Lake Kir

The full story

Before the lake, there was greenery. Plans of the Burgundy Canal drawn up in the 1860s show gardens, vines and soft fruit here, mostly raspberry bushes. A century later, the site was occupied by the Foulon factory, a few houses and some gardens. As soon as he was elected in 1945, Canon Félix Kir dreamed of a lake on the edge of town, and the municipality bought the land from 1952 onwards.

Work began in May 1963 with the demolition of the factory buildings. On a 67-hectare site, a giant excavator dug a pit 3.5 metres deep, which was then filled with water, and a dam fitted with sluice gates holds back the Ouche. On 20 June 1964, in front of thousands of spectators, Kir crossed the whole stretch of water aboard a motor launch. A year later, the city council named it “lac du chanoine Kir” (Canon Kir’s lake).

The lake is 1,520 metres long and 250 metres wide on average, and the walk around it is 3,650 metres. The path along the canal, to the south, follows the old Dijon-Épinac railway line, abandoned in the 1960s. With 30 hectares of natural areas, the site is home to some thirty tree species, more than 150 bird species and about fifteen species of fish. Holding the ÉcoJardin label, it is also the starting point of the green corridor leading to the Batier trail and the Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin.

The birds sometimes spring surprises: in spring 2024, a pair of peregrine falcons, usually found on the cliff of a quarry near the lake, moved to nest in Saint-Bénigne cathedral to escape an eagle owl. On the leisure side, Dijon plage, launched by mayor François Rebsamen, brings 3,000 m² of sand, some thirty beach huts and about twenty palm trees every summer. A new 2,000 m² wooden water-sports centre opened on 15 June 2024, and every 14 July a firework display is set off by the lake.