Lyon
Encyclopedia
Lyon is a city in east-central France
in the Rhône-Alpes
region
, situated between Paris
and Marseille
. Lyon is located at 470 km (292 mi) from Paris, 320 km (199 mi) from Marseille, 160 km (99 mi) from Geneva
, 280 km (174 mi) from Turin
, and 600 km (373 mi) from Barcelona
. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais.
The city of Lyon has 480,660 inhabitants. Together with its suburb
s and satellite town
s, Lyon forms the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris, with the population of its urban area estimated to be 1,422,331 and that of its metropolitan area 1,757,180. Its urban region represents half of the Rhône-Alpes region population with 2.9 million inhabitants. Lyon is the capital of this region, as well as the capital of the smaller Rhône département.
The city is known for its historical and architectural landmarks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
. Lyon was historically known as an important area for the production and weaving of silk and in modern times has developed a reputation as the capital of gastronomy
in France. It has a significant role in the history of cinema
due to Auguste and Louis Lumière
. The local professional football team, Olympique Lyonnais
, has increased the profile of Lyon internationally through participation in European football championships
.
Economically, Lyon is a major centre for banking and also the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries. The city contains a significant software industry with a particular focus on video games, and in recent years has focussed on a growing local start-up sector. Lyon also hosts the international headquarters of Interpol
, Euronews
and International Agency for Research on Cancer
. Lyon is ranked 2nd in France as an economic centre and convention centre on some measures. Lyon was in 2010 ranked 9th globally and 2nd in France for innovation. It ranked 38th globally in Mercer's 2010 liveability rankings.
Lyon was founded on the Fourvière
hill as a Roman
colony in 43 BC by Munatius Plancus
, a lieutenant of Caesar
, on the site of a Gaulish hill-fort settlement called Lug[o]dunon, from the Celtic
god Lugus
('Light', cognate with Old Irish
Lugh
, Modern Irish Lú) and dúnon (hill-fort). Lug[us] was equated by the Romans to Mercury
.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
recognized that Lugdunum's position on the natural highway from northern to south-eastern France made it a natural communications hub, and he made Lyon the starting point of the principal Roman roads throughout Gaul
. It then became the capital of Gaul, partly thanks to its convenient location at the convergence of two navigable rivers, and quickly became the main city of Gaul. Two emperors were born in this city: Claudius
and Caracalla
. Today, the archbishop of Lyon
is still referred to as "Primat des Gaules
" and the city often referred to as the "capitale des Gaules".
The Christians in Lyon were martyred for their religion under the reigns of the various Roman emperors, most notably Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus
. Local saints from this period include saints such as Blandina
(Blandine), Pothinus
(Pothin), and Epipodius
(Épipode), among others.
The great Christian bishop of Lyon in the 2nd century was the Easterner Irenaeus
.
Burgundian
refugees from the destruction of Worms
by the Huns
in 437 were resettled by the military commander of the west, Aëtius
, at Lugdunum, which was formally the capital of the new Burgundian kingdom by 461.
In 843, by the Treaty of Verdun
, Lyon, with the country beyond the Saône
, went to Lothair I
, and later became a part of the Kingdom of Arles
. Lyon only came under French control in the 14th century.
Fernand Braudel
remarked, Historians of Lyon are not sufficiently aware of the bi-polarity between Paris and Lyon, which is a constant structure in French development from the late Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution (Braudel 1984 p. 327). The fairs in Lyon, the invention of Italian merchants, made it the economic countinghouse
of France in the late 15th century. When international banking moved to Genoa
, then Amsterdam
, Lyon simply became the banking centre of France; its new Bourse (treasury), built in 1749, still resembled a public bazaar where accounts were settled in the open air. During the Renaissance
, the city developed with the silk trade, especially with Italy; the Italian influence on Lyon's architecture can still be seen.
Lyon was a scene of mass violence against Huguenot
s in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacres
in 1572.
During the French Revolution
, Lyon rose up against the National Convention
and supported the Girondins
. In 1793, the city was under siege for over two months, assaulted by the Revolutionary armies, before eventually surrendering. Several buildings were destroyed, especially around the Place Bellecour
, and Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois
with Joseph Fouché
administered the execution of more than 2,000 people. A decade later, Napoleon
himself ordered the reconstruction of all the buildings demolished during this period.
Thanks to the silk trade, the city became an important industrial town during the 19th century but in 1831 and 1834, the silk workers of Lyon, known as canut
s, staged two major uprisings
. The 1831 uprising saw one of the first recorded uses of the black flag
as an emblem of protest. The world's first funicular railway was built between Lyon and La Croix-Rousse
in 1862.
Lyon was a centre for the occupying German
forces and also a stronghold of resistance
during World War II, and the city is now home to a resistance museum. (See also Klaus Barbie
.) The traboule
s, or secret passages, through the houses enabled the local people to escape Gestapo
raids.
and Saône
rivers that converge to the south of the historic city centre forming a peninsula or "Presqu'île
"; two large hills, one to the west and one to the north of the historic city centre; and a large plain which sprawls eastward from the historic city centre. The original medieval city (Vieux Lyon
) was built on the west bank of the Saône river at the foot of the Fourvière
hill, west of the Presqu'île. This area, along with portions of the Presqu'île and much of the Croix-Rousse
is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To the west is Fourvière, known as "the hill that prays", the location for the highly decorated basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, several convents, the palace of the Archbishop
, the Tour métallique
(a highly visible TV tower, replicating the last stage of the Eiffel Tower
) and a funicular
(a railway on a steep hill).
To the north is the Croix-Rousse
, "the hill that works", traditionally home to many small silk workshops, an industry for which the city was once renowned.
Place Bellecour
is located on the Presqu'île between the two rivers and is the third largest public square in France. The broad, pedestrian-only Rue de la République leads north from Place Bellecour. The 2nd arrondissement has many of the finest old residential buildings in Lyon and the area is known for its concentration of old Lyonnaise Catholic families, particularly in the Ainay part of the arrondissement.
East of the Rhône from the Presqu'île is a large area of flat ground upon which sits much of modern Lyon and most of the city's population.
Situated in this area is the urban centre of Part-Dieu
which clusters the Tour Part-Dieu
(affectionately nicknamed "The Pencil"), the Tour Oxygène
, the Tour Swiss Life
, a shopping centre, and one of Lyon's two major rail terminals, Lyon Part-Dieu
.
North of this district is the relatively wealthy 6th arrondissement, which is home to the Parc de la Tête d'Or
, one of Europe's largest urban parks, the prestigious Lycée du Parc
to the south of the park, and Interpol
's world headquarters on the park's western edge. The park contains a free zoo that has recently been upgraded.
and Humid Subtropical (Koppen
Cfb/Cfa). Winters are cooler than much of the rest of France due to its more inland position, but generally not cold, averaging 3.2 °C (37.8 °F) in January. Summers are very warm, averaging 21.3 °C (70.3 °F) in July. Precipitation is adequate year-round, at an average of 840 millimetres (33.1 in), but the winter months are the driest.
Lyon is the capital of the Rhône-Alpes région
, the préfecture of the Rhône département, and the capital of 14 cantons
, covering 1 commune
, and with a total population of 480,660.
Like Paris and Marseille
, the city of Lyon is divided into a number of municipal arrondissements
, each of which is identified by a number and has its own council and town hall. Five arrondissements were originally created in 1852, when three neighbouring communes (La Croix-Rousse, La Guillotière, and Vaise) were annexed by Lyon. Between 1867 and 1959, the 3rd arrondissement (which originally covered the whole of the Left Bank of the Rhône
) was split three times, creating a new arrondissement in each case. Then, in 1963, the commune of Saint-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe was annexed to Lyon's 5th arrondissement. A year later, in 1964, the 5th was split to create Lyon's 9th – and, to date, final – arrondissement. Within each arrondissement, there are a number of recognisable quartiers or neighbourhoods:
Geographically, Lyon's two main rivers, the Saône and the Rhône, divide the arrondissements into three groups:
The Urban Community of Lyon
, also known as Greater Lyon is the intercommunal structure gathering the city and some of its suburbs. The Urban Community encompasses only the core of the metropolitan area of Lyon.
district (Vieux Lyon), the silk district (slopes of Croix-Rousse), and the Presqu'île, which features architecture from the 12th century to modern times.
Both Vieux Lyon and the slopes of Croix-Rousse are known for their narrow passageways (named traboule
s) that pass through buildings and link streets on either side. The first examples of traboules are thought to have been built in Lyon in the 4th century. The traboules allowed the inhabitants to get from their homes to the Saône
river quickly and allowed the canuts on the Croix-Rousse hill to get quickly from their workshops to the textile merchants at the foot of the hill.
, due in part to the presence of many of France's finest chefs in the city and its surroundings (e.g. Paul Bocuse
). This reputation also comes from the fact that two of France's best known wine-growing regions are located near Lyon: the Beaujolais
to the North, and the Côtes du Rhône
to the South. Beaujolais wine is very popular in Lyon and remains the most common table wine served with local dishes.
Lyon is the home of very typical and traditional restaurants serving local dishes, and local wines: the bouchon
s.
The city is famous for its morning snacks formerly had by its silk workers, the mâchons, made up of local charcuterie
and usually accompanied by Beaujolais red wine. Traditional local dishes include Rosette lyonnaise
and saucisson de Lyon (sausage), andouillette
(a sausage of coarsely cut tripe), pistachio sausage, coq au vin
, esox (pike) quenelle
, gras double (tripe
cooked with onions), salade lyonnaise (lettuce with bacon, croutons and a poached egg), marrons glacés, coussin de Lyon
and cardoon
au gratin.
Cervelle de canut
(lit. silk worker's brains) is a cheese spread/dip, a Lyonnais speciality. The dish is a base of fromage blanc
, seasoned with chopped herbs, shallots, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.
represent one of the most important economies in Europe and, according to the Loughborough university, can be compared to Philadelphia, Mumbai or Athens concerning its international position. The city of Lyon is working in partnerships to more easily enable the establishment of new headquarters in the territory (ADERLY, Chambre du commerce et d'industrie
, Grand Lyon
...). According to the ECER-Banque Populaire, Lyon is the 14th favorite city in the European Union concerning the creation of companies and investments. High-tech industries like biotechnology, software development, game design, and internet services are also growing. Other important sectors include medical research and technology, non-profit institutions, and universities. Lyon is home to some of the most dangerous viruses in the world (class 4) in the Jean Merieux laboratory of research, like Ebola
, Marburg
, Nipah, Hendra, and Lassa
.
The city is the headquarters of many companies like Euronews
, Lyon Airports, BioMérieux
, Sanofi Pasteur
, LCL S.A., Cegid Group
, Boiron
, Infogrames, Groupe SEB
, LVL Medical, GL Events, Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, and intergovernmental agencies IARC
, Interpol
.
The specialization of some sectors of activities have the consequence of creating several main business centers:
La Part-Dieu
, located in the 3rd arrondissement is the second biggest business quarter after La Défense
in Paris with over 1600000 m² (1,913,584.07 sq yd) of office space and services and more than 40,000 jobs. Cité Internationale, created by the architect Renzo Piano
is located in the border of the Parc de la Tête d'Or
in the 6th arrondissement. The worldwide headquarters of Interpol
is located there. The district of Confluence, in the south of the historic centre, is a new pole of economical and cultural development.
Tourism provides a big boost to the Lyon economy with one billion euros in 2007 and 3.5 million hotel nights in 2006 provided by non-residents. Approximately 60% of tourists visit for business with the rest for leisure. In January 2009 Lyon ranked first in France for hostels business. The festivals most important for attracting tourists are the Fête des lumières, the Nuits de Fourvière every summer, the Biennale d'art contemporain and the Nuits Sonores.
There are some international private schools in Lyon, including:
Lyon is home to the Ligue 1
football team Olympique Lyonnais
, commonly known as "Lyon" or "OL". The team has enjoyed unprecedented success recently, winning seven consecutive national titles and establishing themselves as France's premier football club. The team competes in the prestigious UEFA Champions League
and currently plays at the Stade de Gerland, where the Danone Nations Cup
is held every year. The team is set to move to a new stadium
in Décines-Charpieu
(in the eastern suburbs) in 2013, which will hold 61,556 people. Lyon also has a rugby union
team, Lyon OU
, currently playing in Top 14. In addition, Lyon has a rugby league
side: Lyon Villeurbanne Rhône XIII, or LVR XIII, play in the French rugby league championship
. The club's current home ground is Stade Georges Lyvet in Villeurbanne. Lyon is also home to the Lyon Hockey Club
, an ice hockey
team that competes in France's national ice hockey league. Finally, Villeurbanne also has a renowned basketball team, ASVEL, who play at the Astroballe
arena in Laurent Bonnevay.
Saint-Exupéry International Airport, located east of Lyon, serves as a base for domestic and international flights. It is an important transport facility for the entire Rhône-Alpes region. Coach links connect the airport with the centre of Lyon and other towns in the area including Chambéry and Grenoble. With its in-house train station (Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry) the airport is also connected to the TGV
network. The new Rhônexpress tram links the international airport with the business quarter of La Part Dieu in less than 30 minutes. The Lyon-Bron Airport
is a smaller airport dedicated to General Aviation (both private and commercial). Having helipads, the facility hosts a Gendarmerie and a Sécurité Civile
(civilian defence) Base.
Lyon has two major railway stations: Lyon Part-Dieu
, which was built to accommodate the TGV
and has become the principal railway station for extra-regional trains; and Lyon Perrache
, which is an older station that now primarily serves regional rail services. In practice, many trains, including TGVs, serve both stations. Smaller railway stations include Gorge-de-Loup
, Vaise
, Vénissieux
, Saint-Paul
and Jean Macé
. Lyon is connected to the north (Lille
, Paris, Brussels
, and in the future Amsterdam
) and the south (Marseille
, Montpellier
, and in the future Barcelona
, Turin
) by the TGV. It was the first city to be connected to Paris by the TGV in 1981.
The city is at the heart of a dense road network and is located at the meeting point of several highways: A6
(to Paris), A7
(to Marseille
), A42
(to Geneve
), A43
(to Grenoble
). The city is now bypassed by the A46
. A double motorway tunnel passes under Fourvière, connecting the A6
and the A7
autoroutes, both forming the "Autoroute du Soleil". Prior to the construction of the bypass by the east, the tunnel was famous for its traffic jams, since traffic between northern and southern France, as well as from neighboring countries and local traffic all wanted to cross, Lyon being virtually the only low passage between the Alps and the Massif Central (extinct) volcano range.
Lyon is served by the Eurolines
intercity coach organisation. Its Lyon terminal is located at the city's Perrache railway station, which serves as an intermodal transportation hub that also includes tramways, local and regional trains and buses, the terminus of metro line A, the bicycle service Vélo'v, and taxis.
The TCL
(for Transports en Commun Lyonnais), Lyon's public transit system, consisting of metro, buses and tramways, serves 62 communes of the Lyon agglomeration. The metro network has 4 lines ( ), 39 stations and runs with a frequency of up to a train every 2 minutes. The bus network consists of normal buses, trolleybuses and coaches for areas outside the centre. There are 4 tram lines ( ) since April 2009: T1 from Montrochet in the south to IUT-Feyssine in the north, Tram T2 from Perrache railway station in the southwest to Saint-Priest
in the southeast, Tram T3 from Part-Dieu
to Meyzieu
, and Tram T4 from Mendès-France to Feyzin. There are also two funicular lines
from Vieux Lyon
to Saint-Just and Fourvière
. Despite the existence of several systems and operators the ticketing is unified through a unique system. The Réseau Express de l'Aire urbaine Lyonnaise (REAL) project intends on promoting and eventually increasing, the usage of public transport means by commuters. The public transit system is complemented by Vélo'v
, a bicycle network providing a low cost and convenient bicycle hire service where bicycles can be hired and dropped off at any of 340 stations throughout the city. Borrowing a bicycle for less than 30 minutes is free.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
, situated between Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. Lyon is located at 470 km (292 mi) from Paris, 320 km (199 mi) from Marseille, 160 km (99 mi) from Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, 280 km (174 mi) from Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, and 600 km (373 mi) from Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais.
The city of Lyon has 480,660 inhabitants. Together with its suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s and satellite town
Satellite town
A satellite town or satellite city is a concept in urban planning that refers essentially to smaller metropolitan areas which are located somewhat near to, but are mostly independent of, larger metropolitan areas.-Characteristics:...
s, Lyon forms the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris, with the population of its urban area estimated to be 1,422,331 and that of its metropolitan area 1,757,180. Its urban region represents half of the Rhône-Alpes region population with 2.9 million inhabitants. Lyon is the capital of this region, as well as the capital of the smaller Rhône département.
The city is known for its historical and architectural landmarks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. Lyon was historically known as an important area for the production and weaving of silk and in modern times has developed a reputation as the capital of gastronomy
Gastronomy
Gastronomy is the art or science of food eating. Also, it can be defined as the study of food and culture, with a particular focus on gourmet cuisine...
in France. It has a significant role in the history of cinema
History of film
The history of film is the historical development of the medium known variously as cinema, motion pictures, film, or the movies.The history of film spans over 100 years, from the latter part of the 19th century to the present day...
due to Auguste and Louis Lumière
Auguste and Louis Lumière
The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean , were among the earliest filmmakers in history...
. The local professional football team, Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
, has increased the profile of Lyon internationally through participation in European football championships
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.
Economically, Lyon is a major centre for banking and also the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries. The city contains a significant software industry with a particular focus on video games, and in recent years has focussed on a growing local start-up sector. Lyon also hosts the international headquarters of Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
, Euronews
EuroNews
Euronews is an international multilingual news television channel.It covers world news from what it claims to be a 'European' perspective.Criticisms are that the perspective is in fact that of the European Commission - a major and growing funder of Euronews....
and International Agency for Research on Cancer
International Agency for Research on Cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations....
. Lyon is ranked 2nd in France as an economic centre and convention centre on some measures. Lyon was in 2010 ranked 9th globally and 2nd in France for innovation. It ranked 38th globally in Mercer's 2010 liveability rankings.
History
- Main article for early history: LugdunumLugdunumColonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum was an important Roman city in Gaul. The city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus. It served as the capital of the Roman province Gallia Lugdunensis. To 300 years after its foundation Lugdunum was the most important city to the west part of Roman...
. Main article for later history: History of LyonHistory of LyonLyon is a city in the south of France. The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times and was an important city of Ancient Rome.- Antiquity :Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum was an important Roman city in Gaul. The city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus. It served as the...
.
Fourvière
Fourvière is a district of Lyon, France located on a hill immediately west of the old part of the town, rising abruptly from the river Saône and then gently sloping down to the north-west. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum...
hill as a Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
colony in 43 BC by Munatius Plancus
Lucius Munatius Plancus
Lucius Munatius Plancus was a Roman senator, consul in 42 BC, and censor in 22 BC with Aemilius Lepidus Paullus...
, a lieutenant of Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, on the site of a Gaulish hill-fort settlement called Lug[o]dunon, from the Celtic
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
god Lugus
Lugus
Lugus was a deity of the Celtic pantheon. His name is rarely directly attested in inscriptions, but his importance can be inferred from placenames and ethnonyms, and his nature and attributes are deduced from the distinctive iconography of Gallo-Roman inscriptions to Mercury, who is widely believed...
('Light', cognate with Old Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
Lugh
Lugh
Lug or Lugh is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. He is known by the epithets Lámhfhada , for his skill with a spear or sling, Ildánach , Samhildánach , Lonnbeimnech and Macnia , and by the...
, Modern Irish Lú) and dúnon (hill-fort). Lug[us] was equated by the Romans to Mercury
Mercury (mythology)
Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...
.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman statesman and general. He was a close friend, son-in-law, lieutenant and defense minister to Octavian, the future Emperor Caesar Augustus...
recognized that Lugdunum's position on the natural highway from northern to south-eastern France made it a natural communications hub, and he made Lyon the starting point of the principal Roman roads throughout Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. It then became the capital of Gaul, partly thanks to its convenient location at the convergence of two navigable rivers, and quickly became the main city of Gaul. Two emperors were born in this city: Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
and Caracalla
Caracalla
Caracalla , was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. The eldest son of Septimius Severus, he ruled jointly with his younger brother Geta until he murdered the latter in 211...
. Today, the archbishop of Lyon
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon is a Roman Catholic Metropolitan archdiocese in France. It incorporates the ancient Archdiocese of Vienne. The current Cardinal-Archbishop is Philippe Barbarin...
is still referred to as "Primat des Gaules
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
" and the city often referred to as the "capitale des Gaules".
The Christians in Lyon were martyred for their religion under the reigns of the various Roman emperors, most notably Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus
Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus , also known as Severus, was Roman Emperor from 193 to 211. Severus was born in Leptis Magna in the province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of...
. Local saints from this period include saints such as Blandina
Blandina
-Martyrdom:In the summer of 177, Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon, witnessed an increasing hostility to Christians in his own city. First they were prohibited from entering public places such as the markets and the baths. Then, when the provincial governor was outside the city, the mob broke loose....
(Blandine), Pothinus
Saint Pothinus
Saint Pothinus is a figure of uncertain historicity, who is first mentioned in a letter attributed to Irenaeus of Lyon. The letter was sent from the Christian communities of Lyon and Vienne to the Roman province of Asia....
(Pothin), and Epipodius
Epipodius and Alexander
Epipodius and his companion Alexander are venerated as Christian saints. Their feast day is 22 April. Epipodius was a native of Lyon; Alexander was said to be a native of Phrygia, and a physician by profession. They were both martyred during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.Epipodius and Alexander...
(Épipode), among others.
The great Christian bishop of Lyon in the 2nd century was the Easterner Irenaeus
Irenaeus
Saint Irenaeus , was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
.
Burgundian
Burgundians
The Burgundians were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose old form in Old Norse still was Burgundarholmr , and from there to mainland Europe...
refugees from the destruction of Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
by the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
in 437 were resettled by the military commander of the west, Aëtius
Flavius Aëtius
Flavius Aëtius , dux et patricius, was a Roman general of the closing period of the Western Roman Empire. He was an able military commander and the most influential man in the Western Roman Empire for two decades . He managed policy in regard to the attacks of barbarian peoples pressing on the Empire...
, at Lugdunum, which was formally the capital of the new Burgundian kingdom by 461.
In 843, by the Treaty of Verdun
Treaty of Verdun
The Treaty of Verdun was a treaty between the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, the son and successor of Charlemagne, which divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms...
, Lyon, with the country beyond the Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
, went to Lothair I
Lothair I
Lothair I or Lothar I was the Emperor of the Romans , co-ruling with his father until 840, and the King of Bavaria , Italy and Middle Francia...
, and later became a part of the Kingdom of Arles
Kingdom of Arles
The Kingdom of Arles or Second Kingdom of Burgundy of the High Middle Ages was a Frankish dominion established in 933 from lands of the early medieval Kingdom of Burgundy at Arles...
. Lyon only came under French control in the 14th century.
Fernand Braudel
Fernand Braudel
Fernand Braudel was a French historian and a leader of the Annales School. His scholarship focused on three main projects, each representing several decades of intense study: The Mediterranean , Civilization and Capitalism , and the unfinished Identity of France...
remarked, Historians of Lyon are not sufficiently aware of the bi-polarity between Paris and Lyon, which is a constant structure in French development from the late Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution (Braudel 1984 p. 327). The fairs in Lyon, the invention of Italian merchants, made it the economic countinghouse
Counting house
A counting house, or compting house, literally is the building, room, office or suite in which a business firm carries on operations, particularly accounting. By a synecdoche, it has come to mean the accounting operations of a firm, however housed...
of France in the late 15th century. When international banking moved to Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, then Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Lyon simply became the banking centre of France; its new Bourse (treasury), built in 1749, still resembled a public bazaar where accounts were settled in the open air. During the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, the city developed with the silk trade, especially with Italy; the Italian influence on Lyon's architecture can still be seen.
Lyon was a scene of mass violence against Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacres
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots , during the French Wars of Religion...
in 1572.
During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, Lyon rose up against the National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
and supported the Girondins
Girondist
The Girondists were a political faction in France within the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention during the French Revolution...
. In 1793, the city was under siege for over two months, assaulted by the Revolutionary armies, before eventually surrendering. Several buildings were destroyed, especially around the Place Bellecour
Place Bellecour
The Place Bellecour is a large town square in Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m , it is the largest clear square in Europe, and the third biggest square of France, behind the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux et the place de la...
, and Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois
Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois
Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois was a French actor, dramatist, essayist, and revolutionary. He was a member of the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror and, while he saved Madame Tussaud from the Guillotine, he administered the execution of more than 2,000 people in the city of...
with Joseph Fouché
Joseph Fouché
Joseph Fouché, 1st Duc d'Otrante was a French statesman and Minister of Police under Napoleon Bonaparte. In English texts his title is often translated as Duke of Otranto.-Youth:Fouché was born in Le Pellerin, a small village near Nantes...
administered the execution of more than 2,000 people. A decade later, Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
himself ordered the reconstruction of all the buildings demolished during this period.
Thanks to the silk trade, the city became an important industrial town during the 19th century but in 1831 and 1834, the silk workers of Lyon, known as canut
Canut
The canuts were Lyonnais silk workers, often working on Jacquard looms. They were primarily found in the Croix-Rousse neighbourhood of Lyon in the 19th century. Although the term generally refers to Lyonnais silk workers, silk workers in the commune of l'Arbresle are also called canuts.-Canut...
s, staged two major uprisings
Canut revolts
Three major revolts by silk workers in Lyon, France, called the Canut revolts took place during the first half of the 19th century. The first occurred in November 1831, and was the first clearly defined worker uprising of the Industrial Revolution....
. The 1831 uprising saw one of the first recorded uses of the black flag
Anarchist symbolism
While anarchists have historically largely denied the importance of symbols to political movement, they have embraced certain symbols for their cause, including most prominently the circle-A and the black flag...
as an emblem of protest. The world's first funicular railway was built between Lyon and La Croix-Rousse
La Croix-Rousse
This zone is served by the metro line La Croix-Rousse is a hill in the town of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a quarter located on this hill . It is 254m at its peak...
in 1862.
Lyon was a centre for the occupying German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
forces and also a stronghold of resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during World War II, and the city is now home to a resistance museum. (See also Klaus Barbie
Klaus Barbie
Nikolaus 'Klaus' Barbie was an SS-Hauptsturmführer , Gestapo member and war criminal. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.- Early life :...
.) The traboule
Traboule
Traboules are a type of passageway primarily associated with the city of Lyon, France, but also located in the French cities of Villefranche-sur-Saône, Mâcon, Saint-Étienne, along with a few in Chambéry)...
s, or secret passages, through the houses enabled the local people to escape Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
raids.
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Geography
Lyon's geography is dominated by the RhôneRhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
and Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
rivers that converge to the south of the historic city centre forming a peninsula or "Presqu'île
Presqu'ile (Lyon)
The Presqu’île, literally the "peninsula", extending from the foot of the Croix Rousse hill to the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône rivers, is in the city centre of Lyon, France. It has a preponderance of cafés, restaurants, luxury shops, department stores, banks, government buildings, and...
"; two large hills, one to the west and one to the north of the historic city centre; and a large plain which sprawls eastward from the historic city centre. The original medieval city (Vieux Lyon
Vieux Lyon
The Vieux Lyon is the largest Renaissance district of Lyon in the 5th arrondissement.This zone is served by the metro line In 1954, Vieux-Lyon, the city's oldest district, became the first site in France to be protected under the Malraux law to protect France's cultural sites...
) was built on the west bank of the Saône river at the foot of the Fourvière
Fourvière
Fourvière is a district of Lyon, France located on a hill immediately west of the old part of the town, rising abruptly from the river Saône and then gently sloping down to the north-west. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum...
hill, west of the Presqu'île. This area, along with portions of the Presqu'île and much of the Croix-Rousse
La Croix-Rousse
This zone is served by the metro line La Croix-Rousse is a hill in the town of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a quarter located on this hill . It is 254m at its peak...
is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To the west is Fourvière, known as "the hill that prays", the location for the highly decorated basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, several convents, the palace of the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
, the Tour métallique
Metallic tower of Fourvière
The Tour métallique de Fourvière , a landmark of Lyon, France, is a steel framework tower which bears a striking resemblance to the Eiffel Tower. With a height of 85.9 metres and weight of 210 tons, the "metallic tower" was built between 1892 and 1894...
(a highly visible TV tower, replicating the last stage of the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
) and a funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
(a railway on a steep hill).
To the north is the Croix-Rousse
La Croix-Rousse
This zone is served by the metro line La Croix-Rousse is a hill in the town of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a quarter located on this hill . It is 254m at its peak...
, "the hill that works", traditionally home to many small silk workshops, an industry for which the city was once renowned.
Place Bellecour
Place Bellecour
The Place Bellecour is a large town square in Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m , it is the largest clear square in Europe, and the third biggest square of France, behind the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux et the place de la...
is located on the Presqu'île between the two rivers and is the third largest public square in France. The broad, pedestrian-only Rue de la République leads north from Place Bellecour. The 2nd arrondissement has many of the finest old residential buildings in Lyon and the area is known for its concentration of old Lyonnaise Catholic families, particularly in the Ainay part of the arrondissement.
East of the Rhône from the Presqu'île is a large area of flat ground upon which sits much of modern Lyon and most of the city's population.
Situated in this area is the urban centre of Part-Dieu
La Part-Dieu
The district of La Part-Dieu is located in the 3rd arrondissement of the City of Lyon. It is the second most important area of the city after the Presqu'île. This district is the second-largest business district of France after La Défense in the Paris area, with over 1,600,000m² of office space...
which clusters the Tour Part-Dieu
Tour du Crédit Lyonnais
The LCL-Tour Part Dieu is a skyscraper in Lyon, France. The building rises in the city's La Part-Dieu district, with 42 floors. The building was completed in 1977. It currently stands as the ninth-tallest building in France...
(affectionately nicknamed "The Pencil"), the Tour Oxygène
Tour Oxygène
The Tour Oxygène is a skyscraper under construction which should rise to 28 levels in the district of La Part-Dieu in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, France. It forms part of the Oxygen Project, which includes the office tower and a shopping center, the Cours Oxygène...
, the Tour Swiss Life
Tour Swiss Life
The Tour Swiss Life is a skyscraper of offices located in La Part-Dieu quarter, in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon. This 82-metre tower was built in 1989 by French architech Charles Delfante. It is currently the second tallest tower in Lyon until the end of the construction of the Tour Oxygène...
, a shopping centre, and one of Lyon's two major rail terminals, Lyon Part-Dieu
Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu
Gare de la Part-Dieu is the primary railway station in Lyon, France. It is situated on the Lyon–Geneva railway.This zone is served by the metro line and -History:...
.
North of this district is the relatively wealthy 6th arrondissement, which is home to the Parc de la Tête d'Or
Parc de la Tête d'Or
Parc de la Tête d'Or , in central Lyon, is an urban park in France, with it is 8.5 times smaller than bois de Vincennes in Paris. Located in the 6th arrondissement, it features a large lake on which boating takes place during the summer months...
, one of Europe's largest urban parks, the prestigious Lycée du Parc
Lycée du Parc
The Lycée du Parc is a public secondary school located in the sixth arrondissement of Lyon, France. Its name comes from the Parc de la Tête d'Or, one of Europe's largest urban parks, which is situated nearby....
to the south of the park, and Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
's world headquarters on the park's western edge. The park contains a free zoo that has recently been upgraded.
Climate
Lyon is classed as borderline OceanicOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
and Humid Subtropical (Koppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb/Cfa). Winters are cooler than much of the rest of France due to its more inland position, but generally not cold, averaging 3.2 °C (37.8 °F) in January. Summers are very warm, averaging 21.3 °C (70.3 °F) in July. Precipitation is adequate year-round, at an average of 840 millimetres (33.1 in), but the winter months are the driest.
Administration
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
, the préfecture of the Rhône département, and the capital of 14 cantons
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
, covering 1 commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
, and with a total population of 480,660.
Like Paris and Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, the city of Lyon is divided into a number of municipal arrondissements
Municipal arrondissements of France
The municipal arrondissement is a subdivision of the commune, used in the three largest cities: Paris, Lyon and Marseille. It functions as an even lower administrative division, with its own mayor...
, each of which is identified by a number and has its own council and town hall. Five arrondissements were originally created in 1852, when three neighbouring communes (La Croix-Rousse, La Guillotière, and Vaise) were annexed by Lyon. Between 1867 and 1959, the 3rd arrondissement (which originally covered the whole of the Left Bank of the Rhône
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
) was split three times, creating a new arrondissement in each case. Then, in 1963, the commune of Saint-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe was annexed to Lyon's 5th arrondissement. A year later, in 1964, the 5th was split to create Lyon's 9th – and, to date, final – arrondissement. Within each arrondissement, there are a number of recognisable quartiers or neighbourhoods:
- 1st arrondissement1st arrondissement of LyonThe 1st arrondissement of Lyon, France is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon. It is located below the hill of Croix-Rousse and on the north part of the Presqu'île formed by the Saône and the Rhône, the two rivers in Lyon...
: Slopes of La Croix-RousseLa Croix-RousseThis zone is served by the metro line La Croix-Rousse is a hill in the town of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a quarter located on this hill . It is 254m at its peak...
, TerreauxPlace des TerreauxThe Place des Terreaux is a square located in the centre of Lyon, France on the Presqu'île between the Rhône and the Saône, at the foot of the hill of La Croix-Rousse in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon...
, Martinière/St-Vincent - 2nd arrondissement2nd arrondissement of LyonThe 2nd arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.-History:The first five arrondissements of Lyon were created by the Decree of March 24, 1852, which included the 2nd arrondissement.The current mayor is Denis Broliquier....
: Cordeliers, BellecourPlace BellecourThe Place Bellecour is a large town square in Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m , it is the largest clear square in Europe, and the third biggest square of France, behind the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux et the place de la...
, Ainay, PerrachePerrache (quarter)Perrache is a quarter of the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, in the south of the Presqu'île.-Location:Perrache is located to the south of Ainay, upstream of confluence between the Rhône and the Saône. It is named after Antoine-Michel Perrache, who began to develop the confluence and to expand it to the...
, Confluent - 3rd arrondissement3rd arrondissement of LyonThe 3rd arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.-Demography:* 2006: 88,755 inhab* 2007: 89,000 inhab...
: Guillotière (north), Préfecture, Part-DieuLa Part-DieuThe district of La Part-Dieu is located in the 3rd arrondissement of the City of Lyon. It is the second most important area of the city after the Presqu'île. This district is the second-largest business district of France after La Défense in the Paris area, with over 1,600,000m² of office space...
, Villette, Dauphiné/Sans Souci, Montchat, Grange Blanche (north), Monplaisir (north) - 4th arrondissement4th arrondissement of LyonThe 4th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.-History:The 4th arrondissement of Lyon was created on 24 March 1852 , with the same borders of the old town of La Croix-Rousse.Dominique Bolliet is currently the mayor of this arrondissement.-Streets and...
: Plateau de la Croix-RousseLa Croix-RousseThis zone is served by the metro line La Croix-Rousse is a hill in the town of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a quarter located on this hill . It is 254m at its peak...
, Serin - 5th arrondissement5th arrondissement of LyonThe 5th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.- History :The 5th arrondissement was created on 24 March 1852 . It is the historic center of Lyon. It is at Fourvière that Munatius Plancus founded the Roman colony of Lugdunum in 43 BC...
: Vieux LyonVieux LyonThe Vieux Lyon is the largest Renaissance district of Lyon in the 5th arrondissement.This zone is served by the metro line In 1954, Vieux-Lyon, the city's oldest district, became the first site in France to be protected under the Malraux law to protect France's cultural sites...
(Saint-PaulSaint-Paul (Lyon)Saint-Paul is a quarter located in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon, France. It was named after the parish church. Located in the perimeter saved registered to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is one of the three parishes of the Vieux Lyon, the historic center of the city...
, Saint-Jean, Saint-Georges), Saint-Just, Saint-Irénée, FourvièreFourvièreFourvière is a district of Lyon, France located on a hill immediately west of the old part of the town, rising abruptly from the river Saône and then gently sloping down to the north-west. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum...
, Point du Jour, Ménival, Battières, Champvert (south) - 6th arrondissement6th arrondissement of LyonThe 6th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon and one of the poshest.This zone is served by the metro lines , and Tramway T3-Streets and squares:* Boulevard des Belges* Rue de Créqui* Rue Duguesclin...
: Brotteaux, Bellecombe, Parc de la Tête d'OrParc de la Tête d'OrParc de la Tête d'Or , in central Lyon, is an urban park in France, with it is 8.5 times smaller than bois de Vincennes in Paris. Located in the 6th arrondissement, it features a large lake on which boating takes place during the summer months...
, Cité Internationale - 7th arrondissement7th arrondissement of LyonThe 7th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.This zone is served by the metro lines and -Squares and streets:* Rue de Créqui* Rue Duguesclin* Rue Garibaldi* Rue de l'Université...
: Guillotière (south), Jean Macé, Gerland - 8th arrondissement8th arrondissement of LyonThe 8th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the 9 arrondissements of Lyon.-Quarters:* Le Bachut* Monplaisir Ville* Monplaisir La Plaine, usually known as La Plaine* Mermoz Nord* Mermoz Sud* Les États-Unis* Le Transvaal* Laënnec* Le Grand Trou-Streets:...
: Monplaisir (south), BachutLe BachutLe Bachut is a quarter in the 8th arrondissement of Lyon.It is bisected the avenue Berthelot and rue Marius Berliet. Served by the tram, it is connected to the Presqu'île, to the Hôpital Édouard-Herriot and the university campus of Bron. In May 2007, the library of Bachut called Médiathèque...
, États-Unis, Grand Trou/Moulin à Vent, Grange Blanche (south), LaënnecLaënnecLaënnec is a quarter of the 8th arrondissement of Lyon, in France. It is served by the eponymous station of the Line D of the Lyon Metro which was opened on 11 December 1992 and had 132,316 passengers per month in 2006...
, Mermoz, Monplaisir-la-Plaine - 9th arrondissement9th arrondissement of LyonThe 9th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.This zone is served by the metro line ....
: VaiseVaiseVaise is a quarter of the City of Lyon , located along the Saône at the foot of the plateau Duchère, north-west of the city. Former commune of the Rhône department, Vaise was linked to Lyon on 24 March 1852, to form part of the 5th arrondissement. Vaise was then attached to the 9th arrondissement...
, Duchère, Rochecardon, St-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe, Gorge de Loup, Observance, Champvert (north)
Geographically, Lyon's two main rivers, the Saône and the Rhône, divide the arrondissements into three groups:
- To the west of the Saône, the 5th arrondissement covers the old city (Vieux Lyon), Fourvière hill and the plateau beyond. The 9th is immediately to the north, and stretches from Gorge de Loup, through Vaise to the neighbouring suburbs of Écully, Champagne-au-Mont-d'Or, Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or and Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or.
- Between the two rivers, on the Presqu'îlePresqu'ile (Lyon)The Presqu’île, literally the "peninsula", extending from the foot of the Croix Rousse hill to the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône rivers, is in the city centre of Lyon, France. It has a preponderance of cafés, restaurants, luxury shops, department stores, banks, government buildings, and...
are the 2nd, 1st and 4th arrondissements. The 2nd includes most of the city centre, including Bellecour and Perrache railway station, and reaches as far as the confluence of the two rivers. The 1st is directly to the north of the 2nd and covers part of the city centre (including the Hôtel de Ville) and the slopes of La Croix-Rousse. To the north of the Boulevard is the 4th arrondissement, which covers the Plateau of La Croix-Rousse, up to its boundary with the commune of Caluire-et-Cuire. - To the east of the Rhône, are the 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th arrondissements.
The Urban Community of Lyon
Urban Community of Lyon
The Urban Community of Lyon , also known as Grand Lyon or by its former acronym COURLY, is the intercommunal structure gathering the city of Lyon and some of its suburbs....
, also known as Greater Lyon is the intercommunal structure gathering the city and some of its suburbs. The Urban Community encompasses only the core of the metropolitan area of Lyon.
Culture
- Since the Middle Ages, the residents of the region, speak several dialects of Arpitan language. The LyonnaisLyonnaisThe Lyonnais is a historical province of France which owes its name to the city of Lyon.The geographical area known as the Lyonnais became part of the Kingdom of Burgundy after the division of the Carolingian Empire...
dialect was partly replaced by the French language as the importance of the city grew. However, it is still alive and, in addition, some "frenchified" Franco-Provençal words can also be heard in the French of the Lyonnais, who call their little boys and girls "gones" and "fenottes" for example. - Lyon was an early centre for printing books, and nurtured a circle of 16th century poets.
- The Lumière brothersAuguste and Louis LumièreThe Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean , were among the earliest filmmakers in history...
pioneered cinema in the town in 1895. The Musée Lumière, built as Auguste Lumiere's house, and a fascinating piece of architecture in its own right, holds many of their first inventions and other early cinematic and photographic artefacts. - 8 December each year is marked by the Festival of Lights (la Fête des lumières), a celebration of thanks to the Virgin MaryMary (mother of Jesus)Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, who purportedly saved the city from a deadly plague in the Middle Ages. During the event, the local population places candles (lumignons) at their windows and the city of Lyon organizes impressive large-scale light shows onto the sides of important Lyonnais monuments, such as the medieval Cathédrale St-Jean. - The church of Saint Francis of SalesFrancis de SalesFrancis de Sales was Bishop of Geneva and is a Roman Catholic saint. He worked to convert Protestants back to Catholicism, and was an accomplished preacher...
is famous for its large and unaltered Cavaillé-CollAristide Cavaillé-CollAristide Cavaillé-Coll was a French organ builder. He is considered by many to be the greatest organ builder of the 19th century because he combined both science and art to make his instruments...
pipe organ, attracting audiences from around the world. - The Opéra Nouvel (Nouvel Opera House) is the home of the Opéra National de LyonOpéra National de LyonOpéra National de Lyon is an opera company in Lyon, France which performs in the Nouvel Opéra, a modernized version in 1993 of the original 1831 opera house.The inaugural performance of François-Adrien Boïeldieu's La Dame blanche was given on 1 July 1831...
. The original opera house was re-designed by the distinguished French architect, Jean Nouvel between 1985 and 1993 and is named after him. - Lyon is also the French capital of "trompe l'œil" walls, a very ancient tradition. Many are to be seen around the city. This old tradition is now finding a contemporary expression, for example in the art of Guillaume Bottazzi.
- The Brothers of the Sacred HeartBrothers of the Sacred HeartThe Brothers of the Sacred Heart are a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1821 by the Reverend André Coindre . Its Constitutions were modeled upon those of the Jesuits, while its Rule of Life was based upon the Rule of Saint Augustine. Its members bind themselves for life by simple vows of...
, a Roman Catholic congregation that operates schools in Europe and North America, was founded in Lyon in 1821. - The African Museum of LyonAfrican Museum of LyonThe African Museum of Lyon is the oldest museum in France dedicated to Africa, and one of the oldest museums in Lyon. The collections specialise in West African objects.This zone is served by the metro line - History :...
is one of the oldest museums situated in Lyon. - The Museum of Resistance and Deportation looks at the various persons prominent in the Resistance movement in World War II. The building is strongly linked to Klaus BarbieKlaus BarbieNikolaus 'Klaus' Barbie was an SS-Hauptsturmführer , Gestapo member and war criminal. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.- Early life :...
. Lyon sees itself as the centre of the French resistance and many members were shot in Place Bellecour in the town centre. The exhibition is largely a series of mini-biographies of those involved. - The unusual project Lyon Dubai CityLyon Dubai CityLyon Dubaï City is a major project being developed by the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The first phase, projected for completion in 2010, will consist of the reproduction in Dubai of some of Lyon's neighborhoods and many cultural partnerships between the two cities.-Beginning:*Like...
, a reproduction of some districts of Lyon in Dubai, is a major point for the tourism in Lyon. - Lyon is a pilot city of the Council of EuropeCouncil of EuropeThe Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
and the European CommissionEuropean CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
Intercultural citiesIntercultural citiesThe Intercultural City programme is a joint project of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. It aims at stimulating new ideas and practice in relation to the integration of migrants and minorities....
programme.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Historic Site of Lyon was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. In their designation, UNESCO cited the "exceptional testimony to the continuity of urban settlement over more than two millennia on a site of great commercial and strategic significance." The specific regions composing the Historic Site include the Roman district and Fourvière, the RenaissanceRenaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
district (Vieux Lyon), the silk district (slopes of Croix-Rousse), and the Presqu'île, which features architecture from the 12th century to modern times.
Both Vieux Lyon and the slopes of Croix-Rousse are known for their narrow passageways (named traboule
Traboule
Traboules are a type of passageway primarily associated with the city of Lyon, France, but also located in the French cities of Villefranche-sur-Saône, Mâcon, Saint-Étienne, along with a few in Chambéry)...
s) that pass through buildings and link streets on either side. The first examples of traboules are thought to have been built in Lyon in the 4th century. The traboules allowed the inhabitants to get from their homes to the Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
river quickly and allowed the canuts on the Croix-Rousse hill to get quickly from their workshops to the textile merchants at the foot of the hill.
Gastronomy
For several centuries Lyon has been known as the French capital of gastronomyFrench cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
, due in part to the presence of many of France's finest chefs in the city and its surroundings (e.g. Paul Bocuse
Paul Bocuse
Paul Bocuse is a French chef based in Lyon who is famous for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine...
). This reputation also comes from the fact that two of France's best known wine-growing regions are located near Lyon: the Beaujolais
Beaujolais (wine)
Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée wine generally made of the Gamay grape which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which make up only 1% of its production, are made mostly with Chardonnay grapes...
to the North, and the Côtes du Rhône
Côtes du Rhône AOC
Côtes du Rhône is a wine-growing Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for the Rhône wine region of France, which may be used throughout the region, also in those areas which are covered by other AOCs...
to the South. Beaujolais wine is very popular in Lyon and remains the most common table wine served with local dishes.
Lyon is the home of very typical and traditional restaurants serving local dishes, and local wines: the bouchon
Bouchon
A bouchon is a type of restaurant found in Lyon, France, that serves traditional Lyonnaise cuisine, such as sausages, duck pâté or roast pork. Compared to other forms of French cooking such as nouvelle cuisine, the dishes are quite fatty and heavily oriented around meat...
s.
The city is famous for its morning snacks formerly had by its silk workers, the mâchons, made up of local charcuterie
Charcuterie
Charcuterie is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork. Charcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire...
and usually accompanied by Beaujolais red wine. Traditional local dishes include Rosette lyonnaise
Rosette de Lyon
Rosette de Lyon is a cured saucisson or French pork sausage. It is made from leg of pork and usually served in chunky slices. rosette de Lyon is the most famous of Lyon's sausages.-External links:*...
and saucisson de Lyon (sausage), andouillette
Andouillette
Andouillette is a coarse-grained tripe sausage made with pork , chitterlings, pepper, wine, onions, and seasonings. Andouillette sausage is a smaller version of the andouille sausage, generally smaller than 25 mm in diameter...
(a sausage of coarsely cut tripe), pistachio sausage, coq au vin
Coq au vin
Coq au vin is a French braise of chicken cooked with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic.While the wine is typically Burgundy, many regions of France have variants of coq au vin using the local wine, such as coq au vin jaune , coq au Riesling , coq au pourpre , coq au Champagne, and so...
, esox (pike) quenelle
Quenelle
A quenelle is mixture of creamed fish, chicken, or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding. It can also be served vegetarian, or "nature". It is usually poached. Formerly, quenelles were often used as a garnish in haute cuisine; today, they are usually served on their own...
, gras double (tripe
Tripe
Tripe is a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals.-Beef tripe:...
cooked with onions), salade lyonnaise (lettuce with bacon, croutons and a poached egg), marrons glacés, coussin de Lyon
Coussin de Lyon
The Coussin de Lyon is a sweet specialty of Lyon composed of chocolate and marzipan. This tidbit is a piece of pale green marzipan, with dark green netting, filled with a chocolate ganache flavored with curacao.-History:...
and cardoon
Cardoon
The cardoon , also called the artichoke thistle, cardone, cardoni, carduni or cardi, is a thistle-like plant in the aster family Asteraceae. It is the naturally occurring form of the same species as the globe artichoke, and has many cultivated varieties...
au gratin.
Cervelle de canut
Cervelle de canut
Cervelle de canut is a cheese spread/dip, and a speciality of Lyon, France.The dish is a base of fromage blanc, seasoned with chopped herbs, shallots, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar. Its name literally means "silk worker's brain," after the canuts, the silk workers of 19th century Lyon...
(lit. silk worker's brains) is a cheese spread/dip, a Lyonnais speciality. The dish is a base of fromage blanc
Fromage frais
Fromage frais is a dairy product, originating from north of France and south of Belgium. The name literally means "fresh cheese" in french .Fromage frais is a creamy soft cheese made with whole or skimmed milk and cream...
, seasoned with chopped herbs, shallots, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.
Economy
The GDP of Lyon is 62 billion euro, and the city is the second richest city after Paris. Lyon and its region Rhône-AlpesRhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
represent one of the most important economies in Europe and, according to the Loughborough university, can be compared to Philadelphia, Mumbai or Athens concerning its international position. The city of Lyon is working in partnerships to more easily enable the establishment of new headquarters in the territory (ADERLY, Chambre du commerce et d'industrie
Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Lyon
The Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Lyon is one of the CCI of the Rhône department. Its headquarters is located in Lyon at the Palais de la Bourse.It has 8 branches: Tarare, Limonest, Rillieux-la-Pape, Villeurbanne, Oullins, Chassieu, Corbas, Givors....
, Grand Lyon
Urban Community of Lyon
The Urban Community of Lyon , also known as Grand Lyon or by its former acronym COURLY, is the intercommunal structure gathering the city of Lyon and some of its suburbs....
...). According to the ECER-Banque Populaire, Lyon is the 14th favorite city in the European Union concerning the creation of companies and investments. High-tech industries like biotechnology, software development, game design, and internet services are also growing. Other important sectors include medical research and technology, non-profit institutions, and universities. Lyon is home to some of the most dangerous viruses in the world (class 4) in the Jean Merieux laboratory of research, like Ebola
Ebola
Ebola virus disease is the name for the human disease which may be caused by any of the four known ebolaviruses. These four viruses are: Bundibugyo virus , Ebola virus , Sudan virus , and Taï Forest virus...
, Marburg
Marburg virus
Marburg virus disease is the name for the human disease caused by any of the two marburgviruses Marburg virus and Ravn virus...
, Nipah, Hendra, and Lassa
Lassa fever
Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus and first described in 1969 in the town of Lassa, in Borno State, Nigeria, in the Yedseram river valley at the south end of Lake Chad. Clinical cases of the disease had been known for over a decade but had not been connected...
.
The city is the headquarters of many companies like Euronews
EuroNews
Euronews is an international multilingual news television channel.It covers world news from what it claims to be a 'European' perspective.Criticisms are that the perspective is in fact that of the European Commission - a major and growing funder of Euronews....
, Lyon Airports, BioMérieux
BioMérieux
bioMérieux is a multinational biotechnology company founded and headquartered in France and listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris stock exchange. The company specializes in the field of in vitro diagnostics for the medical and industrial sectors...
, Sanofi Pasteur
Sanofi pasteur
Sanofi Pasteur is the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group. It is the largest company in the world devoted entirely to vaccines.- History :...
, LCL S.A., Cegid Group
Cegid Group
Cegid Group is a business software development company based in Lyon, France. It is a member of the CAC Small.- External links :* * * * * * *...
, Boiron
Boiron
Boiron is a manufacturer of homeopathic products, headquartered in France and with an operating presence in 59 countries worldwide. It is the largest manufacturer of homeopathic products in the world. In 2004, it employed a workforce of 2,779 and had a turnover of € 313 million...
, Infogrames, Groupe SEB
Groupe SEB
Groupe SEB is a large French consortium that produces small appliances. Notable brand names associated with Groupe SEB include Krups, Moulinex, Rowenta, and Tefal. According to the Groupe SEB website, they have faced considerable competition from low-price Chinese competitors, but have managed to...
, LVL Medical, GL Events, Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, and intergovernmental agencies IARC
International Agency for Research on Cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations....
, Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
.
The specialization of some sectors of activities have the consequence of creating several main business centers:
La Part-Dieu
La Part-Dieu
The district of La Part-Dieu is located in the 3rd arrondissement of the City of Lyon. It is the second most important area of the city after the Presqu'île. This district is the second-largest business district of France after La Défense in the Paris area, with over 1,600,000m² of office space...
, located in the 3rd arrondissement is the second biggest business quarter after La Défense
La Défense
La Défense is a major business district of the Paris aire urbaine. With a population of 20,000, it is centered in an orbital motorway straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...
in Paris with over 1600000 m² (1,913,584.07 sq yd) of office space and services and more than 40,000 jobs. Cité Internationale, created by the architect Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano is an Italian architect. He is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize...
is located in the border of the Parc de la Tête d'Or
Parc de la Tête d'Or
Parc de la Tête d'Or , in central Lyon, is an urban park in France, with it is 8.5 times smaller than bois de Vincennes in Paris. Located in the 6th arrondissement, it features a large lake on which boating takes place during the summer months...
in the 6th arrondissement. The worldwide headquarters of Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
is located there. The district of Confluence, in the south of the historic centre, is a new pole of economical and cultural development.
Tourism provides a big boost to the Lyon economy with one billion euros in 2007 and 3.5 million hotel nights in 2006 provided by non-residents. Approximately 60% of tourists visit for business with the rest for leisure. In January 2009 Lyon ranked first in France for hostels business. The festivals most important for attracting tourists are the Fête des lumières, the Nuits de Fourvière every summer, the Biennale d'art contemporain and the Nuits Sonores.
Antiquity
- The Roman ruins on the hillside near the Fourviere Basilica with the Ancient Theatre of Fourvière, the Odeon of LyonOdeon of LyonThe Odeon of Lyon is a small ancient Roman theatre near the summit of the Fourvière hill in Lyon, France. It forms a pair with the theatre, one of only two such pairs in Gaul .-History:...
and the accompanying Gallo-Roman MuseumGallo-Roman Museum of LyonThe Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon is a museum on the Gallo-Roman civilisation in Lyon , previously located in the heart of the Roman city and now sited near the city's Roman theatre on the Fourvière hill, half-buried into the hillside on the edge of the archaeological site. The new building was...
. - Amphitheatre of the Three GaulsAmphitheatre of the Three GaulsThe Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls of Lugdunum was part of the federal sanctuary of the three Gauls dedicated to the cult of Rome and Augustus celebrated by the 60 Gallic tribes when they gathered at Lugdunum...
, roman ruins of an amphiteatre.
Middle Ages and Renaissance
- Cathedral of St. John, a medieval church with architectural elements of the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. It is the principal religious structure in the city and the seat of the Archbishop of Lyon.
- Basilica of St-Martin-d'Ainay is one of the rare surviving Romanesque basilica-style churches in Lyon.
- Église Saint-Paul, Romanesque (12 and 13th century) and Gothic (15–16th century) church.
- Église Saint-BonaventureÉglise Saint-BonaventureThe Église Saint-Bonaventure is one of the churches of the quarter Presqu'île, located on the Place des Cordeliers, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon...
, 14th- and 15th-century Gothic church. - Eglise Saint-Nizier, Gothic church from the 15th century. Its doorway was carved in the 16th century by Philibert DelormePhilibert de l'OrmePhilibert DeLorme was a French architect, one of the great masters of the French Renaissance.He was born at Lyon, the son of Jean Delorme, a master mason. At an early age Philibert was sent to Italy to study and was employed there by Pope Paul III...
. - Vieux LyonVieux LyonThe Vieux Lyon is the largest Renaissance district of Lyon in the 5th arrondissement.This zone is served by the metro line In 1954, Vieux-Lyon, the city's oldest district, became the first site in France to be protected under the Malraux law to protect France's cultural sites...
(English: Old Lyon) area – Medieval and Renaissance quarter of the town, with cobbled streets, shops, and dining. - The many Renaissance hôtels particuliersHôtel particulierIn French contexts an hôtel particulier is an urban "private house" of a grand sort. Whereas an ordinary maison was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a street, an hôtel particulier was often free-standing, and by the 18th century it...
of the Old Lyon quarter, such as the Hôtel de Bullioud, also built by Philibert Delorme.
17th and 18th century
- City Hall on the Place des TerreauxPlace des TerreauxThe Place des Terreaux is a square located in the centre of Lyon, France on the Presqu'île between the Rhône and the Saône, at the foot of the hill of La Croix-Rousse in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon...
, built by architects Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Robert de CotteRobert de CotteRobert de Cotte was a French architect-administrator, under whose design control of the royal buildings of France from 1699, the earliest notes presaging the Rococo style were introduced. First a pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, he later became his brother-in-law and his collaborator...
. - Musée des beaux-arts de LyonMusée des beaux-arts de LyonThe Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon is a municipal museum of fine arts in the French city of Lyon. It is housed near place des Terreaux in a former Benedictine convent of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was restored between 1988 and 1998, and despite these important restoration works it remained open...
, fine arts museum housed in a former convent of the 17th century, including the Baroque chapelle Saint-Pierre. - Hôtel-Dieu de LyonHôtel-Dieu de LyonHôtel-Dieu de Lyon is a functioning hospital of historical significance situated on the west bank of the Rhone river, on the "Presque-isle" ....
(17th and 18th century), historical hospital with a baroque chapel. - Temple du ChangeTemple du ChangeThe Temple du Change or Loge du Change, formerly used for the stock exchange of Lyon, stands in Vieux Lyon . It was originally built after plans by architect Simon Gourdet between 1631 and 1653, then rebuilt under the direction of Jacques-Germain Soufflot in 1748-1750...
(17th and 18th century), former stock exchange of Lyon, Protestant temple since the 18th century. - Place BellecourPlace BellecourThe Place Bellecour is a large town square in Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m , it is the largest clear square in Europe, and the third biggest square of France, behind the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux et the place de la...
, one of the largest town squares in Europe. - Chapelle de la TrinitéChapelle de la TrinitéThe Chapelle de la Trinité is a chapel located at 29-31 rue de la Bourse, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, France. It is the first church in baroque style built in Lyon and is classified as historic monument.-History:...
(1622), the first Baroque chapel built in Lyon, it was part of the former École de la Trinité, now Collège-lycée AmpèreCollège-lycée AmpèreThe Collège-lycée Ampère is a famous school located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon.-History:It was founded in 1519 by members of the Brotherhood of the Trinity. It was then known under the name of Collège de la Trinité...
. - Église Saint-PolycarpeÉglise Saint-PolycarpeThe Église Saint-Polycarpe is a church located in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, on the slopes of La Croix-Rousse, between rue René Leynaud, rue Burdeau and passages Mermet and Thiaffait...
(1665–1670), Classical church. - Église Saint-Just (16th to 18th century), Classical church.
- Saint-Bruno des ChartreuxSaint-Bruno des ChartreuxThe Church of Saint-Bruno des Chartreux is a church in Lyon, until the French Revolution the church of Lyon Charterhouse...
(17th and 18th century), church, masterpiece of Baroque architecture. - Église Notre Dame Saint-VincentÉglise Notre Dame Saint-VincentThe Église Notre Dame Saint-Vincent is a church located in Lyon, on the banks of the Saône, quai Saint-Vincent, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon. In 1984, it was classified as monument historique.-History:...
(18th century), Neoclassical church.
19th century and modern city
- Opéra National de LyonOpéra National de LyonOpéra National de Lyon is an opera company in Lyon, France which performs in the Nouvel Opéra, a modernized version in 1993 of the original 1831 opera house.The inaugural performance of François-Adrien Boïeldieu's La Dame blanche was given on 1 July 1831...
(1831), renovated in 1993 by Jean NouvelJean NouvelJean Nouvel is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of Mars 1976 and Syndicat de l'Architecture...
. - Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, large 19th century basilica on the top of Fourvière Hill.
- Tour métallique de FourvièreMetallic tower of FourvièreThe Tour métallique de Fourvière , a landmark of Lyon, France, is a steel framework tower which bears a striking resemblance to the Eiffel Tower. With a height of 85.9 metres and weight of 210 tons, the "metallic tower" was built between 1892 and 1894...
(1894). - La Mouche Cattle Market and Abbatoir (1914, 1928), designed by Tony GarnierTony Garnier (architect)Tony Garnier was a noted architect and city planner. He was most active in his hometown of Lyon.Garnier is considered the forerunner of 20th century French architects...
. - Sainte Marie de La TouretteSainte Marie de La TouretteSainte Marie de La Tourette is a Dominican Order priory in a valley near Lyon, France designed by architects Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis and constructed between 1956 and 1960. Le Corbusier's design of the building began in May, 1953 with sketches drawn at Arbresle, France outlining the basic...
monastery (1960) designed by Le CorbusierLe CorbusierCharles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930... - Saint-Exupéry International Airport (formerly Satolas Airport), designed by Guillaume Gilbert.
- Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry (1994) by Santiago CalatravaSantiago CalatravaSantiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zürich, Switzerland. Classed now among the elite designers of the world, he has offices in Zürich, Paris, Valencia, and New York City....
. - Palais des congrès de LyonPalais des congrès de LyonThe auditorium of the Palais des Congrès de Lyon, also named Salle 3000 is a building designed by architect Renzo Piano and located in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon...
(1998), designed by Renzo PianoRenzo PianoRenzo Piano is an Italian architect. He is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize...
is a group of buildings for various functions. - Tour du Crédit LyonnaisTour du Crédit LyonnaisThe LCL-Tour Part Dieu is a skyscraper in Lyon, France. The building rises in the city's La Part-Dieu district, with 42 floors. The building was completed in 1977. It currently stands as the ninth-tallest building in France...
- Tour OxygèneTour OxygèneThe Tour Oxygène is a skyscraper under construction which should rise to 28 levels in the district of La Part-Dieu in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, France. It forms part of the Oxygen Project, which includes the office tower and a shopping center, the Cours Oxygène...
- Tour IncityTour IncityThe Tour Incity is a skyscraper office in Lyon, France. This building project should be completed by 2013 in the business district of La Part-Dieu, at the intersection of Garibaldi Street and the Cours Lafayette to replace the obsolete UAP tower...
Museums
- Musée des beaux-arts de LyonMusée des beaux-arts de LyonThe Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon is a municipal museum of fine arts in the French city of Lyon. It is housed near place des Terreaux in a former Benedictine convent of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was restored between 1988 and 1998, and despite these important restoration works it remained open...
(Fine Arts Museum), main museum of the city and one of the largest art galleries in France. Housed in the "Palais Saint Pierre", a former 17th century convent, it displays a major collection of paintings (TintorettoTintorettoTintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...
, Paolo VeronesePaolo VeronesePaolo Veronese was an Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice, famous for paintings such as The Wedding at Cana and The Feast in the House of Levi...
, Nicolas PoussinNicolas PoussinNicolas Poussin was a French painter in the classical style. His work predominantly features clarity, logic, and order, and favors line over color. His work serves as an alternative to the dominant Baroque style of the 17th century...
, Rubens, Rembrandt, ZurbaranFrancisco ZurbaránFrancisco de Zurbarán was a Spanish painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes...
, CanalettoCanalettoGiovanni Antonio Canal better known as Canaletto , was a Venetian painter famous for his landscapes, or vedute, of Venice. He was also an important printmaker in etching.- Early career :...
, Delacroix, MonetClaude MonetClaude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
, GauguinPaul GauguinEugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
, Van GoghVincent van GoghVincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
, Cézanne, MatisseHenri MatisseHenri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
, PicassoPablo PicassoPablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, Francis BaconFrancis BaconFrancis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
...), collections of sculptures, drawings and printings, decorative arts, roman and Greek antiquities, the second largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in France after that of the LouvreLouvreThe Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
and a medal cabinet of 50 000 medals and coins. - The Gallo-Roman MuseumGallo-Roman Museum of LyonThe Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon is a museum on the Gallo-Roman civilisation in Lyon , previously located in the heart of the Roman city and now sited near the city's Roman theatre on the Fourvière hill, half-buried into the hillside on the edge of the archaeological site. The new building was...
displays many valuable objects and artworks found on the site of Roman Lyon (Lugdunum) such as Circus Games MosaicCircus Games MosaicThe Circus Games Mosaic is a 2nd century Roman mosaic depicting a chariot race in quadrigas. It was discovered in 1806 in the Ainay district of Lyon and is now on show in the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon.-Bibliography:* F...
, Coligny calendarColigny calendarThe Gaulish Coligny calendar was found in Coligny, Ain, France near Lyon in 1897, along with the head of a bronze statue of a youthful male figure. It is a lunisolar calendar...
and the Taurobolic Altar. - African Museum of LyonAfrican Museum of LyonThe African Museum of Lyon is the oldest museum in France dedicated to Africa, and one of the oldest museums in Lyon. The collections specialise in West African objects.This zone is served by the metro line - History :...
- Centre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportationCentre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportationThe Centre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportation is a museum in Lyon, France. Located on the former site of a French military health school and opened in 1992, it chronicles the French Resistance as well as Jewish deportation in World War II.The school was occupied by the Germans in...
- Musée des ConfluencesMusée des ConfluencesThe Musée des Confluences is a museum under construction in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, . It is located at the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône and forms part of a large redevelopment project of the Confluence quarter...
, planned future museum of Sciences and anthropology. - La SucrièreLa SucrièreLa Sucrière is a famous building devoted to contemporary art, situated 48 Quai Rambaud, on the banks of the Saône in the Confluence quarter of the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon.-History:...
, contemporary art center. - Musée des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs, decorative arts museum.
- Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon, contemporary art museum.
- Musée Gadagne, museum of the history of Lyon housed in a historic building in Vieux Lyon.
Parks and gardens
- Parc de la Tête d'OrParc de la Tête d'OrParc de la Tête d'Or , in central Lyon, is an urban park in France, with it is 8.5 times smaller than bois de Vincennes in Paris. Located in the 6th arrondissement, it features a large lake on which boating takes place during the summer months...
, (literally, Golden Head Park), in central Lyon is the largest urban park in France at 117 hectares. Located in the 6th arrondissement, it features a large lake on which boating takes place during the summer months. Due to the relatively small number of other parks in Lyon, it receives a huge number of visitors over summer, and is a frequent destination for joggers and cyclists. At the northern end of the park, there is a small zoo, with giraffes, elephants, tigers and other animals. There is also sporting equipment, such as a velodrome, boules court, mini-golf, horse riding, and even a miniature train.
- Jardin botanique de LyonJardin botanique de LyonThe Jardin botanique de Lyon , also known as the Jardin botanique du Parc de la Tête d'Or, is a municipal botanical garden located in the Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon, Rhône, Rhône-Alpes, France...
(8 hectares), included in the Parc de la Tête d'OrParc de la Tête d'OrParc de la Tête d'Or , in central Lyon, is an urban park in France, with it is 8.5 times smaller than bois de Vincennes in Paris. Located in the 6th arrondissement, it features a large lake on which boating takes place during the summer months...
, is a municipal botanical garden. It is open weekdays without charge. The garden was established in 1857 as a successor to earlier botanical gardens dating to 1796, and now describes itself as France's largest municipal botanical garden. Today it contains about 15,000 plants, including 3500 plants of temperate regions, 760 species of shrubs, a hundred species of wild roses, 750 varieties of historical roses, 200 varieties of peonies recognized by the Conservatoire Français des Collections Végétales Spécialisées, 1800 species of alpine plants, 50 varieties of water lilies, and 6,000 species in its greenhouses. The garden's greenhouses enclose a total of 6500 m² (7,773.94 sq yd) in area, and include a central pavilion for tropical plants including camellias over a hundred years old; a greenhouse-aquarium with Amazonian water lilies; a Dutch greenhouse containing carnivorous plants; small greenhouses with orchids; and small cold greenhouses with azaleas, cactus, and so forth.
- Parc de Gerland, in the south of the city (80 hectares).
- Parc des hauteurs, in Fourvières.
- Parc de Miribel-Jonage (300 hectares).
- Parc de Lacroix-Laval (115 hectares).
- Parc de Parilly (178 hectares).
Education
- ECE Lyon (École de Commerce Européenne de Lyon)
- Institut d'études politiques de LyonInstitut d'études politiques de LyonThe Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Lyon also known as Sciences Po Lyon, was established following an executive decree by General de Gaulle in 1946. This prestigious and highly selective institute is modeled on the former Paris "École Libre des Sciences Politiques"...
- CPE Lyon
- École Centrale de LyonÉcole Centrale de LyonThe École Centrale de Lyon, founded in 1857, is one of the oldest universities in France. It is considered as one of the most prestigious French Grandes écoles of engineering continuously ranking as one of the Top 6 French Engineering research institutions for the post Bachelor study...
- ECAM LyonÉcole Catholique des Arts et MétiersThe École catholique des arts et métiers of Lyon is an engineering school. It was created in Reims in 1900 and moved to Lyon in 1946, on the hills of Fourvière.-General information:...
(École Catholique d'Arts et Métiers de Lyon) - EM LyonÉcole de Management de LyonEMLYON Business School is a French business school. It was founded in Lyon in 1872 by the local business community, and is affiliated to the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It has triple accreditation: EQUIS by the EFMD, AMBA, and the AACSB.-Campuses:EMLYON has three campuses...
(École de Management de Lyon) - ENTPE (École Nationale des Travaux Publiques de l'État)
- École des Beaux-ArtsÉcole des Beaux-ArtsÉcole des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
- École Normale Supérieure de LyonÉcole Normale Supérieure de LyonThe École Normale Supérieure de Lyon is a highly selective grande école located in Lyon, France. As one of France's three Écoles normales supérieures, ENS Lyon is associated with a strong French tradition of excellence and public service...
- Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de LyonInstitut National des Sciences Appliquées de LyonThe Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon or INSA de Lyon is a Grande École d'Ingénieurs. INSA was founded in 1957 to train highly qualified engineers, support continuing education, and conduct research and testing. The five-year curriculum aims at training engineers who possess humane...
(located in VilleurbanneVilleurbanneVilleurbanne is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It is situated northeast of Lyon, with which it forms the heart of the second-largest metropolitan area in France after that of Paris. Villeurbanne is the second-largest city in the department.-History:The current location of...
) - ISTIL (Institut des Sciences et Techniques de l'Ingénieur de Lyon) (located in VilleurbanneVilleurbanneVilleurbanne is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It is situated northeast of Lyon, with which it forms the heart of the second-largest metropolitan area in France after that of Paris. Villeurbanne is the second-largest city in the department.-History:The current location of...
) - ISARA (Institut Supérieur d'Agriculture Rhône Alpes)
- Institution des ChartreuxInstitution des ChartreuxThe Institution des Chartreux or more commonly Les Chartreux is a private Roman Catholic educational establishment under a "contract of association" to the French state school system...
- Université Claude Bernard (Lyon 1)
- Université Lumière (Lyon 2)Lumière University Lyon 2Lumière University Lyon 2 is one of the three universities that comprise the current University of Lyon, having splintered from an older university of the same name, and is primarily based on two campuses in Lyon itself...
- Université Jean Moulin (Lyon 3)Jean Moulin University Lyon 3Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 is a French public university, based in Lyon. It is under the supervision of the Academy of Lyon...
- IAEIAE Jean Moulin University Lyon 3The IAE, standing for Institut d'Administration des Entreprises , is the school of business of the Jean Moulin University Lyon3...
(Institut d'Administration des Entreprises de Lyon) - Catholic University of LyonCatholic University of LyonThe Catholic University of Lyon , also known as the Catholic Institute of Lyon , is a private university based in Lyon, France.-History:...
- ESDESESDESESDES School of Business and Management was founded in 1987 as part of the Catholic University of Lyon which has stood for a hundred and thirty years since its foundation in 1875 in Lyon, France...
Business School - IDRAC (International School of Management)
- WesfordWesfordWesford Grenoble Graduate Business School was created in 1987 in Grenoble and Lyon, France. It claims to be the first business school in the area to provide part-time classes. Alex Lienard is Dean and President of the faculty...
Graduate Business School - IFAG (Business Management School)
- Le Lycée du ParcLycée du ParcThe Lycée du Parc is a public secondary school located in the sixth arrondissement of Lyon, France. Its name comes from the Parc de la Tête d'Or, one of Europe's largest urban parks, which is situated nearby....
- La Martiniere LyonLa Martiniere LyonLa Martiniere Lyon is the La Martiniere College branch in Lyon, France.Lyon hosts three La Martiniere colleges, which were all created by Claude Martin: La Martinière Monplaisir, La Martinière Duchère, and La Martinière Terreaux....
- CEESO (Centre Européen d'Enseignement Supérieur de l'Ostéopathie)
- Bellecour, Ecoles D'Arts
There are some international private schools in Lyon, including:
- Cité Scolaire Internationale de LyonCité Scolaire Internationale de LyonThe Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon , also known as the "Lycée International de Lyon", is a leading international school located in the city of Lyon, France. It provides education combining regular French classes with classes in the second language of the student. The international sections...
- Ombrosa
- International School of Lyon
- Montessori School of Lyon
Sport
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
football team Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
, commonly known as "Lyon" or "OL". The team has enjoyed unprecedented success recently, winning seven consecutive national titles and establishing themselves as France's premier football club. The team competes in the prestigious UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and currently plays at the Stade de Gerland, where the Danone Nations Cup
Danone Nations Cup
The Danone Nations Cup is an international football competition organized every year since 2000, on the initiative of Groupe Danone.Supported by Zinedine Zidane, it gathers 10 to 12 y.o. teams from 40 different countries and all continents. This competition is made of 40 national tournaments and a...
is held every year. The team is set to move to a new stadium
New Olympique Lyonnais Stadium
New Olympique Lyonnais Stadium is 61,556-seat stadium that the French football club Olympique Lyonnais is building near Décines. It will replace its current stadium, Stade Gerland...
in Décines-Charpieu
Décines-Charpieu
Décines-Charpieu is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.-People:* Cédric Bardon - footballer* Jean Djorkaeff - footballer* Youri Djorkaeff - footballer* Abdelkader Ghezzal - footballer* Kamel Ramdani - footballer...
(in the eastern suburbs) in 2013, which will hold 61,556 people. Lyon also has a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team, Lyon OU
Lyon OU
Lyon Olympique Universitaire or LOU is a French rugby union team that competes in the Top 14, the first level of the country's professional league system. They earned their spot in the Top 14 by winning the 2010–11 title of the second-tier Pro D2....
, currently playing in Top 14. In addition, Lyon has a rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
side: Lyon Villeurbanne Rhône XIII, or LVR XIII, play in the French rugby league championship
French rugby league championship
The French rugby league championship has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France and Monaco since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties....
. The club's current home ground is Stade Georges Lyvet in Villeurbanne. Lyon is also home to the Lyon Hockey Club
Lyon Hockey Club
Lyon Hockey Club is the ice hockey team of Lyon, France. The team currently competes in the France's Division 2 ice hockey championship...
, an ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team that competes in France's national ice hockey league. Finally, Villeurbanne also has a renowned basketball team, ASVEL, who play at the Astroballe
Astroballe
The Astroballe is an indoor sporting arena located in Villeurbanne, France. The capacity of the arena is 5,800 people. It is currently home to the Adecco ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne basketball team....
arena in Laurent Bonnevay.
Transport
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
network. The new Rhônexpress tram links the international airport with the business quarter of La Part Dieu in less than 30 minutes. The Lyon-Bron Airport
Lyon-Bron Airport
Lyon-Bron Airport is an airport located in Bron, east of Lyon, both communes of the Rhône department in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France.-History:...
is a smaller airport dedicated to General Aviation (both private and commercial). Having helipads, the facility hosts a Gendarmerie and a Sécurité Civile
Sécurité Civile
Operating for the French Ministry of the Interior, the Direction de la Défense de la Sécurité Civile is a French Government civil defence agency, employing some 2,500 civilian and military personnel over 60 sites...
(civilian defence) Base.
Lyon has two major railway stations: Lyon Part-Dieu
Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu
Gare de la Part-Dieu is the primary railway station in Lyon, France. It is situated on the Lyon–Geneva railway.This zone is served by the metro line and -History:...
, which was built to accommodate the TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
and has become the principal railway station for extra-regional trains; and Lyon Perrache
Gare de Lyon-Perrache
Gare de Lyon-Perrache station is a large railway station in the quarter Perrache, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, France. It is situated on the Paris–Marseille railway, and it is the western terminus of the Lyon–Geneva railway and the southeastern terminus of the Moret–Lyon railway. It was built...
, which is an older station that now primarily serves regional rail services. In practice, many trains, including TGVs, serve both stations. Smaller railway stations include Gorge-de-Loup
Gare de Lyon-Gorge-de-Loup
Gare de Lyon-Gorge de Loup is a railway station Lyon, mainly used for the suburb's destinations in the north of the city.-Services:- See also :* Transport in Rhône-Alpes* TER Rhône Alpes* 9th arrondissement of Lyon...
, Vaise
Gare de Lyon-Vaise
Gare de Lyon-Vaise is a railway station in Lyon, located in the district of Vaise, in the 9th arrondissement. The station is on the Paris-Lyon-Marseille main line; it is also served by metro line D.- History :...
, Vénissieux
Vénissieux
Vénissieux is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It is the second-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is adjacent to the southeast.-Transport:...
, Saint-Paul
Gare de Lyon-Saint-Paul
The Gare de Lyon-Saint-Paul is a railway station in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon, France. It is located at the northern end of the Vieux Lyon quarter, between the base of the Fourvière hill and the river Saône...
and Jean Macé
Gare de Lyon-Jean Macé
Gare de Lyon-Jean Macé is a railway station in the 7th arrondissement of Lyon. It is situated on the Paris–Marseille railway and the Lyon–Geneva railway. The station is a part of the Lyon urban area rapid transit network. It was aimed to decongest the major stations Part-Dieu and Perrache while...
. Lyon is connected to the north (Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, Paris, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, and in the future Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) and the south (Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, and in the future Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
) by the TGV. It was the first city to be connected to Paris by the TGV in 1981.
The city is at the heart of a dense road network and is located at the meeting point of several highways: A6
A6 autoroute (France)
The A6, also known as the Autoroute du Soleil, Sun's Motorway, , is an Autoroute in France, linking Paris to Lyon. The motorway starts at Paris's Porte d'Orléans and Porte d'Italie with two branches, numbered A6a and A6b respectively, that join south of Paris...
(to Paris), A7
A7 autoroute
The A7 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Soleil is a French motorway. It continues the A6 and links Lyon to Marseille...
(to Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
), A42
A42 autoroute
The A42 autoroute is a motorway in Lyon. It was completed in 1987. It connects the city of Lyon to Pont-d'Ain with junctions with the A40 and A39 to Geneva, Chamonix and Mulhouse....
(to Geneve
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
), A43
A43 autoroute
The A43 autoroute is a motorway in eastern France. Travelling through the western Alps it is also known as the Autoroute alpine or Autoroute de la Maurienne. It connects Lyon with Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Modane to Italy and Turin. It is operated by AREA and SFTRF...
(to Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
). The city is now bypassed by the A46
A46 autoroute
The A46 autoroute is a highway in central France. It connects the town of Givors to Anse and eastern Lyon. It was completed in 1992.- Characteristics :* 2x2 lanes * 65 km long...
. A double motorway tunnel passes under Fourvière, connecting the A6
A6 autoroute (France)
The A6, also known as the Autoroute du Soleil, Sun's Motorway, , is an Autoroute in France, linking Paris to Lyon. The motorway starts at Paris's Porte d'Orléans and Porte d'Italie with two branches, numbered A6a and A6b respectively, that join south of Paris...
and the A7
A7 autoroute
The A7 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Soleil is a French motorway. It continues the A6 and links Lyon to Marseille...
autoroutes, both forming the "Autoroute du Soleil". Prior to the construction of the bypass by the east, the tunnel was famous for its traffic jams, since traffic between northern and southern France, as well as from neighboring countries and local traffic all wanted to cross, Lyon being virtually the only low passage between the Alps and the Massif Central (extinct) volcano range.
Lyon is served by the Eurolines
Eurolines
Eurolines is a coach organisation, operating international bus routes within Europe and Morocco to over 500 destinations in over 25 countries. Rather than being a single company, Eurolines is a network of co-operating bus companies from all over Europe, offering integrated ticketing and extensive...
intercity coach organisation. Its Lyon terminal is located at the city's Perrache railway station, which serves as an intermodal transportation hub that also includes tramways, local and regional trains and buses, the terminus of metro line A, the bicycle service Vélo'v, and taxis.
Transports en commun lyonnais
The Transports en commun lyonnais is the Lyon public transport agency. It is the second largest public transport system in France , and covers 62 communes, including all 57 communes of the Urban Community of Lyon, spread over .- Network :The TCL manages:*4 metro lines...
(for Transports en Commun Lyonnais), Lyon's public transit system, consisting of metro, buses and tramways, serves 62 communes of the Lyon agglomeration. The metro network has 4 lines ( ), 39 stations and runs with a frequency of up to a train every 2 minutes. The bus network consists of normal buses, trolleybuses and coaches for areas outside the centre. There are 4 tram lines ( ) since April 2009: T1 from Montrochet in the south to IUT-Feyssine in the north, Tram T2 from Perrache railway station in the southwest to Saint-Priest
Saint-Priest, Rhône
Saint-Priest is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It is the fourth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is located to its southeast side. The Gare de Saint-Priest railway station is served by local trains to Lyon, Grenoble and Chambéry....
in the southeast, Tram T3 from Part-Dieu
Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu
Gare de la Part-Dieu is the primary railway station in Lyon, France. It is situated on the Lyon–Geneva railway.This zone is served by the metro line and -History:...
to Meyzieu
Meyzieu
Meyzieu is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.-External links:*...
, and Tram T4 from Mendès-France to Feyzin. There are also two funicular lines
Funiculars of Lyon
The Funiculars of Lyon is a network of funicular railways in Lyon, France. Of the five lines once in existence, only the two routes on the Fourvière hill remain in operation, with the rest of the network now either closed, converted to road vehicle use, or integrated within the Lyon underground...
from Vieux Lyon
Vieux Lyon
The Vieux Lyon is the largest Renaissance district of Lyon in the 5th arrondissement.This zone is served by the metro line In 1954, Vieux-Lyon, the city's oldest district, became the first site in France to be protected under the Malraux law to protect France's cultural sites...
to Saint-Just and Fourvière
Fourvière
Fourvière is a district of Lyon, France located on a hill immediately west of the old part of the town, rising abruptly from the river Saône and then gently sloping down to the north-west. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum...
. Despite the existence of several systems and operators the ticketing is unified through a unique system. The Réseau Express de l'Aire urbaine Lyonnaise (REAL) project intends on promoting and eventually increasing, the usage of public transport means by commuters. The public transit system is complemented by Vélo'v
Vélo'v
Vélo'v is a bicycle rental service run by the city of Lyon, France, in conjunction with the advertising company JCDecaux. The relationship with JCDecaux allows the city to provide the service on a cost neutral basis for the city, and at very low cost to users, in return for providing exclusive...
, a bicycle network providing a low cost and convenient bicycle hire service where bicycles can be hired and dropped off at any of 340 stations throughout the city. Borrowing a bicycle for less than 30 minutes is free.
Notable residents
- Éric AbidalÉric AbidalÉric Sylvain Abidal is a French footballer who plays as a left or central defender for FC Barcelona and the France national team.-Club career:...
, footballer - Frederique BangueFrédérique BanguéFrederique Bangue is a French sprinter who competed in the 100 metres. Her personal best being 11.16 seconds, she never reached a world-level final individually. However, when competing in the shorter distance of 60 metres or relay races, she has won medals...
, athlete - ClaudiusClaudiusClaudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
(10 BC – AD 54), Roman emperor - CaracallaCaracallaCaracalla , was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. The eldest son of Septimius Severus, he ruled jointly with his younger brother Geta until he murdered the latter in 211...
(188–217), Roman emperor - IrenaeusIrenaeusSaint Irenaeus , was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
(2nd century AD – 202), Bishop - André-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie Ampère was a French physicist and mathematician who is generally regarded as one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism. The SI unit of measurement of electric current, the ampere, is named after him....
(1775–1836), physicist and mathematician - Raymond BarreRaymond BarreRaymond Octave Joseph Barre was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three Presidents and later served as Prime Minister under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing from 1976 until 1981...
, French politician - Azouz BegagAzouz BegagAzouz Begag, is a French writer, politician and researcher in economics and sociology at the CNRS. He was the delegate minister for equal opportunities of France in the government of French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin till 5 April 2007...
- Karim BenzemaKarim BenzemaKarim Benzema is a French international footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga. He primarily plays as a striker whose influence can extend out to the wings and is known for his technical ability, powerful style of play, and vast goal-scoring ability...
,footballer - Paul BocusePaul BocusePaul Bocuse is a French chef based in Lyon who is famous for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine...
(born 1926), chef - Gérard CollombGérard CollombGérard Collomb, born on 20 June 1947 in Chalon-sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire, is a French politician. He is an active member of the French Socialist Party and has been Mayor of Lyon since March 2001....
- Clovis CornillacClovis CornillacClovis Cornillac is a French theater, television and cinema actor.- Biography :Clovis Cornillac was born to actors Myriam Boyer and Roger Cornillac. He started studying theatre at the age of 14....
- Natalie DessayNatalie DessayNatalie Dessay is a French coloratura soprano. She dropped the silent "h" in her first name in honor of Natalie Wood when she was in grade school and subsequently simplified the spelling of her surname outside France...
- Youri DjorkaeffYouri DjorkaeffYouri Raffi Djorkaeff is a former French international footballer who played as a forward or as an attacking midfielder. With the French national team, Djorkaeff won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000...
, footballer - Liane FolyLiane FolyLiane Foly, is an popular French blues and jazz singer, actress, presenter and impressionist.-Early years:Foly was born the 16 December 1962 in the 7th arrondissement of Lyon. Her parents, a merchant family in French Algeria, returned to France in 1962 with the Pied-Noir community and moved to...
- Éric GuiradoÉric GuiradoÉric Guirado is an French film director and writer born in Lyon, Rhône.-Career:Éric Guirado started his career as a journalist and his interest in social issues is apparent in the documentary-style of his story-telling...
- Maurice JarreMaurice JarreMaurice-Alexis Jarre was a French composer and conductor.Although he composed several concert works, he is best known for his film scores, and is particularly known for his collaborations with film director David Lean. Jarre composed the scores to all of Lean's films since Lawrence of Arabia...
- Jean Michel JarreJean Michel JarreJean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
(son of Maurice Jarre, above) - Allan KardecAllan KardecAllan Kardec is the pen name of the French teacher and educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail . He is known today as the systematizer of Spiritism for which he laid the foundation with the five books of the Spiritist Codification.-Early life:Rivail was born in Lyon in 1804...
- KatsuniKatsuniKatsuni is a French pornographic actress.-Biography:Katsuni is of French/Vietnamese heritage. Her father is Vietnamese and her mother's family is French...
- Jérôme KervielJérôme KervielJérôme Kerviel is a French trader who has a pending appeal of his conviction in the January 2008 Société Générale trading loss incident for breach of trust, forgery and unauthorized use of the bank's computers, resulting in losses valued at €4.9 billion.Société Générale characterizes Kerviel...
- Alexandre LacassagneAlexandre LacassagneAlexandre Lacassagne was a French physician and criminologist who was a native of Cahors. He was the founder of the Lacassagne school of criminology, based in Lyon and influent from 1885 to 1914, and main rival to Lombroso's Italian school.- Biography :He studied at the military school in...
- Edmond LocardEdmond LocardDr. Edmond Locard was a pioneer in forensic science who became known as the Sherlock Holmes of France. He formulated the basic principle of forensic science: "Every contact leaves a trace"...
- Auguste and Louis LumièreAuguste and Louis LumièreThe Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean , were among the earliest filmmakers in history...
- André ManoukianAndré ManoukianAndré Manoukian, is an French-Armenian songwriter, arranger, and jazz musician.Since 2002, he is also one of the four judges in the French version of Pop Idol, Nouvelle Star.-Early years and education:...
- Jean-Baptiste MaunierJean-Baptiste MaunierJean-Baptiste Maunier , nicknamed JB or Jean-Bapt, is a French actor and singer famous for his role in the 2004 French film, Les Choristes.- Early life :...
- Jean MoulinJean MoulinJean Moulin was a high-profile member of the French Resistance during World War II. He is remembered today as an emblem of the Resistance primarily due to his role in unifying the French resistance under de Gaulle and his courage and death at the hands of the Germans.-Before the war:Moulin was...
- Bruno N'GottyBruno N'GottyBruno N'Gotty is a French football player of Cameroonian ancestry who last played for English club Leicester City. Initially a player at his home team Olympique Lyonnais, he later played for Paris Saint-Germain, A.C...
, footballer - Emile Ntamack, rugby player
- Abbé PierreAbbé PierreLAbbé Pierre, was a French Catholic priest, member of the Resistance during World War II, and deputy of the Popular Republican Movement . He founded in 1949 the Emmaus movement, which has the goal of helping poor and homeless people and refugees...
- Antoine de Saint-ExupéryAntoine de Saint-ExupéryAntoine de Saint-Exupéry , officially Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint Exupéry , was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of France's highest literary awards, and in 1939 was the winner of the U.S. National Book Award...
- Jean-Baptiste SayJean-Baptiste SayJean-Baptiste Say was a French economist and businessman. He had classically liberal views and argued in favor of competition, free trade, and lifting restraints on business...
- Louis Gabriel SuchetLouis Gabriel SuchetLouis Gabriel Suchet, 1st Duc d'Albufera was a Marshal of France and one of Napoleon's most brilliant generals.-Early career:...
- Bertrand TavernierBertrand TavernierBertrand Tavernier is a French director, screenwriter, actor, and producer.-Life and career:Tavernier was born in Lyon, the son of Geneviève and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, several years president of the French PEN club. Tavernier wanted to become a filmmaker since the age of thirteen...
- Seyhan KurtSeyhan Kurt- Biography :Born in Grenoble, Isère, France, he started his primary education at La Verpillere, Ecole Les Marronnier and completed it at Ecole Jean Jaures in Lyon. He graduated from Dumlupinar High School in Mersin and continued his education in Selcuk University in Konya and studied French...
,poet,writer - Sylvie TestudSylvie TestudSylvie Testud is a French actress, writer and director. Her film career began in 1991. She was later highly acclaimed, and has twice won César Awards.-Biography:...
- Florence ForestiFlorence ForestiFlorence Foresti is a French comedian and actress.-Background:Following her high school studies in literature, theatre and dramatic expression at Saint-Just de Lyon, Florence Foresti entered a school for cinematography at Lyon...
, humorist
Movies in Lyon
- 1895: 14 vues Lumière filmées à Lyon entre 1895 et 1900 by Auguste and Louis LumièreAuguste and Louis LumièreThe Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean , were among the earliest filmmakers in history...
- 1929: The kiss, Le baiser by Jacques Feyder with Greta Garbo
- 1938: Le petit chose by Maurice Cloche with Arletty, Robert Lynen
- 1945: 120 rue de la Gare by Jacques Daniel-Norman with René Dary, Sophie Desmarets
- 1946: Un revenantA Lover's ReturnA Lover's Return is a 1946 French drama film directed by Christian-Jaque. It was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Louis Jouvet - Jean-Jacques Sauvage* Gaby Morlay - Geneviève Gonin* François Périer - François Nisard...
by Christian-JaqueChristian-JaqueChristian-Jaque was a French filmmaker. He was married to actress Martine Carol from 1954 to 1959.Christian-Jaque was born at Paris....
with Louis JouvetLouis JouvetLouis Jouvet was a renowned French actor, director, and theatre director.- Life :Overcoming speech impediments and sometimes paralyzing stage fright as a young man, Jouvet's first important association was with Jacques Copeau's Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, beginning in 1913...
, Gaby Morlay, François PérierFrançois PérierFrançois Périer, , born François Pillu in Paris, was one of France's most distinguished actors.He made over 110 film and TV appearances between 1938 and 1996. He was also prominent in the theatre. Among his most notable parts was that of Hugo in the first production of Jean-Paul Sartre's Les Mains...
, Marguerite Moreno, Ludmilla TchérinaLudmilla TchérinaLudmilla Tchérina was a French prima ballerina, sculptor, actress, painter, choreographer and author of two novels.... - 1949: La cage aux filles by Maurice Cloche with Danièle Delorme, Noël Roquevert
- 1950: Coeur sur mer by Jacques Daniel-Norman
- 1952: Les dents longues by Daniel Gélin with Daniel Gélin, Danièle Delorme, Louis de Funès
- 1953: Thérèse RaquinThérèse RaquinThérèse Raquin is the title of a novel and a play by the French writer Émile Zola. The novel was originally published in serial format in the journal L'Artiste and in book format in December of the same year.-Plot introduction:Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman, unhappily married to...
by Marcel CarnéMarcel Carné-Biography:Born in Paris, France, the son of a cabinet maker whose wife died when their son was five, Carné began his career as a film critic, becoming editor of the weekly publication, Hebdo-Films, and working for Cinémagazine and Cinémonde between 1929 and 1933. In the same period he worked in...
, with Simone SignoretSimone SignoretSimone Signoret was a French cinema actress often hailed as one of France's greatest movie stars. She became the first French person to win an Academy Award, for her role in Room at the Top...
, Raf Vallone, Jacques Duby - 1956: Un condamné à mort s'est échappéA Man EscapedA Man Escaped or: The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth is a 1956 French film directed by Robert Bresson. It is based on the memoirs of André Devigny, a prisoner of war held at Fort Montluc during World War II. The protagonist of the film is called Fontaine...
by Robert BressonRobert Bresson-Life and career:Bresson was born at Bromont-Lamothe, Puy-de-Dôme, the son of Marie-Élisabeth and Léon Bresson. Little is known of his early life and the year of his birth, 1901 or 1907, varies depending on the source. He was educated at Lycée Lakanal in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, close to Paris, and... - 1956: Crime et châtiment by Georges Lampin with Jean Gabin, Robert Hossein, Marina Vlady, Bernard Blier, Gaby Morlay, Lino Ventura
- 1964: L'insoumis by Alain Cavalier with Alain Delon, Léa Massari
- 1966: Le Voyage du père by Denys de La PatellièreDenys de La PatellièreDenys de La Patellière is a French film director and scriptwriter.He was born in Nantes.-Filmography as director:* 1955 : Les Aristocrates with Pierre Fresnay...
with Fernandel, Lilli Palmer, Laurent Terzieff, Madeleine Robinson, Michel Auclair, Philippe Noiret - 1969: La sirène du by François Truffaut with Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Deneuve
- 1969: L'Armée des ombres by Jean-Pierre Melville with Lino Ventura, Simone Signoret, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel
- 1974: L'Horloger de Saint-PaulThe Clockmaker-Selected cast:*Philippe Noiret as Michel Descombes*Jean Rochefort as Insp. Guilboud*Jacques Denis as Antoine*Yves Afonso as Insp. Bricard*Julien Bertheau as Edouard*Jacques Hilling as Costes*Clotilde Joano as Janine Boitard*Andrée Tainsy as Madeleine Fourmet...
by Bertrand TavernierBertrand TavernierBertrand Tavernier is a French director, screenwriter, actor, and producer.-Life and career:Tavernier was born in Lyon, the son of Geneviève and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, several years president of the French PEN club. Tavernier wanted to become a filmmaker since the age of thirteen...
with Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort - 1975: Verdict by André Cayatte with Jean Gabin, Sophia Loren
- 1975: La chair de l'orchidée by Patrice Chéreau with Charlotte Rampling, Edwige Feuillère, Bruno Cremer, Simone Signoret, Alida Valli
- 1980: Une semaine de vacancesA Week's VacationA Week's Vacation is a 1980 French drama film directed by Bertrand Tavernier. It was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Nathalie Baye - Laurence Cuers* Gérard Lanvin - Pierre* Flore Fitzgerald - Anne* Michel Galabru - Mancheron...
by Bertrand Tavernier, with Nathalie Baye, Gérard Lanvin, Michel Galabru - 1981: Le Voyage à Lyon by Claudia von Aleman
- 1982: Coup de foudre by Diane Kurys with Miou-Miou, Isabelle Huppert, Guy Marchand
- 1985: Parole de flic by José Pinheiro, with Alain DelonAlain DelonAlain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon is a French actor. He rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 was already being compared to French actors such as Gérard Philipe and Jean Marais, as well as American actor James Dean. He was even called the male Brigitte Bardot...
, Jacques Perrin - 1993: Un crime by Jacques DerayJacques DerayJacques Deray was a French film director and screenwriter. Deray is prominently known for directing many crime and thriller films.-Biography:...
, with Alain Delon - 1994: Lucie AubracLucie Aubrac (film)Lucie Aubrac is a 1997 French biopic of the World War II French Resistance member Lucie Aubrac. The film starred Carole Bouquet in the title role...
by Claude BerriClaude BerriClaude Berri , born Claude Berel Langmann, was one of the great all-rounders of French cinema: an actor, writer, producer, director and distributor. "Out of my failure as an actor was born my desire to direct. Then my relative failure as a director forced me to become a producer. In order to get my...
with Carole Bouquet, Daniel Auteuil - 1996: Les Voleurs by André TéchinéAndré TéchinéAndré Téchiné , is a French screenwriter and film director. He has had a long and distinguished career that places him among the best post-New Wave French film directors....
- 1998: Le Gone du ChaâbaLe Gone du ChaâbaLe Gone du Chaâba , translated into English as Shantytown Kid by Naima Wolf, is an autobiographical novel by Azouz Begag about his life as a young Algerian boy growing up in a shantytown next to Lyon, France, called the Chaâba by its inhabitants...
by Christophe Ruggia, from the book by Azouz BegagAzouz BegagAzouz Begag, is a French writer, politician and researcher in economics and sociology at the CNRS. He was the delegate minister for equal opportunities of France in the government of French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin till 5 April 2007... - 2000: Lyon police spéciale by Bertrand Arthuys
- 2000: Tout va bien, on s'en va by Claude Mouriéras
- 2000: Une affaire de goûtA Question of TasteUne affaire de goût is a 2000 French film directed by Bernard Rapp. Rapp and Gilles Taurand wrote the screenplay which was based on the book "Affaires de goût" by Philippe Balland...
by Bernard RappBernard RappBernard Rapp was a French film director and television news presenter.Rapp was born in Paris. After graduating from university, he worked as a freelance journalist. In 1976, he joined Antenne 2 as their international correspondent, working later as their London correspondent from 1981 to 1983...
with Bernard Giraudeau - 2002: Inventaire filmé des rues de la Croix-Rousse à Lyon by Gérard Courant
- 2002: Quand tu descendras du ciel by Éric GuiradoÉric GuiradoÉric Guirado is an French film director and writer born in Lyon, Rhône.-Career:Éric Guirado started his career as a journalist and his interest in social issues is apparent in the documentary-style of his story-telling...
- 2003: Le Coût de la vie by Philippe Le Guay
- 2004: VaadaVaada (film)Vaada is a 2005 Indian Bollywood thriller directed by Satish Kaushik. The film revolves around a murder amidst a convoluted love-triangle and stars Arjun Rampal portraying as Rahul, the accidentally blinded husband of Puja, played by Amisha Patel, as well as his best friend and Puja's obsessed...
by Satish KaushikSatish KaushikSatish Kaushik is an Indian film director and actor in Hindi films and theatre.As a film actor his most remembered for his role as 'Calendar' in Mr. India, and as 'Chanu Ahmed' in Sarah Gavron's English film Brick Lane...
, film by BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing... - 2005: Destination Fourvière by Gérard Courant
- 2007: Après Lui by Gaël MorelGaël MorelGaël Morel is a French film director, screenwriter and actor.- Biography :Morel was born in Villefranche-sur-Saône, Rhône, France, a small town of 30,000 inhabitants outside Lyon...
- 2007: Détrompez-vousDétrompez-vousDétrompez-vous is a 2007 French film directed by Bruno Dega. The film stars François Cluzet, Mathilde Seigner, Roschdy Zem, Alice Taglioni, Florence Foresti, Philippe Lefebvre, Talina Boyaci....
by Bruno Dega - 2007: J'veux pas que tu t'en ailles by Bernard Jeanjean
- 2007: La fille coupée en deux by Claude ChabrolClaude ChabrolClaude Chabrol was a French film director, a member of the French New Wave group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s...
- 2008: Les Liens du sang by Jacques Maillot
- 2009: The InternationalThe International (film)The International is a 2009 thriller film directed by Tom Tykwer. The film follows an Interpol agent and an American attorney who investigate corruption within the IBBC, a fictional merchant bank based in Luxembourg. It serves organized crime and corrupt governments as a banker and as an arms...
by Tom TykwerTom TykwerTom Tykwer is a German film director, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing Run Lola Run , Heaven , Perfume: The Story of a Murderer , and The International .... - 2009: Je te mangeraisJe te mangeraisJe te mangerais, I would eat you in English, is a French movie realized by Sophie Laloy.- Synopsis :The movie is about the difficult relations between two young girls, students in the Conservatoire de Musique classique de Lyon.- Cast :...
by Sophie Laloy - 2011: Les Lyonnais by Olivier MarchalOlivier MarchalOlivier Marchal is a French actor, director, screenwriter, and a former policeman. In 2005, he was nominated for three César Awards , for his film 36 Quai des Orfèvres....
International relations
- Lyon is a pilot city of the Council of EuropeCouncil of EuropeThe Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
and the European CommissionEuropean CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
Intercultural citiesIntercultural citiesThe Intercultural City programme is a joint project of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. It aims at stimulating new ideas and practice in relation to the integration of migrants and minorities....
programme.
Twin towns – Sister cities
Lyon is twinned with:| Sinop Sinop, Turkey Sinop is a city with a population of 36,734 on İnce Burun , by its Cape Sinop which is situated on the most northern edge of the Turkish side of Black Sea coast, in the ancient region of Paphlagonia, in modern-day northern Turkey, historically known as Sinope... , Turkey Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant... , Syria Beersheba Beersheba Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300.... in Israel Beirut Beirut Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan... in Lebanon Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... , United Kingdom (since 1951) Curitiba Curitiba Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to... in Brazil Dubai Dubai Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi... , UAE United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a... Guangzhou Guangzhou Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port... in China (since 1988) St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St... in United States (since 1975) |
Frankfurt in Germany (since 1960) Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing... in Germany (since 1981) Yokohama Yokohama is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu... in Japan (since 1959) Łódź in Poland (since 1991)' Yerevan Yerevan Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country... in Armenia(since 1992) Milan Milan Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,... in Italy (since 1966) Minsk Minsk - Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened... in Belarus (since 1976) Montréal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America... in Québec Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.... , Canada (since 1979) Gothenburg Gothenburg Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area... in Sweden |
Pécs Pécs Pécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economical centre of Baranya county... in Hungary Jericho Jericho Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently... in Palestinian Authority Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip... Craiova Craiova Craiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief... in Romania (since 1992) Varna Varna Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011... in Bulgaria Manila Manila Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,... in Philippines Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea... in Russia (since 1993) Ouagadougou Ouagadougou Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais... in Burkina Faso Kutaisi Kutaisi Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:... in Georgia (since 2006) |
Obtaining official documents in Lyon - Préfecture de Lyon
The Préfecture de Lyon which is in charge of delivering official documents for foreigners (carte de residence), has since the early 2000s been completely overwhelmed by the demand: people have to queue from midnight in the hope to obtain a ticket at 9:00 when the prefecture office opens, even for formalities that are, by law, automatic, such as a resident card renewal. As this constraint has never been mentioned on any of the official documents or web pages, it probably violates the French regulation about public service.See also
- Outline of France
- List of streets and squares in Lyon
- Gallia LugdunensisGallia LugdunensisGallia Lugdunensis was a province of the Roman Empire in what is now the modern country of France, part of the Celtic territory of Gaul. It is named after its capital Lugdunum , possibly Roman Europe's major city west of Italy, and a major imperial mint...
External links
- City of Lyon official website
- Lyon public transport company, including maps and timetables
- Official tourist office site
- Greater Lyon business official website
- Grand Lyon website (in French)
- A selection of 50 very representative photos of Lyon
- 'A Taste of Rome in France,' Travelogue in Sunday MidDay (India) by Arjun Razdan, 25-09-2011