Dijon
Whoever wishes to take in the full sweep of Dijon’s historical centre should climb to the top of the Tour Philippe le Bon. It was built by the third of the four "Great Dukes of the Occident" who reigned over the Burgundian States for more than a century from 1364 to 1477: Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, Philip the Good and Charles the Bold.
The former Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy is the veritable heart of the ducal capital which is now also the capital of an administrative region. It houses, along with the Town Hall, the Fine Arts Museum (Musée des Beaux Arts), one of the great museums of Europe. The museum’s reputation is based not only on the uncontested wealth of its collections but above all on its possession of masterworks of mediaeval paintings and sculpture, particularly the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy. Around the palace stretches the historical centre which is entirely preserved as a protected sector. It offers the visitor the charm of its squares and small streets for a stroll past half-timbered houses and elegant mansions, beneath the shadow of its church spires. Notre-Dame, the Gothic parish church dating from the 13th century is a veritable work of art in stone with its unique facade where rows of gargoyles alternate with slender columns topped by the Jacquemart Clock which has struck the hours of the day for the townspeople since 1383. The serenity of the historic buildings is contrasted by the bustling market which is held three times a week in and around the 19th century market halls.
To the east of the city centre numerous town houses and mansions, most of which were built in the 16C and 17C, align their sober facades near the church of Saint-Michel, a striking example of the evolution of the Renaissance style.
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Semur En Auxois | The Burgundy Canal | Chateau de Commarin | Alise Saint Reine | Abbey de Fontenay | Beaune | Dijon | Flavigny Chateau de Bussey Rabutin | La Source de La Seine | Vezelay | Chateauneuf-en-Auxois | Burgundy Vineyards
