Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''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 inter ...

of the

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

department 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 areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in eastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

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

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Period (punctuation) * Era, a length or span of time *Menstruation, commonly referred to as a "period" Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (o ...

. 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

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

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

and Paris. The province was home to the

Dukes of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

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 classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

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

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. Many still-inhabited townhouses 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 glazed

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

tiles of various colours arranged in geometric patterns. Dijon holds an International and Gastronomic Fair every year in the northern-hemisphere autumn. Dijon also hosts every three years the international flower show '' Florissimo''. Dijon has become famous for

Dijon mustard Dijon mustard () is a traditional mustard of France. It is named after the city of Dijon in Burgundy, which was the center of mustard making in the late Middle Ages and was granted exclusive rights in France in the 17th century. First used in ...

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

verjuice Verjuice 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 flavor. It also goes by the name verjus. Etymology The word ''verjui ...

, the acidic "green" juice of not-quite-ripe grapes, for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe. Dijon is a green city with an important tertiary sector, as well as a regional economic centre 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 World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, as one of the components of the "

Climats, terroirs of Burgundy ''Climats'', ''terroirs'' of Burgundy is a cultural landscape and a series of sites that exemplify the viticulture practices of the Burgundy wine region. The climats are small, precisely delimited land parcels that differ from each other in microc ...

" site, because of its historical importance in regulating the system of wine production in Burgundy.

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, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

, is said to have introduced Christianity to the area before being martyred. This province was home to the

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 The Duchy of Burgundy (; ; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity in north-western regions of historical Burgundy. It was a duchy, ruled by dukes of Burgundy. The Duchy belonged to the Kingdom of France, and was initially bordering th ...

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 mid 15th century to the late 18th century. Histori ...

. The

Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy The Palace of the Dukes and Estates of Burgundy or ''Palais des ducs et des États de Bourgogne'' is a remarkably well-preserved architectural assemblage in Dijon. The oldest part is the 14th and 15th century Gothic architecture, Gothic ducal pa ...

now houses the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) and the musée des Beaux-Arts (Museum of Fine Arts). 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. Mili ...

. 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 was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

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. A system of purified water for the citizens of Dijon was constructed by

Henry Darcy Henry Philibert Gaspard Darcy (; 10 June 1803 – 3 January 1858) was a French engineer who made several important contributions to hydraulics, including Darcy’s law for flow in porous media. Early life Darcy was born in Dijon, France, on ...

a quarter-century before Paris was so supplied. Dijon was also occupied by anti-Napoleonic coalitions in 1814, by the Prussian army in 1870–71, and by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

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 The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

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 The Ouche () is a river in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Saône, which it joins in Échenon. It is long. Its source is in Lusigny-sur-Ouche. The Ouche flows through the towns of Bligny-sur-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 ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, and north of

Climate

Dijon features an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(Cfb) with continental influence under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. 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 (), is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in the town of Dijon, Burgundy (region), Burgundy, France, and dedicated to Saint Benignus of Dijon. The Gothic architectur ...

, dedicated to the apocryphal Saint Benignus, the

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

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, Gothic and

. Many still-inhabited townhouses 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 glazed

tiles of various colours arranged in geometric patterns. Dijon was largely spared the destruction of wars such as the 1870

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

and the Second World War, despite the city being occupied. Therefore, many of the old buildings such as the

half-timbered Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

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 i ...

, a monumental sculpture by Claus Sluter. 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 An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

: 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 of France in 1975. It was designed by the Dijon-born architect Jacques Cellerier (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 Bourg-en-Bresse (; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient Provinces of France, province of Bresse (). I ...

and Geneva, the A36 with

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

and

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

Water transport

The

Canal de Bourgogne The Canal de Bourgogne (; English: Canal of Burgundy or Burgundy Canal) is a canal in the Burgundy historical region in east-central France. It connects the Yonne (river), Yonne at Migennes with the Saône at Saint-Jean-de-Losne. Construction beg ...

passes through the heart of Dijon and creates a navigable route to Paris in the north-west via the river

Yonne Yonne (, in Burgundian: ''Ghienne'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight con ...

, a tributary of the river

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

, and to the

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

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 commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. It is about southeast of Dijon. History Despite its size, the town's position on the Saône River meant it featured in a ...

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 (). 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 considered one of the g ...

)—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 (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, and the east–west lines to

Belfort Belfort (; archaic , ) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately from the Swiss border. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is from Paris and from Basel. The residents of the city ...

, Nancy, Switzerland, and Italy. The

Dijon-Ville station Dijon-Ville station (), 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, , , and Dijon-Vallorbe lines. The train servi ...

is the main railway station, providing service to

Paris-Gare de Lyon The Gare de Lyon, officially Paris Gare de Lyon (), is one of the seven large mainline railway stations in Paris, France. It handles about 148.1 million passengers annually according to the estimates of the SNCF in 2018, with SNCF railways and ...

TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...

high-speed train High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single def ...

(

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, it has also been the mo ...

), 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 Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

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 ra ...

. Numerous regional

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

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 Dijon-Ville station (), 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–Marseille, , , and Dijon-Vallor ...

Quetigny Quetigny () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Geography Climate Quetigny has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfb''). The average annual temperature in Quetigny is . The average annual rainfall is ...

. 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 '' Florissimo''. 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, alon ...

. 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 garden ...

. 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 A Fonds régional d'art contemporain (Frac) is a public regional collection of contemporary art set in one of the metropolitan or overseas regions of France. There are currently 23 Fracs across the country, organised into a national network called P ...

, which holds a permanent collection including pieces by locally established artist Yan Pei-Ming. 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 Supranational union, supranational Law, laws operating within the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). It has grown over time since the 1952 founding of the European Coal and Steel Community, to promote ...

, 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 aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

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 Ceramic glaze, pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an stannous oxide, oxide of tin to the Slip (c ...

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

Vosne-Romanée Vosne-Romanée () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Population Wine It produces the region's most celebrated wines, all made entirely from the Pinot noir grape: "There can be little ...

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 The Route des Grands Crus (; roughly, "road of the great wines") is the name of a tourist route situated in Burgundy, France. The approximately 60-kilometre route runs along the foot of the Côte d'Or escarpment, from Dijon in the north to Sa ...

", 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 Crème de cassis () (also known as cassis liqueur) is a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants. Several cocktails are made with crème de cassis, notably the popular wine cocktail kir and its sparkling variant, the kir royal. Other ...

'', or blackcurrant

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, 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-age ...

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

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

Félix Kir, a mixture of crème de cassis with white wine, traditionally

Bourgogne Aligoté Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. T ...

Sport

Dijon is home to

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

, a football club with a men's team competing in the Championnat National and a women's team competing in the

Division 1 Féminine Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 to ...

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

JDA Dijon Basket Jeanne d'Arc Dijon Basket, commonly known as JDA Dijon Basket or simply Dijon, is a professional basketball club from the city of Dijon, France. The club currently plays in the LNB Pro A, the French first tier division. The club has won the Frenc ...

. 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 ve ...

serves as playground for the team and hosted international basketball events such as the FIBA

EuroBasket 1999 The 1999 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1999, was the 31st FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2000 Olympic Tournament, giving a berth ...

in the past. Dijon is also home to the Dijon Ducs ice hockey team, who play in the Magnus League. To the northwest, the

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

Dijon-Prenois Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends. Opened in 1972, Dijon-Prenois hosted the Formula One French Grand Prix five times, and the Swiss Grand P ...

hosts various

motor sport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms ''automobile ...

events. It hosted the

Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...

on five occasions from 1974 to 1984.

Colleges and universities

* Dijon hosts the main campus of the

University of Burgundy The University of Burgundy Europe (, UBE; formerly known as University of Dijon) is a public university located in Dijon, France. The University of Burgundy Europe is situated on a large campus (more than 150 ha) in the eastern part of Dijon cal ...

* École nationale des beaux-arts de Dijon * European Campus of

Sciences Po Paris Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

* 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 Fo ...

Population

Personalities

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet 1.PNG, Jacques Bossuet Etiennecabet.jpg,

Étienne Cabet Étienne Cabet (; January 1, 1788 – November 9, 1856) was a philosopher and utopian socialist who founded the Icarian movement. Cabet became the most popular socialist advocate of his day, with a special appeal to artisans who were being under ...

Gustave Eiffel 1888 Nadar2.jpg,

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( , ; 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 net ...

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 François Rude (; 4 January 1784 – 3 November 1855) was a French sculptor, best known for the ''Departure of the Volunteers'', also known as ''La Marseillaise'' on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. (1835–36). His work often expressed patriotic t ...

Jocelyn-Quivrin-Notre-univers.JPG, Jocelyn Quivrin *

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

(1433–1477), Duke of Burgundy *

Claude-Louis Navier Claude-Louis Navier (born Claude Louis Marie Henri Navier; ; 10 February 1785 – 21 August 1836) was a French civil engineer, affiliated with the French government, and a physicist who specialized in continuum mechanics. The Navier–Stokes ...

(1785–1836), mechanical engineer & physicist *

Isabella of Portugal Isabella of Portugal (; 24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was the empress consort of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and Lady of the Netherlands fr ...

(1397-1471), Duchess of Burgundy * Jean Le Fèvre (canon) (1493–1565), lexicographer *

John the Fearless John I (; ; 28 May 1371 – 10 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his assassination in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during the early 15th century, part ...

(1371–1419), Duke of Burgundy *

Philip the Good Philip III the Good (; ; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) ruled as Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, ...

(1396-1467), Duke of Burgundy *

Christian Allard Christian Allard (born 31 March 1964) is a French citizen and a Scottish 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 ...

(b. 1964), Member of the Scottish Parliament *

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 birthda ...

(1724–1799), composer * Cécile Bart (born 1958), artist *

Loïs Boisson Loïs Boisson (; born 16May 2003) is a French professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 65 by the WTA, achieved on 9 June 2025. Her best result is reaching the semifinals of a Grand Slam event at the 2025 F ...

(b. 2003), professional tennis player *

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 paragl ...

(1951–1990), extreme sports specialist *

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Jacques-Bénigne Lignel Bossuet (; 27 September 1627 – 12 April 1704) was a French Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop and theology, theologian. Renowned for his sermons, addresses and literary works, he is regarded as a brilliant orator and lit ...

(1627–1704), bishop and theologist *

Madjid Bougherra Madjid Bougherra (; born 7 October 1982) is a football manager and former footballer who played as a centre-back. He is the manager of the Algeria A'. Bougherra began his professional career with French club Gueugnon before having spells wit ...

(b. 1982), Rangers F.C. footballer * Fabrice Brégier (born in 1961), businessman, Chief Operating Officer of Airbus * Antoine Bret (1717–1792), French playwright * Jean-Charles Brisard (born 1968), international consultant * Thierry Caens (b. 1958), classical trumpeter * Laurent Chambertin (b. 1966), volleyball player *

Jane Frances de Chantal Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name including list of persons and characters with the name * Jane (surname), related to the given name including list of persons and characters with the name Film and television * ''Jan ...

(Jeanne–Françoise Frémiot, baronne de Chantal, 1572–1641), founder of the Visitation Order * François Chaussier (1746–1828), physician *

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 ...

(b. 1977), Olympic medalist in cycling *

Bernard Courtois Bernard Courtois (), also spelled Barnard Courtois, (8 February 1777 – 27 September 1838) was a French chemist credited with first isolating iodine, making early photography possible. By 1811 the Napoleonic Wars had made the government-contro ...

(1777–1838), discoverer of the element iodine *

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 distinctio ...

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

(1803–1858), engineer * Jean-Jacques-Joseph Debillemont (1824–1879), conductor and operetta composer * Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1832–1923), engineer and architect * Eugène Foveau (1886–1957), classical trumpeter * Jean-Baptiste Gondelier (1792–1852), playwright *

Roger Guillemin Roger Charles Louis Guillemin (; January 11, 1924 – February 21, 2024) was a French-American neuroscientist. He received the National Medal of Science in 1976, and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1977 for ...

(1924–2024), 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 Bord ...

(born 1986), classical cellist * Jules Jacquot d'Andelarre (1803-1885), politician *

Claude Jade Claude Marcelle Jorré, better known as Claude Jade (; 8 October 1948 – 1 December 2006), was a French actress. She starred as Antoine Doinel#Christine Darbon, Christine in François Truffaut's three films ''Stolen Kisses'' (1968), ''Bed and B ...

(1948–2006), actress * Joseph Jacotot (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 ...

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

Alban Lenoir Alban Lenoir (born 16 December 1980) is a French actor. He was nominated for the Lumière Award for Best Male Revelation for his leading role in the film ''French Blood'' (2015). Biography Lenoir was born in Dijon, in Burgundy, and raised ther ...

(born 1980), actor, stuntman, screenwriter *

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 *

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 * Julien Pillet (b. 1977), Olympic medalist in sabre fencer * Charles Poisot (1822–1904), musicologist * Nicolas Quentin (d. 1636), historical painter *

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 ...

(1683–1764), composer *

Claude-François-Marie Rigoley Claude-François-Marie Rigoley, comte d'Ogny (9 January 1756 – 3 October 1790) was a French nobleman, military officer, patron of the arts, Freemason, and founder of the Concert de la Loge Olympique. Early life Claude-François was born ...

, comte d'Ogny, (1756–1790), cellist *

(1784–1855), sculptor * Elizabeth of the Trinity (Marie–Élisabeth Catez, 1880–1906), Carmelite nun and religious writer * Vitalic (born as Pascal Arbez in 1976), electronic music 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 List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

, Poland, since 1996 *

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

, Romania *

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

, Belgium *

Chefchaouen Chefchaouen (, ) 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 "Blue City". It is situated in a mountainous region in northern ...

, Morocco *

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

, Senegal *

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, 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 UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved ...

, Portugal *

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

, Germany, since 1958 *

Prague 6 Prague 6, officially known as the Municipal District of Prague 6 (''Městská část Praha 6''), is the largest Districts of Prague, district in Prague. Located in the northwest, it covers 41.54 km2 and had a population of 100,600 as of 31 D ...

, Czech Republic *

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

, Italy, since 1963 *

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

, North Macedonia, since 1961 *

Volgograd Volgograd,. formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area of , with a population ...

, Russia, since 1960 *

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

, United Kingdom, since 1953

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