Your visit, be it short or long to the historical center of the city will start. from the Tourist Office - Place Darcy (1) .
Jardin Darcy (1880). You will walk past the Bear by Francois Pompon. an animal sculptor. born in Saulieu. Many of his works are on display in the Musee des Beaux Arts.
Place Darcy. the Porte Guillaume (2) recalls Guillaume de Volpiano who in the11 th century renovated the Benedictine Abbey of St Benigne. As you go down the rue du Docteur Maret, you will see the former dormitory of the Benedictine monks, nowadays the Archeological museum (3), where you can particularly admire the votive offerings - 1 st century A.D. excavated at the source of the Seine 25 km from Dijon.
The gothic cathedral St Benigne (4), the former abbey church, topped with a spire, has a crypt. which was built in 1007 and is a masterpiece of Romanesque art in Burgundy.
The porch of the former church St Philibert (5). in the winegrowers' parish. topped with a stone spire dating from 1519 was used for the election of the mayors of the city till the Revolution.
St Jean (6). formerly a church rebuilt in the 15th century, now home of the Nouveau Theatre de Bourgogne, is a popular cultural center in Dijon. In its apse is the statue of Bossuet, born in Dljon.
You will go across the Place Emile Zola (7). a charming provincial square, with its fountain and sycamores.
Rue Sainte Anne you can discover the Musee de la vie Bourguignonne - Perrin de Puvcousin (8) and the Chapel Sainte Anne with its green copper dome. It houses the Musee d'Art Sacre (9) . Then you will walk past the facade of the former chapel of the Carmelite convent (10).
Hotel Legouz Gerland (11) stands between two streets : the rue Vauban, where you can admire its semi-circular courtyard and its 18 th century fagade. and the rue Jean- Baptiste Liegeard. with its line of watchtowers.
The law-courts (12) are located in the former Parlement de Bourgogne. a magnificent 16th century building. Its main door is in Renaissance style. Inside. you will discover the "Salle des pas perdus" the chapei of the Holy Ghost and the "chambre Doree".
Hotel Vesvrotte (13) : twenty "antiques" are set into one of the walls of the courtyard. opening on to the rue Phillipe Pot.
You will reach the rue des Bons Enfants where the Mus6e Magnin (14) is housed in one of the most beautiful mansions in Dijon. the Hotel Lantin ( 17 th century)
From the Place de la Liberation. there is a fine view of the Palais des Ducs et des Etats de Bourgogne (15). topped with the Tour Philippe le Bon. a witness of the former ducal residence. In the 17th and 18th centuries. Jules Hardouin Mansart then Jacques V Gabriel embellished this palace.
Near the Tour de Bar. a reminder of the imprisonment of Ren6 d'Anjou. Comte de Provence.one discovers the remarkable ducal kitchen (16)( 15th century). In the cour de Bar. one can see the statue of Claus Sluter. Henri Bouchard's work (20th century).
The east wing of the palace houses the collections of the Musee des Beaux Arts (17) : the treasures of Flemish art. the tombs of the dukes of Burgundy...The upper floors house the Granville donation. You will then leave the courtyard and take the Rue Rameau.
The Musee Rude (18): Francois Rude. born in Dijon. sculpted the Marseillaise on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
The church of Saint-Michel(19). The lower part of the facade is a fine example of Renaissance architecture and has a richly decorated doorway.
You will follow the Rue Vannerie to reach the amazing Maison des Cariatides (20) from the 17th century. rue Chaudronnerie.
The half-timbered houses (21) of the rue Verrerie. where you will discover a thousand and one treasures in the antique shops.
In the Place des Ducs are the garden of the dukes and the hotel Berbis (22) ( 16th century)
Near the apse of the church NotreDame. you will walk past the Hotel de Vogue (23), an elegant early 17th century mansion. The courtyard reveals a harmonious decoration. where all the types of Burgundy ljmestone have been sculpted - The roof is made of glazed tiles.
The Maison Milliere (24). built in the end of the 15th century. is a fine example of a medieval shop with its roof decorated with fantastic animals.
On the north side of the NotreDame church. you will stroke the Chouette. the famous good-luck charm for the people of Dijon. It is carved on one of the buttresses of the Chambellan family chapel ( 15th century).
Notre-Dame(25). a gothic church from the 13th century with false gargoyles jutting out of an extra-ordinary fagade and delicate small columns. has been topped with its Jacquemart. a mechanical clock. from1383. It was taken from the belfry of Courtrai and brought to Dijon by Philippe le Hardi. Inside you can also admire the chapel Notre-Dame de Bon Espoir (of our Lady of good Hope) which houses a statue of the Black Virgin (12th century).
You will follow the rue des Forges and you will discover the Hotel Chambellan (26) nowadays the Dijon Tourist Office. with its unusual courtyard in flamb-oyant gothic architecture. We invite you to enter our information bureau (on the ground floor). Iocated in the "former vaulted kitchen" of this mansion. with its fireplace and its huge mantelpiece.
The mansions Milsand Hugues Aubriot. and Morel-Sauvegrain (27) form a remarkable ensemble of medieval and renaissance houses.
Place Francois Rude (28), the fountain. Iocated in the middle of the square is topped with the statue of Bareuzai treading out grapes with his feet in the traditional manner. Rue de la Liberte, the city's shopping thoroughfare, the "Maison aux trois Visages"(29), the "Milliere watch-' tower" (30) and the clock on the op-poslte corner, a popular meeting place for all the Dijonnais.
Finally, from the Porte Guit-laume (2), then along the boule-vard Sevigne, you will continue towards the Arquebuse which houses the Museum of Natural History and the Botanical garden (31) with their unexpected collections of minerals, fossils, insects and stuffed animals.
On your way to the Lac Kir. you will find the former Chartreuse de Champmol with the Puits de Moise (32) and the chapel door-way. exceptional masterpieces by Claus Sluter (end of14th beginning of 15th century).
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