Place de la Libération is the semicircular square in front of the Palace of the Dukes and States of Burgundy in the middle of Dijon. Laid out from 1686 to designs by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the architect of Versailles, it was built as a royal square around a bronze statue of Louis XIV. The statue took almost 40 years to arrive and was melted down less than 70 years later.
Place de la Libération at a glance
- Where: in the historic centre of Dijon, between the Palace of the Dukes and Rue de la Liberté, the main shopping street.
- Built: from 1686, as the Place Royale; redesigned as a pedestrian square with fountains in 2006.
- By: Jules Hardouin-Mansart (original design); the 2006 redesign is by the architecture firm Wilmotte & Associés.
- What it is today: Dijon's main public square, car-free, with café terraces around the curve and the town hall in the palace opposite.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes for the square; an hour or more if you add the palace museum or the tower.
A royal square without its king
In the 1680s the dukes' old palace was being rebuilt as the seat of the States of Burgundy, the province's assembly, and Mansart designed a matching semicircle of arcaded buildings to face it. In May 1686 the statue of Louis XIV on horseback was ordered from the sculptor Étienne Le Hongre. He died in 1690 before it was finished, and once it was cast, bad roads meant the huge bronze got stuck near Auxerre for almost 30 years. It was only inaugurated in Dijon in 1725.
The king did not stay long. In 1792 a decree of the revolutionary Legislative Assembly ordered the destruction of statues celebrating 'tyranny', and the bronze was sent to the foundry. The square changed names with every regime: Place d'Armes after the Revolution, Imperial square under Napoleon in 1804, royal again in 1814, Place d'Armes again in 1831. It took its present name, Liberation Square, after the Second World War. For decades it served as a car park, until the city had it redesigned. The works, finished in 2006, replaced the tarmac with pale Burgundy stone, added fountains and gave the square back to pedestrians.
What to look for
- The perfect curve: stand in the middle and look at the semicircle of tall arcaded buildings, designed to frame the palace like a stage set.
- The Palace of the Dukes and States of Burgundy: its classical courtyard front faces the square, with the town hall inside.
- The Philip the Good Tower rising behind the palace: the 15th-century ducal tower, 46 metres high, can be climbed on guided visits.
- The water jets: three fountain areas of jets set flush into the paving, popular with children on summer days; the water is collected and recycled.
- The empty centre: no statue replaced Louis XIV. Archaeological remains beneath the square ruled out planting trees, so the 2006 design kept it open, with only stone and water.
Why there are no trees
When the architects redesigned the square in the 2000s, they first considered planting it. Excavations showed that remains of earlier buildings lie just below the surface, so digging tree pits was not possible. The answer was a mineral square: Burgundy limestone, water and light. That is why Place de la Libération looks so open compared with other squares in Dijon, and why it works so well for markets, concerts and big public gatherings.
Tips for your visit
- Come back after dark: the palace front and the semicircle are lit up.
- For the best view of the whole curve, stand with your back to the palace entrance in the middle of the square.
- In summer, the fountains are an easy break for children; bring a towel if they will be playing in the jets.
Nearby
- Musée des Beaux-Arts: inside the palace, home to the tombs of the Valois dukes of Burgundy.
- Rue des Forges and the Owl: walk round the palace to the Church of Notre-Dame, where visitors touch the small stone owl on the wall for luck.
- Place François Rude: the lively little square at the end of Rue de la Liberté, with its statue of a grape-treading wine maker.
- Rue de la Liberté: the pedestrian shopping street leading west from the square towards Porte Guillaume.
See Dijon with World City Trail
Our Dijon scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 25 minutes of walking. It includes Porte Guillaume, the Cathedral of Saint-Bénigne, the Jardin des Cloches and Place François Rude. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Dijon.
Play the Dijon scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Dijon →
Play the outdoor escape game in Dijon →
Facts checked in October 2026.