The Opéra de Dijon is an opera company and arts organization in Dijon, France. It administers both the Grand Théâtre de Dijon and the Auditorium de Dijon which are its main performance venues. In addition to operas, the organization also stages ...

, was declared a

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

of France in 1975. It was designed by the Dijon-born architect

Jacques Cellerier Jacques Cellerier (1742–1814) was a French architect in the neoclassical style whose buildings can be seen mainly in Paris and Dijon. Life Born in Dijon, son of innkeepers, a student of , to whom he was related, he continued his training at ...

(1742–1814) in the Neo-classical style with an interior modelled on Italian opera houses.

Transport

Roads

Dijon is located approximately southeast of Paris, about three hours by car along the A38 and A6 motorways. The A31 provides connections to Nancy, Lille and Lyon. The A39 connects Dijon with Bourg-en-Bresse and Geneva, the A36 with Besançon,

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...

and

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

Water transport

The Canal de Bourgogne passes through the heart of Dijon and creates a navigable route to Paris in the north-west via the river Yonne, a tributary of the river

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

, and to the

Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name deri ...

river 25 km to the south-east. The canal joins the Saône at

Saint-Jean-de-Losne Saint-Jean-de-Losne (, literally ''Saint John of Losne'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department in eastern France. It is about southeast of Dijon. History Despite its size, the town's position on t ...

which is the barging centre of France and Europe. In addition to the connection to the Atlantic via the Seine it has navigable water connections to the Mediterranean—via the Saône to the Rhône river at Lyon and further south (ultimately west to the Atlantic via the

Canal du Midi The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (french: le Midi). Originally named the ''Canal royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considere ...

)—Germany and central Europe—via the Rhône-Rhine canal—plus west to the centre and river Loire via the Canal du Centre. These waterways were largely completed before the 19th century and were the main means of industrial transport until the railways began taking over in the mid-19th century. Today they form a water route for mostly pleasure craft between northern Europe and the south. For example the route through Dijon is popular with those sailing their boats from the United Kingdom to the Mediterranean.

Public transport

Trains

Dijon is an important railway junction for lines from Paris to Lyon and

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, and the east–west lines to Besançon, Belfort, Nancy, Switzerland, and Italy. The

Dijon-Ville station Dijon-Ville station (french: Gare de Dijon-Ville), sometimes simply Dijon, is a railway station located in Dijon, Côte-d'Or, eastern France. The station was opened in 1849. It is located at the junction of Paris–Marseille railway, Paris–Marse ...

is the main railway station, providing service to Paris-Gare de Lyon by

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

high-speed train High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

(

LGV Sud-Est The LGV Sud-Est (French: ''Ligne à Grande Vitesse Sud-Est''; English: ''South East high-speed line)'' is a French high-speed rail line which connects the Paris and Lyon areas. It was France's first high-speed rail line. The inauguration of th ...

), covering the in one hour and 40 minutes. For comparison, Lyon is away and two hours distant by standard train. The city of Nice takes about six hours by TGV and Strasbourg only 1 hour and 56 minutes via the TGV Rhin-Rhône.

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

in Switzerland is less than away or two hours by train. Dijon has a direct overnight sleeper/couchette service to Milan, Verona and Venice by the operator

Thello Trenitalia France is an open-access train operator running international services between France and Italy. It was originally established under the ''Thello'' brand in October 2011. On 11 December 2011, Thello ran its first night service, having ...

. Numerous regional

TER Bourgogne-Franche-Comté TER Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is the regional rail network serving the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, eastern France. It is operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It was formed in 2017 from the previous TER networks TER Bourgogn ...

trains depart from the same station. There is another railway station east of the city centre, Dijon-Porte-Neuve station, on the line to Is-sur-Tille and Culmont-Chalindrey.

Trams

A new tram system opened in September 2012. Line T1 is an line with 16 stations running west–east from the Dijon railway station to Quetigny. Line T2 opened in December 2012, an north–south line with 21 stations running between Valmy and Chenôve.

Culture

Dijon holds its International and Gastronomic Fair every year in autumn. With over 500 exhibitors and 200,000 visitors every year, it is one of the ten most important fairs in France. Dijon is also home, every three years, to the international flower show ''

''. Dijon has numerous museums such as the

, the Musée Archéologique, the Musée de la Vie Bourguignonne, the Musée d'Art Sacré, and the

Musée Magnin The Musée Magnin is a national museum in the French city of Dijon in Burgundy, in the Côte-d'Or department, with a collection of around 2,000 works of art collected by Maurice Magnin and his sister Jeanne and bequeathed to the state in 1938 along ...

. It also contains approximately 700 hectares of parks and green space, including the

Jardin botanique de l'Arquebuse The Jardin botanique de l'Arquebuse (2 hectares) is a botanical garden and arboretum located at 1 Avenue Albert-Premier, Dijon, Côte-d'Or, Bourgogne, France. It is open daily without charge. The garden is located within a larger park and garde ...

. Dijon is home to the prominent contemporary art centre

Le Consortium Le Consortium is a contemporary art center based in Dijon founded by Xavier Douroux & Franck Gautherot, among others, from the association Le Coin du Miroir (The Corner Mirror). The center was run by Douroux, in collaboration with Gautherot and Er ...

, a fine-arts school (ENSA), as well as a number of art galleries like the Fonds régional d'art contemporain, which holds a permanent collection including pieces by locally established artist

Yan Pei-Ming Yan Pei-Ming (Simplified Chinese: 严培明; pinyin: Yán Péimíng), born 1 December 1960, is a Chinese painter. Since 1981 he has been living in Dijon, France. His most famous paintings are "epic-sized" portraits of Mao Zedong worked out in blac ...

. Apart from the numerous bars, which sometimes have live bands, some popular music venues in Dijon are : Le Zenith de Dijon, La Vapeur, l'Espace autogéré des Tanneries and l'Atheneum. Maille Dijon Originale

originated in 1856, when Jean Naigeon of Dijon substituted

, the acidic "green" juice of not-quite-ripe grapes, for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe. In general, mustards from Dijon today contain white wine rather than verjuice. Dijon mustard is not necessarily produced near Dijon, as the term is regarded as

genericized A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or ...

under

European Union law European Union law is a system of rules operating within the member states of the European Union (EU). Since the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community following World War II, the EU has developed the aim to "promote peace, its valu ...

, so that it cannot be registered for

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...

status. Most Dijon mustard (brands such as Amora or Maille) is produced industrially and over 90% of mustard seed used in local production is imported, mainly from Canada. In 2008, Unilever closed its Amora mustard factory in Dijon. Dijon mustard shops sell exotic or unusually-flavoured mustard (fruit-flavoured, for example), often sold in decorative hand-painted ''

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...

'' (china) pots. Burgundy is a world-famous wine growing region, and notable vineyards, such as Vosne-Romanée and

Gevrey-Chambertin Gevrey-Chambertin () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department of France in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

, are within 20 minutes of the city center. The town's university boasts a renowned enology institute. The road from Santenay to Dijon is known as the " route des Grands Crus", where eight of the world's top ten most expensive wines are produced, according to Wine Searcher. The city is also well known for its '' crème de cassis'', or blackcurrant

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

, used in the drink known as " Kir", named after former mayor of Dijon canon

Félix Kir Canon Félix Kir (22 January 1876 - 26 April 1968) was a French Catholic priest, resistance fighter and politician. Life He was born at Alise-Sainte-Reine on the Côte-d'Or. He entered a small seminary at Plombières-lès-Dijon in 1891 and w ...

, a mixture of crème de cassis with white wine, traditionally Bourgogne aligoté. Dijon is home to

Dijon FCO Dijon Football Côte d'Or (; literally "Dijon Football Gold Coast"), commonly referred to as Dijon FCO or simply as Dijon, is a French football club based in Dijon. The club was founded in 1998 as a result of a merger between two local clubs in ...

, a men's football team now in

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

, and

, a women's team now in

Division 1 Féminine The Division 1 Féminine, shortened as D1 Féminine or D1F, and currently known as D1 Arkema for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of women's football in France. Run by the French Football Federation, the league is contested by twelv ...

. Dijon has a its own (Pro A) basketball club, JDA Dijon Basket. The

Palais des Sports de Dijon Palais des Sports de Dijon (also known as Palais des Sports Jean-Michel Geoffroy) is an indoor sporting arena that is located in Dijon, France. The arena has a seating capacity of 5,000 for basketball games. History The arena was one of the ven ...

serves as playground for the team and hosted international basketball events such as the FIBA EuroBasket 1999 in the past. Dijon is home to the Dijon Ducs ice hockey team, who play in the

Magnus League The Ligue Magnus, currently known as Synerglace Ligue Magnus for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's division of the French ice hockey pyramid, established in 1906. The league operated under a variety of names before taking that of its champion ...

. To the northwest, the race track of Dijon-Prenois hosts various

motor sport ''Motor Sport'' is a monthly motor racing magazine, founded in the United Kingdom in 1924 as the ''Brooklands Gazette''. The name was changed to ''Motor Sport'' for the August 1925 issue. The magazine covers motor sport in general, although from ...

events. It hosted the

Formula 1 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

French Grand Prix on five occasions from 1974 to 1984.

Colleges and universities

* Dijon hosts the main campus of the University of Burgundy * École nationale des beaux-arts de Dijon * European Campus of

Sciences Po Paris , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...

* Agrosup Dijon *

Burgundy School of Business Burgundy School of Business (BSB), created in 1899 by the Dijon Chamber of Commerce, is a private higher educational establishment. The school is a member of the network of French Grandes écoles (Conférence des Grandes Écoles). History Fou ...

Population

Personalities

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet 1.PNG,

Jacques Bossuet Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

Etiennecabet.jpg, Étienne Cabet Gustave Eiffel 1888 Nadar2.jpg,

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...

Claude Jade.jpg, Claude Jade Attribué_à_Joseph_Aved,_Portrait_de_Jean-Philippe_Rameau_(vers_1728)_-_001.jpg, J.P.Rameau Sophie Rude - Portrait of Francois Rude.jpg, François Rude Jocelyn-Quivrin-Notre-univers.JPG,

Jocelyn Quivrin Jocelyn Quivrin (14 February 1979 – 15 November 2009) was a French actor. He had a supporting role in the film ''Syriana''. Early life Jocelyn Quivrin was born in Dijon on 14 February 1979. His father, Vincent Beaufils, was an anaesthetis ...

* John the Fearless (1371–1419), Duke of Burgundy * Charles the Bold (1433–1477), Duke of Burgundy *

Jean Le Fèvre (canon) :''To be distinguished from Jean Le Fèvre, bishop of Chartres 1380-1389, Jean Le Fèvre de Saint-Remy and Jean Le Fevre (astronomer) 1420-1435'' Jean Le Fèvre (also Jehan Lefèvre), (1493, Dijon – 1565) was a 16th-century French Canon (priest), ...

(1493–1565), lexicographer *

Charles Poisot Charles Poisot (7 July 1822 – 4 March 1904) was a French musician from the second half of the 19th century. A pianist, composer and musicographer, he was also director of the Dijon Conservatory, where he spent his life. Biography Charles Poisot ...

(1822–1904), musicologist *

Edmond Debeaumarché Edmond Debeaumarché (15 December 1906 – 28 March 1959) was a French postal worker who joined the French Resistance during World War II. For his service Debeaumarché was highly decorated. In 1960 Debeaumarché received the posthumous distinction ...

(1906–1959), hero of the French Resistance *

Christian Allard Christian Allard (born 31 March 1964) is a French-born British politician. Allard was elected as a Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Scotland constituency in the 2019 European Parliament election, serving ...

(b. 1964),

Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The ad ...

Claude Balbastre Claude Balbastre (8 December 1724 – 9 May 1799) was a French composer, organist, harpsichordist and fortepianist. He was one of the most famous musicians of his time. Life Claude Balbastre was born in Dijon in 1724. Although his exact birthdat ...

(1724–1799), composer *

Cécile Bart Cécile Bart, (born 1958 Dijon, Côte-d'Or), is a French painter and visual artist. She lives and works in Marsannay-la-Côte. Life Cécile Bart enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts of Dijon in September 1982, where she met French conceptual ...

(born 1958), artist *

Jean-Marc Boivin Jean-Marc Boivin (6 April 1951 – 17 February 1990) was a French mountaineer, extreme skier, hang glider and paraglider pilot, speleologist, BASE jumper, film maker and author. The holder of several altitude records for hang gliding and paraglid ...

(1951–1990), extreme sports specialist * Fabrice Brégier (born in 1961), businessman, Chief Operating Officer of

Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...

Antoine Bret Antoine Bret (9 July 1717, Dijon – 25 February 1792, Paris aged 74) was an 18th-century French writer and playwright. A prolific writer, he practiced almost all genres. He composed light poetry, comedies, novels, memoirs, parodic and licentious ...

(1717–1792), French playwright *

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Jacques-Bénigne Lignel Bossuet (; 27 September 1627 – 12 April 1704) was a French bishop and theologian, renowned for his sermons and other addresses. He has been considered by many to be one of the most brilliant orators of all time and a m ...

(1627–1704), bishop and theologist *

Madjid Bougherra Madjid Bougherra ( ar, مجيد بوقرة, lit=, links=, translit=; born 7 October 1982) is an Algerian football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the manager of the Algeria A' national team. Bougherra began his p ...

(b. 1982), Rangers F.C. footballer *

Thierry Caens Thierry Caens (born 1958) is a French classical trumpeter. Life Born in Dijon (Burgundy), Caens began studying the trumpet at the age of six with his father Marcel Caens (also father of the saxophonist Jean-Pierre Caens). He was a pupil of Rob ...

(b. 1958), classical trumpeter *

Laurent Chambertin Laurent Chambertin (born September 29, 1966 in Dijon, Côte-d'Or) is a retired volleyball player from France, who earned a total number of 336 caps for the Men's National Team. He also competed in the men's tournament at the 1992 Summer Olympics ...

(b. 1966), volleyball player * Jane Frances de Chantal (Jeanne–Françoise Frémiot, baronne de Chantal, 1572–1641), founder of the

Visitation Order , image = Salesas-escut.gif , size = 175px , abbreviation = V.S.M. , nickname = Visitandines , motto = , formation = , founder = Saint Bishop Francis de ...

François Chaussier François Chaussier (2 July 1746 – 19 June 1828) was a French anatomist who was a native of Dijon. His name is associated with the ''Prix Chaussier'' (Chaussier Prize).Anne-Caroline Chausson Anne-Caroline Chausson (born 8 October 1977 in Dijon) is a French professional cyclist who competes in bicycle enduro, bicycle motocross (BMX), downhill time trial and cross-country mass start, dual, and four-cross mountain bicycle racing. S ...

(b. 1977), Olympic medalist in cycling * Bernard Courtois (1777–1838), discoverer of the element iodine *

Charles Joseph Minard Charles Joseph Minard (; ; 27 March 1781 – 24 October 1870) was a French civil engineer recognized for his significant contribution in the field of information graphics in civil engineering and statistics. Minard was, among other things, noted ...

(1781–1870), civil engineer and first information graphics * Henry Darcy (1803–1858), engineer * Jean-Jacques-Joseph Debillemont (1824–1879), conductor and operetta composer *

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...

(1832–1923), engineer and architect *

Eugène Foveau Eugène Foveau (26 November 1886 – 5 January 1957) was a French trumpeter and cornetist. He was professor of trumpet at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1925 to 1947. Life Born in Dijon, Foveau is a former student of Merri Franquin at the Conser ...

(1886–1957), classical trumpeter * Roger Guillemin (b. 1924), Nobel laureate in Physiology and Medicine *

Hermine Horiot Hermine Horiot (born 14 May 1986) is a French cellist.. Life Born in Dijon, Horiot studied the cello from the age of six, which she continued at the age of fifteen at the Conservatoire de Paris. . She performs with the Orchestre National Borde ...

(born 1986), classical cellist * Claude Jade (1948–2006), actress *

Joseph Jacotot Joseph (or Jean-Joseph) Jacotot (4 March 177030 July 1840) was a French teacher and educational philosopher, creator of the method of "intellectual emancipation." Life Jacotot was born at Dijon on 4 March 1770. He was educated at the universi ...

(1770–1840), educational philosopher *

François Jouffroy François Jouffroy (1 February 1806 – 25 June 1882) was a French sculptor. Biography Jouffroy was born in Dijon, France, the son of a baker, and attended the local drawing school before being admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 18 ...

(1806–1882), sculptor * Henri Legrand du Saulle (1830–1886), psychiatrist *

Jean-Baptiste Gondelier Jean-Baptiste Gondelier (8 December 1792 in Dijon – after 1852), was a 19th-century French playwright and librettist. Biography An engraver and lithographer at 110 in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, Jean-Baptiste Gondelier received a patent i ...

(1792–1852), playwright *

Jean-Pierre Marielle Jean-Pierre Marielle (12 April 1932 – 24 April 2019) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen ('' Les Galettes de Pont-Aven''), to a World War II hero (''Les Milles ...

(1932–2019), actor *

Julien Pillet Julien Pillet (born 28 September 1977 in Dijon, Côte-d'Or) is a French sabre fencer. He is a three-time Olympic medalist as he won the gold in the team event at the 2004 Summer Olympics and also at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He also won the ...

(b. 1977), Olympic medalist in

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

fencer *

Jean-Philippe Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of Fr ...

(1683–1764), composer * Claude-François-Marie Rigoley, comte d'Ogny, (1756–1790), cellist * François Rude (1784–1855), sculptor *

Elizabeth of the Trinity Elizabeth of the Trinity, OCD (french: Élisabeth de la Trinité), born Élisabeth Catez (18 July 1880 – 9 November 1906), was a French Discalced Carmelite, a mystic, and a spiritual writer. She was known for the depth of her spiritual growth ...

(Marie–Élisabeth Catez, 1880–1906),

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

nun and religious writer *

Vitalic Pascal Arbez-Nicolas (; born 18 May 1976), better known by his stage name Vitalic (), is a French electronic music producer. History His first singles were released in 1996 and 1997, but were confined to underground electronic music scene. H ...

(born as Pascal Arbez in 1976),

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

artist

Twin towns - sister cities

Dijon is twinned with: *

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...

, Poland, since 1996 *

Cluj-Napoca ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...

, Romania *

Chefchaouen Chefchaouen ( ar, شفشاون, Shafshāwan, ), also known as Chaouen (), is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue, for which it is nicknamed the "Blu ...

, Morocco *

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

, Senegal *

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, United States, since 1957 *

Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCWorld Heritage Sitesince 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and a ...

, Portugal *

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

, Germany, since 1958 * Prague 6, Czech Republic *

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...

, Italy, since 1963 *

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

, North Macedonia, since 1961 * Volgograd, Russia, since 1960 *

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, United Kingdom, since 1953

Sport

The JDA Dijon is a French basketball club, based in Dijon. The city's premier football team is

. They play in

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...

after being relegated from

in 2021.

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Dijon Tourism - Dijon Metropole Tourist Office
{{Authority control Communes of Côte-d'Or Prefectures in France Lingones Burgundy Cities in France