Lake Kir (Lac Kir)

What you will see

Walk or cycle around the water and along the river. A green path of about 2.2 kilometres follows the Ouche from the Cité de la gastronomie to the lake. The nautical base on quai des Carrières Blanches offers canoeing, kayaking, rowing, paddle boarding and sailing. In summer, Dijon Plage adds beach games, sports and free concerts by the water. Birdwatchers come for wintering and spring birds, with guided sessions on some dates. The lake is 1.5 kilometres long and 300 metres wide, with an average depth of 3.5 metres, and the path along its shore follows the old Dijon to Épinac railway line. It was renamed in Canon Kir's honour only in 1968. Around it, 30 hectares of green space hold minigolf, play areas open to children with reduced mobility, fitness trails and free-roaming swans, ducks and geese, and herons are often seen along the Ouche. A waymarked trail climbs from the lake to the Combe à la Serpent park and on into the hills behind Dijon.

History

Félix Kir, a Catholic priest, was mayor of Dijon from 1945 until his death in 1968. He pushed for a lake where the people of Dijon could relax, and it was inaugurated on 20 June 1964. The drink kir, white Burgundy wine with crème de cassis, took his name because he habitually served it to visiting delegations. Every summer since 2005, Dijon Plage has turned part of the shore into a beach with supervised swimming.