Dijon is a city in eastern France. The area has been inhabited for millennia, and the city is known from Roman times with the name Divio, where it was a city on the road between Lyon and Paris. Later, Dijon became politically and strategically important as a city of residence for the Dukes of Burgundy, which it was from the 11th century to the 15th century.

During this time, Dijon was one of Europe’s leading cities in art and science. In 1513, Dijon was besieged and attacked by e.g. Swiss troops, but the city’s defenses and buildings held. Since the Napoleonic era it has been taken over or occupied by first coalitions against Napoleon and since then the Prussian army in 1870-1871 and finally the German army in the years 1940-1944.

Today, Dijon is a cozy city with a nice city center with several attractions. You can start a stroll at the Place de la Libération, the city’s large and central square. On the square is the Palais des Ducs et des États de Bourgogne, which is the city’s old residence castle. The oldest parts of the beautiful castle date from the ducal castle of the 1400s and 1500s, while the building in general stands out in the classicist architecture that was used on the castle in the 18th century, when it was the royal residence and meeting place for the assembly of the region of Burgundy.

Today, the large castle is part of Dijon’s town hall and part of the Musée des Beaux-Arts, which is one of France’s leading museums of its kind. Here there are rich collections of paintings, sculptures and various effects, as well as of course the castle itself.

From the castle, you can walk west along the Rue de la Liberté, and here you will come to the half-timbered houses called Maison des Trois Visages. They are an example of this type of house, which has been preserved in several places in the city. If you continue along Rue de la Liberté, you will come to Place Darcy, where you can see the triumphal arch of Porte Guillaume. The arch was built in 1788 on the foundations of one of Dijon’s old city gates.

At Place Darcy you can also visit the Jardin Darcy, which was opened as the city’s first public park in 1880 with some beautiful facilities. Close to this is Dijon’s railway station, and south of it you can visit the Jardin Botanique de l’Arquebuse, the city’s botanical garden. There is also a natural history museum in the garden.

When in the city, you must see Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne as well, which is Dijon’s cathedral. It is a large church with a crypt containing the tombs of Saint Benignus and Duke Philip III of Burgundy. The cathedral was built in the years 1280-1325 as a monastery church, and it gained the status of a cathedral in 1792. If you go east of the old castle of the dukes, you will find Dijon’s opera house, the Grand Théâtre, which was built in classicist style in 1828. The theater was designed by the local architect Jacques Cellerier, who was inspired by Italian operas in the interior styling.

Next to the Grand Théâtre you can see the two large churches, Église Saint-Étienne and Église Saint-Michel. The Église Saint-Étienne is today used as a library, while the monumental facade of the Église Saint-Michel from 1497-1523 is considered one of France’s finest from the Renaissance.