Prepare the palate a new museum dedicated to the savoir faire of French eating and drinking is about to open its doors in the city of Dijon , heart of Burgundy.
Although perhaps the term museum falls short of La Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie & du Vin, since, along with more than 1,000 m2 of exhibitions, cooking classes, tastings, gourmet shops, restaurants… and even a cinema await!
In summary, this new gastronomic complex, which opens its doors on May 6 , wants you to try, touch and learn in what has been presented as a "new flagship destination to celebrate the art of living French style”.
Interior of 'La Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie & du Vin' in Dijon.
A TOUR THROUGH THE FACILITIES
Text, video, photos, theater , interactive animations, giant sets... permanent and temporary exhibitions will meet at different points of this complex located in the heart of Dijon, not far from its Burgundy vineyards and the Route des Grands Crus, and in an old hospital.
Seeking to “tell and give life to the values recognized by UNESCO of French gastronomy and the climates of the Burgundy vineyard”, this new museum in Dijon has prepared a exhibition tour which takes place over 1750 m2 in which describe the thousand facets of French “eating well” and “drinking well”.
After discovering exhibitions such as Le petit théâtre du bien manger et du bien boire, an interpretation tour focused on the genesis of french gastronomy , or In cuisine, a experimental and interactive installation that will put the five senses into action, surely hunger strikes.
But before heading to the Gourmet Village space reserved for restaurants and tastings , the third permanent exhibition awaits at La Chapelle des Climats et des terroirs. Here you can explore Burgundy vineyard climates.
Ferrandi School.
The exhibitions become practical concepts in the Cave de la Cité winery, epicenter of tastings with more than 250 wines available by the glass and nearly 3,000 references.
And in the aforementioned Gourmet Village you can attend recipe preparation courses, chef masterclasses, mixology workshops...
Nor is there a dozen missing stores where to discover exceptional producers and artisans; a nine screen cinema that will seek to be a reinforcement of the cultural offer of the urban area and the Hotel Sainte-Anne Dijon , a new Curio By Hilton that will arrive in 2023.
Complete the city Cooking School Ferrandi Paris , which will offer classes in two laboratories, one for cooking and the other for pastry. Every year, 110 students from all over the world will be received in this educational space that will also provide intensive training for adults.
Finally, Le Village by CA gather around 15 start-ups in a space that seeks to become a center for exchanges and innovation in agri-food matters.
Restoration area of La Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie & du Vin.
THE ART OF INTEGRATION
One pavilion was missing to list: Le 1204 . This issue has not been left separate for no reason, but rather this number explains the enormous architectural work carried out at the Cité.
Le 1204 will welcome the future Dijon architecture and heritage interpretation center and its name is none other than a tribute to the year it opened the hospital that occupies this new museum.
Specifically, he has done it in the place where the former Hospital General , in operation between 1204 and 2015. Its 6.5 hectares have witnessed an elegant conjunction where heritage conservation and architectural modernity dialogue.
Sainte-Croix Chapel of Jerusalem.
Founded in 1204 by Eudes III, Duke of Dijon, the hospital lasted no less than 800 years in operation. Far from losing its original structure, this 'new city' combines past and present.
Thus, it has been preserved and enhanced existing heritage like the magnificent Chapel Sainte-Croix de Jerusalem , built in 1459, "while we provide grafts of contemporary architecture that will come to write a new history and signal the transformation of the site", highlights Anthony Bechu, one of the architects in charge of the project.
Bechu adds that “hospitals are facilities that usually live folded in on themselves, with little communication and connection with the rest of the city. Here there was a fence that prevented the inhabitants of Dijon from coming to walk along the banks of the Ouche and see small heritage jewels . This project has made it possible to open up the site and return it to the inhabitants."
Cave de la Cite.
The train tracks separated this area from the historic center, now blurred by the corten steel with which the city plays. Steel that, over time, will evolve its tone, but "will continue to star in a love speech with the shades of roof tiles of the old buildings as well as with the whiteness of the Burgundy stone” under which the tastings or cooking classes await.
In addition, the corten recalls that of the Côte d'Or vine, that of the barrels. “This building doesn't come out of nowhere: it's clearly part of a region,” adds Bechu.
Cor-ten steel gazebo at La Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie & du Vin.
PRACTICAL DATA
The museum is located one kilometer from the Dijon train station, which is one hour and a half by train from Paris. Hours vary depending on which part of the Cité you plan to visit, so check the hours before you visit. It is recommended to book online.