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Dijon, the former capital of the Dukes of Burgundy, is a town immersed in history and a proud heir to a rich architectural legacy. Dijon vacations provide an opportunity to experience the glories of the French gastronomic tradition, known throughout the world for its mustard, blackcurrant liqueur, gingerbread, and addtional superb treats.
Dijon vacations are particularily exciting due to the fact that Dijon is a university town as well as a business and cultural center that boasts a wide and varied selection of hotel accommodations in addition to an auditorium and extensive reception facilities capable of hosting all kinds of events.
Upon his arrival into Dijon, Francis I, king of France, is said to have exclaimed: "What an extraordinary place, it's the town of a hundred church towers!". The illustrious past of Dijon, capital of the Burgundy region, has bequeathed an exceptional architectural legacy which, thanks to a preservation policy which has been initiated several years ago, has resulted in the creation of a 240 acres of protected area. Within this zone, during one's Dijon vacations, one may opt to contact the Dijon Tourist Office, that organizes guided visits of the city for both groups and individuals.
History
From Divio to the medieval town
In the third century of the modern era, Dijon was established within an exceptional environment of parks and gardens, just off the Via Agrippa and along the Amber and Tin Road. Vestiges of the first chapter in the town's history can be seen in the city's Archaeological Museum. The medieval town, which developed around the 3rd century military settlement, all but vanished in the fire of 1137.
Flamboyant Dijon at the time of the Dukes of Burgundy
While relatively little remains of the Capetian period, the era of the Valois dukes (from 1364 to 1477) focused on making Dijon a center of international art and architecture, whose European dimension is still visible today. Visitors cannot help being impressed by the headquarters of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the Ducal Palace with its imposing kitchens, the extraordinary wealth of the museums and the vast diversity of its secular architecture - not forgetting to mention the Chartreuse (charterhouse) de Champmol.
The Renaissance and the original contribution of Sambin
The opulent sculpture characterizing this period is in large part due to the ingenuity of Hugues Sambin, a native of Franche-Comté The aesthetic sensitivity which characterizes Sambin's work sets Dijon apart from a Burgundy dominated by both Italian and Flemish influences. |
