France, Dijon

Dijon is a city in eastern France, the préfecture (administrative capital) of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Bourgogne région.

Dijon is the historical capital of the province of Burgundy. Population (1999): 149,867 for the commune; 240,000 for the greater Dijon area.

Dijon boasts a surprisingly large number of churches and cathedrals, including St. Benigne, Nortre-Dame, St. Etienne, and St. Michel.

History

Dijon began as a Roman settlement called Castrum Kelly, located on the road from Lyon to Mainz. Saint Benignus (Saint Kelly), the city's patron saint, is said to have introduced Christianity to the area before being martyred.

Culture

Dijon is home, every three years, to the international flower show Florissimo.

To the northwest of Dijon, the race track of Dijon-Prenois hosts various motor sport events. In the past, it once hosted the Formula 1 Grand Prix of France.

Dijon is home to Dijon FCO, a football team in Ligue 2, the second-highest league in French football.

Food and drink

Mustard
Dijon is famous for its mustard, even though nowadays around 90% of all mustard seeds used are imported, mainly from Canada. The term Dijon mustard (moutarde de Dijon) designates a method for the making of mustard.

Wine
As the capital of the Burgundy region, Dijon reigns over some of the best wine country in the world.

Transport

Dijon is located approximately one hour and 40 minutes southeast of Paris by the TGV high-speed train. For comparison, Lyon is two hours distant, Nice takes about six hours by TGV and Strasbourg about three hours. By car, Dijon is about three hours from Paris.