It is shaped hemicycle and opens on the palace of the dukes of Burgundy, where it was thought to sublimate the power of the king, especially that of Louis XIV, for whom an equestrian statue was erected on this public square .

The place is named after the liberation of Dijon in 1944.

Place Royale is built between 1681 and 1686, where was a small place Saint-Christophe and old buildings depending on the palace of the dukes.

The task is carried out by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Place Royale was to serve as a showcase for the equestrian statue of Louis XIV, made by Étienne Le Hongre (1628-1690), an ordinary sculptor of the King's buildings at the height of his career. It was commissioned in 1686 and completed shortly before his death in 1690. Because of its weight of 26 tons and the poor condition of the roads, its transport to Dijon had to be interrupted and it was stored in Auxerre for twenty-six years, before finally to reach Dijon, thanks to the engineer of the Pierre Morin bridges and roads (transport which required twenty pairs of oxen and cost 30,000 pounds) 3. It was inaugurated on April 15, 1725. The decoration of the pedestal about 8 meters high, in gray and white marble, was not completed until 1742.

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