It was expected for a very long time: the City of gastronomy and wine of Dijon finally opens its doors this Friday. Announced as “an exceptional place to celebrate the French art of living”, this site of some 6.5 hectares will have the mission of telling and bringing to life the meal of the French, as it is registered in the Heritage of Unesco since 2010. All nestled in a prestigious setting: the former Hospital of the Holy Spirit, an architectural gem founded in 1204, magnificently rehabilitated and completed with contemporary buildings.
What can you find in the Cité de la Gastronomie? Exhibitions, over 1750 m², devoted to the history of French meals, but also two restaurants, managed by the three-starred Burgundy chef Eric Pras, a cellar offering one of the widest selections in the world.
In addition, there is a gastronomic village with nine shops run by producers, an “experiential kitchen” offering chef demonstrations and workshops, a wine school, a branch of the Ferrandi school, etc.
“We learned the lesson of the failure of Lyon”
In total, 250 million euros of work, 90% financed by the private sector, have been invested to give life to the Cité de la Gastronomie de Dijon. This is counting on one million visitors per year, for a metropolis of 260,000 inhabitants.
But at the time of the inauguration, the failure of the City of Gastronomy of Lyon remains in many heads. It had indeed had to close its doors in 2020, nine months after its inauguration, for lack of having reached its objective of 300,000 annual visitors. A new project, completely redesigned, is due to see the light of day in 2023. The other gastronomic cities have also experienced failures: that of Tours is barely starting after many twists and turns, that of Paris-Rungis has been postponed to 2026.
“One million visitors is an entirely achievable goal. I have no doubt about it: Dijon had 3.5 million visitors before the Covid, ”assures AFP the socialist mayor of Dijon François Rebsamen. “We learned the lesson of the failure of Lyon which offered something a little low-end and very expensive”, he assures, recalling that the Dijon city includes, “a whole free cultural and heritage part” .
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/data/photo/2022/05/05/6273d6dca69d8.jpg "Fuel Filling is Restricted, There is Open-Close Engineering, so that the Men’s Toilet becomes a Women’s Toilet")