Place Antonin Poncet
Encyclopedia
The Place Antonin-Poncet is a square located in the Bellecour quarter, near the Place Bellecour
, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon
. It is served by the metro station Bellecour of the lines A and D, and by many buses (10-12-14-15-29-30-35-53-58-88-99). The square belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site
by UNESCO.
, between Place Bellecour
and the Rhône
. The rue des Marronniers
, a small pedestrian street famous for its many bouchon
s, can be reached from the square. It has also stairs leading down to the river of the Rhône.
The square was designed by landscaper Michel Bourne in 1990.
The square has a rectangular form from east to west. To the south, it is bordered by the post hotel with an architecture composed of long horizontal lines, which replaced in 1938 the Hôpital de la Charité, was designed under the supervision of architect Michel Roux Spitz between 1935 and 1938, in an almost identical style to the classical 18th century facades of the north of the square. The building is adorned with a 250-m² wall painting by Louis Bouquet which evokes the "worldwide influence of Lyon through the exchange and waves". Around its entrances, there are bas-reliefs sculpted by Georges Salendre, JH Bardey and Renard. In the north, the buildings, made by JF Desarnod, have Lyon-styled facades and a ground floor composed of trades. The western part of the square, elevated (50 cm) in 1980, is bordered with rows of lime trees to the north and south and is the location of many events. There are lawn
s, fountains and benches.
The vegetation is manly composed of horse chestnuts, maple
s and magnolia
s.
At the end of the square, next to the river, there is a giant bunch of flowers, that is a work of contemporary art
created by Korean Jeong-Hwa Choi, entitled The Flower Tree.
was erected on the square, Princess Caroline of Naples and Sicily
went down it and listened to a welcome speech by the Lyon mayor. In 1858, the offices of Le Salut Public were located at No. 18. Among famous inhabitants of the square, there were the king's commissioner Pierre-Thomas Rambaud (1792) and the king's court adviser Devienne (1834).
On the Place Antonin-Poncet, there is the bell tower
of the old Hôpital de la Charité. The hospital, built in 1622 by Martellange, was destroyed in 1934. The bell tower, built in 1665-66 par J.Abraham, was the sole monument retained. At the time, it was the second largest hospital in Lyon after the Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon
and was more of a hospice than a hospital.
The square is named after the doctor Antonin Poncet
(1849, Lyon - 1913), who did not work at the Hôpital de la Charité, but at the Hôtel-Dieu. Before the deliberation of the municipal council on 29 December 1913, the square was called Place de la Charité.
On the square, a monument composed of two steel
plates of two meters high is a tribute to victims of Armenian genocide
, and was inaugurated on 24 April 2006.
is installed. But since 2006, due to major work on the square, the wheel is located a few meters further, on 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...
, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon
2nd arrondissement of Lyon
The 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....
. It is served by the metro station Bellecour of the lines A and D, and by many buses (10-12-14-15-29-30-35-53-58-88-99). The square belongs to the zone classified as 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...
by UNESCO.
Location and description
The square is in 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...
, between 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 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...
. The rue des Marronniers
Rue des Marronniers
The Rue des Marronniers is a street located in the Bellecour quarter, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. It is a small paved pedestrian street famous for its many bouchons. It is served by the metro station Bellecour and many buses...
, a small pedestrian street famous for its many 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, can be reached from the square. It has also stairs leading down to the river of the Rhône.
The square was designed by landscaper Michel Bourne in 1990.
The square has a rectangular form from east to west. To the south, it is bordered by the post hotel with an architecture composed of long horizontal lines, which replaced in 1938 the Hôpital de la Charité, was designed under the supervision of architect Michel Roux Spitz between 1935 and 1938, in an almost identical style to the classical 18th century facades of the north of the square. The building is adorned with a 250-m² wall painting by Louis Bouquet which evokes the "worldwide influence of Lyon through the exchange and waves". Around its entrances, there are bas-reliefs sculpted by Georges Salendre, JH Bardey and Renard. In the north, the buildings, made by JF Desarnod, have Lyon-styled facades and a ground floor composed of trades. The western part of the square, elevated (50 cm) in 1980, is bordered with rows of lime trees to the north and south and is the location of many events. There are lawn
Lawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
s, fountains and benches.
The vegetation is manly composed of horse chestnuts, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s and magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
s.
At the end of the square, next to the river, there is a giant bunch of flowers, that is a work of contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
created by Korean Jeong-Hwa Choi, entitled The Flower Tree.
History and monuments
In 1816, a triumphal archTriumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
was erected on the square, Princess Caroline of Naples and Sicily
Princess Caroline of Naples and Sicily
Caroline of Naples and Sicily was the daughter of the future King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his first wife, Maria Clementina of Austria.-Life:...
went down it and listened to a welcome speech by the Lyon mayor. In 1858, the offices of Le Salut Public were located at No. 18. Among famous inhabitants of the square, there were the king's commissioner Pierre-Thomas Rambaud (1792) and the king's court adviser Devienne (1834).
On the Place Antonin-Poncet, there is the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
of the old Hôpital de la Charité. The hospital, built in 1622 by Martellange, was destroyed in 1934. The bell tower, built in 1665-66 par J.Abraham, was the sole monument retained. At the time, it was the second largest hospital in Lyon after the Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon
Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon
Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon is a functioning hospital of historical significance situated on the west bank of the Rhone river, on the "Presque-isle" ....
and was more of a hospice than a hospital.
The square is named after the doctor Antonin Poncet
Antonin Poncet
Antonin Poncet was a French surgeon.He studied medicine in Lyon, where he served as interne des hôpitaux. He was a member of the Lyon ambulance corps during the Franco-Prussian War, and in 1878 became a member of the surgical section of the Lyon faculty of medicine...
(1849, Lyon - 1913), who did not work at the Hôpital de la Charité, but at the Hôtel-Dieu. Before the deliberation of the municipal council on 29 December 1913, the square was called Place de la Charité.
On the square, a monument composed of two steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
plates of two meters high is a tribute to victims of Armenian genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
, and was inaugurated on 24 April 2006.
Major events
Every winter, a 60-meter Ferris wheelFerris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
is installed. But since 2006, due to major work on the square, the wheel is located a few meters further, on the Place Bellecour.