Heritage: Dijon presents the "geniuses" and their "places" in the year 1204

With the exhibition “Geniuses, places”, which opens Friday 5 May at the Cité de la Gastronomie, the city of Dijon celebrates an anniversary associated with Henri Darcy and Gustave Eiffel which are “reveals of the amazing and abundant history of Dijon . . . science and technology “, as Christine Martin explains .

The Dijon Architecture and Heritage Interpretation Center (CIAP) – accredited “Le 1204” – presents a new annual temporary exhibition “Geniuses and Places”, at the crossroads of the history of science and architectural heritage.

Chaired by Christine Martin (PS), Vice-Mayor of Dijon in charge of Culture, the inauguration took place on Friday, 5 May 2023, in the presence of Nathalie Koenders (PS), First Vice-Mayor, François Deseille (Modem), Vice-Mayor of Finance and International City of Gastronomy and Wine, Stephanie Vacherot (PS) and Bachir Amiri (PS), delegates municipal councilors, Laurent Bourginat (LR, NE) and Lawrence Gerbert (NC), dissenting municipal councilors, as well as representatives from the University of Burgundy, INRAE Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Center Georges-François Leclerc, OIV, ICOVIL, Friends of the Museums of Dijon, of the Academy of Sciences and Arts and Belles Lettres, History and Heritage of Dijon, Latitude 21, of the Museum of Electricity, of the Astronomical Society of Burgundy and of the Society of Eiffel born in Dijon.

Celebrating the memory of Henri Darcy and Gustave Eiffel

“In 2023, we will celebrate an anniversary,” recalls the cultural assistant. “First of all, the 220th anniversary of the birth of Henri Darcy, and the 100th anniversary of the disappearance of Gustave Eiffel.”

“These two Dijonnais are world-famous and it was appropriate to celebrate them,” continues the elected official, “these essentials that represent scientific disciplines as well as those associated with them.”

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“We evoke the history of Dijon,” asserts Christine Martin, “it’s a way of paying homage to the scientific culture, to the scientists of our city. I’m not sure that with the exception of Eiffel and Darcy and maybe one or two others, we all recognize that our city has a quite exceptional scientific heritage.

Thus, Hippolyte Fontaine, François Chaucet, Claudine Picardet or even Georges-François Leclerc are also honored in this exhibition, without forgetting other figures in mathematics, astronomy, chemistry or optics.

“We are in a novelty”, continues the deputy mayor, “starting from the seventeenth century and reaching up to today and into the future, for research that has to do with sustainable development, global warming”.

Access to science and technology, a “matter of democracy”

According to Christine Martin, the new exhibition encourages us to “think together about the place of science and research in our societies.”

“The health crisis we have just experienced has led to heated debates and questions. The idea of an alternative reality has taken hold. As we enter a new era, the era of artificial intelligence – no doubt, here, it is incorrectly named – other controversies open up today. It is essential to remember that science And technology, access to it and its sharing is a matter of democracy and also a matter of the common good,” notes the socialist.

“Promotion of Architectural and Urban Heritage”

The exhibition therefore proposes a connection between the approaches of inventors, entrepreneurs and engineers and the places in which they invested in Dijon, disappeared or still exist, between the seventeenth century and the contemporary era.

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Responsible for tools for the promotion and dissemination of heritage in the city of Dijon, Anne Lamley is the curator of the exhibition “Des geniuses, des lieux – Panorama du patrimoinecientifique et technology de Dijon”. The scenography was assigned to Atelier Pangram, located in Chenov.

“We delve into the archives to look for personalities and sources. We identified places that could be interesting to highlight. The aim is to enhance the architectural and urban heritage. The important thing was to anchor it in the physical, and therefore in the buildings that are still visible,” explains Ann Laemmle.

Link with the buildings of the streets of Dijon

The text panels are peppered with playful manipulations and experiments. A cultural program complements the exhibition.

For the youthful general public, the game booklet allows for extended testing at home while the exhibition booklet allows adults to bond with existing buildings by traversing the streets of Dijon.

Jean-Christophe Tardefon

useful information

Le 1204 is open daily except Mondays
From May 6th to September 30th from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
free entry
“Geniuses, places – panorama of the scientific and technical heritage of Dijon”
From May 6, 2023 to March 3, 2024