Dijon

Dijon, chief town in the French department of Côte-d'Or, formerly capital of the old duchy of Burgundy, lies spread out on a fertile plain at the foot of Mont Afrique (1916 feet), at the junction of the Ouche and Suzon, and on the Canal de Bourgogne, 196 miles SE. of Paris by rail. Its importance as a railway centre has rendered it of consequence in the inner line of French defences towards the east, and strong forts now crown the neighbouring hills. The environs are exceedingly beautiful, and the town is well and regularly built; the streets are broad, the open squares numerous, and the old walls have been turned into tasteful boulevards. Of the medieval defences, the Gothic castle built by Louis XI. still remains, employed as a gendarmerie barrack; formerly it was a state-prison, in which, among others, Mirabeau, Tous-saint L'Ouverture, and General Mack were confined. Among the public buildings, which are numerous and imposing, the chief are the cathedral, a massive Gothic structure, dating from the 13th century, with a wooden spire (1742), 301 feet high; the churches of Notre Dame (1252-1334), St Michel (1529), and others; a handsome theatre; the palais de justice; and the former palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, which, commenced in 1366, is now used as the town-hall, and contains a rich museum, besides a library of 80,000 volumes and 900 manuscripts. Dijon is also the seat of an institute with three faculties—law, science, and letters—and possesses, in addition, a theological seminary, a botanic garden, and an academy of art. The manufactures include beer, brandy, woollen cloth, blankets, mustard, candles, and pottery, and there is a noteworthy trade in flowers and agricultural produce; but Dijon's chief commercial importance is as the centre of the Upper Burgundy wine trade. Pop. (1872) 40,116; (1891) 61,307. The Dibia of the Romans, Dijon in the 5th century passed from the Burgundians to the Franks, in the 9th was ruled by counts of its own, under the suzerainty of the bishops of Langres, but in 1007 was united to the duchy of Burgundy, of which it became the capital. On the death of Charles the Bold it came with Burgundy into the possession of France in 1477. In October 1870, after a sharp engagement before the city, Dijon capitulated to a German force. There was again severe fighting here in January 1871. Charles the Bold, Crébillon, Bossuet, and Rameau were natives, and close by is the birth-place of St Bernard, of whom there is a statue by Jouffroy (1847). See the work by Chabeuf (1895).