Dijon

City, capital of Côte d'Or département and of Bourgogne (Burgundy) région, east-central France. It has always been a regional transportation hub and was known in the 9th century as Castrum Divionense. In 1015 Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, chose it as the capital for his newly founded duchy, but only with the second ducal dynasty - that of Valois (1364-1477) - did the city flourish. Musicians, artists, and architects were attracted there by the patronage of the ducal court. The city retained its importance as a provincial capital after the duchy of Burgundy had been annexed by Louis XI of France in 1477, and the Burgundy Parliament sat there regularly. Dijon was most prosperous in the 18th century, when it was also an intellectual centre of France. The city declined after the French Revolution, when its provincial institutions were suppressed, but the coming of the railways in 1851 brought it new wealth and population growth.