Darcy Garden (Jardin Darcy)
Dijon's first public garden, built over Henry Darcy's reservoir and guarded by a polar bear.
- Nature and viewpoint
- 44 min from Beaune
- Allow 20 to 30 minutes
- Dijon
€120one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- dijon.fr
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 44 min by road (48 km), €120 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our full-day wine tour, €560.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
The Jardin Darcy, on Place Darcy at the western edge of the old town, was Dijon's first public garden. Its Italian-style terraces, balustrades and cascades sit on top of a 19th-century drinking water reservoir. At the entrance, a white polar bear pays tribute to the Burgundian sculptor François Pompon.
What you will see
Climb the steps beside the cascades, then rest on a bench among the flower beds. Children like the playground and the bear. Across the square stands the Porte Guillaume, a triumphal arch of 1786 named after Abbot William of Volpiano. On some dates, free guided visits take you down into the vaulted, circular reservoir beneath the garden, 28 metres across.
History
In 1838 the Dijon engineer Henry Darcy designed a reservoir here as part of a new water supply. An underground aqueduct about 12 kilometres long brought spring water from the Rosoir spring in the Suzon valley, and the reservoir holds 2,300 cubic metres. Water arrived in 1840, making Dijon one of the first cities with running water. The reservoir now stores water for the tram's grass tracks.
In 1880 the architect Félix Vionnois laid out a garden on top of the reservoir, in the Italian style, with terraces, pools, fountains and cascades. The polar bear at the entrance is a 1937 copy by Henry Martinet of Pompon's famous work, whose original is in the Musée d'Orsay. Garden and reservoir have been listed together as a historic monument since 2015.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
The garden is free and only a few minutes' walk from Dijon-Ville station. The Owl's Trail officially starts here, so it makes a good place to begin a walk. Visits to the reservoir are occasional and announced by the tourist office. Check the official website for opening times.
Around here
What to combine with Darcy Garden on the same day, nearest first.
Dijon
1 km awayMarsannay-la-Côte
7 km awayFixin
10 km away
- Christmas
Les Fééries de Noël de Dijon
Usually from the last Saturday of November to the first Sunday of JanuaryDijon - Tradition
Fête de la Pressée
Usually the third weekend of September, during the European Heritage DaysChenôve
Guides about Darcy Garden
Questions
Darcy Garden is about 44 min from Beaune by road (48 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? Henry Darcy's experiments on water flowing through sand, published in 1856 in his report on Dijon's public fountains, gave the world Darcy's law, still a basis of groundwater science.
Sources
Darcy Garden with a private driver
€120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests