The Place Carnot is a square located in the Perrache quarter, 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....

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Location

The Place Carnot is at the end of the 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...

, near the Perrache railway station. Bordered by the rue de Condé, it can be accessed by the rue Victor Hugo

Rue Victor Hugo (Lyon)

Rue Victor-Hugo is a pedestrian street in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, in the Ainay district of the Presqu'île quarter, reputed to be one of the most known shopping area of Lyon. From north to south, it connects the Place Bellecour to the Place Carnot...

, through the rue Henri IV and rue Auguste Comte. To the south, it follows the Cours de Verdun and the exchange center of Perrache

Perrache (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...

. 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 help reach the zone of Cours Charlemagne, either through the lobby of the Perrache railway station, either through underneath.

Traffic drives on the left to the north and in the opposite direction clockwise to move from the Cours Verdun Récamier to the Cours Verdun Gensoul, i.e. from 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...

 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....

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History

During the First Empire

First French Empire

The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...

, the square was named the Place des Victoires. It took the name Place Louis XVI under Charles X, and then Place Louis XVIII (1821–1848), Place de la Liberté (1848), Place de la République (1848–1849), Place Napoléon (1849–1871) and Place Perrache (1871–1889). The name Place Carnot was officially assigned by the municipal council on 18 February 1889, in honor of Lazare Carnot

Lazare Carnot

Lazare Nicolas Marguerite, Comte Carnot , the Organizer of Victory in the French Revolutionary Wars, was a French politician, engineer, and mathematician.-Education and early life:...

, a hero of the 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...

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The square was dedicated to Carnot by his grandson,
French President Sadi Carnot

Marie François Sadi Carnot

Marie François Sadi Carnot was a French statesman and the fourth president of the Third French Republic. He served as the President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894.-Early life:...

. President Carnot was assassinated in Lyon by Italian anarchist Sante Caserio on 24 June 1894, when he came to inaugurate a statue in the rue de la République

Rue de la République

Rue de la République is a street located in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements of Lyon. This is the main shopping street of the city. This zone is served by the metro stations Bellecour, Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel and Cordeliers...

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Description

An statue, allegory of the Republic, is on the square. This one has an area of 11,000 square meters and consists mainly of plane trees, with cypress

Cypress

Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...

es and Holly Oaks on the southern side.

Five to six-floor buildings of the 19th century, decorated and weel maintained, lined the north and east sides of the square. The Catholic University of Lyon

Catholic University of Lyon

The Catholic University of Lyon , also known as the Catholic Institute of Lyon , is a private university based in Lyon, France.-History:...

 is at the west.

There are a playground for children, a carousel

Carousel

A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...

 and a small sports ground. The square also hosts 140 cabin

Log cabin

A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...

s for the Christmas market. Farmer producers settle on Wednesday from 16:00 to 19:30 on the north side of the square.