LYON is
physically the second
biggest city in France,
a result of its
uncontrolled urban
sprawl. Viewed at high
speed from the Autoroute
du Soleil, the
impression it gives is
of a major confluence of
rivers and roads, around
which only petrochemical
industries thrive. In
fact, from the sixteenth
century right up until
the postwar dominance of
metalworks and chemicals,
silk was the city's main
industry, generating the
wealth which left behind
a multitude of
Renaissance buildings.
But what has stamped its
character most on Lyon
is the commerce and
banking that grew up
with its industrial
expansion. It is this
that gives the town its
staid, stolid and
somewhat austere air.
The city is now busy
forging a role for
itself within a new
Europe, with
international schools
and colleges, the new HQ
for Interpol, a recently
inaugurated eco-friendly
tram system, a second
TGV station with links
to the north that bypass
Paris, and high-tech
industrial parks for
international companies
making it a modern city
par excellence .
More so than any other
French city, it has
embraced the monetarist
vision of the European
Union and is acting,
with some success, as a
postmodern city-state
within it.
Most French people
would find themselves in
Lyon for business rather
than for recreation:
it's a get-up-and-go
place, not a lie-back-and-rest
one. You probably
wouldn't plan a two-week
stay - as you might in
Provence's cities - but
Lyon certainly has its
charms. Foremost among
these is gastronomy
; there are more
restaurants per Gothic
and Renaissance square
metre of the old town
than anywhere else on
earth, and the city
could form a football
team with its superstars
of the international
chef circuit. While the
textile museum is
the second famous reason
for stopping here,
Lyon's nightlife, cinema
and theatre (including
the famous Lyonnais
puppets), its antique
markets, music and other
cultural festivities
might tempt you to stay
at least a few days. In
addition it has been
long established as the
home of major
biennial festivals
of art and fashion.
Lyon is organized
into arrondissements
, of which there are
nine. A visit to Lyon
will necessarily take
you into the Presqu'île
(1e and 2e
arrondissements ),
the area between the
Rivers Saône and Rhône,
and you are more than
likely to spend some
time in Vieux-Lyon (5e)
on the west bank of the
Saône, as well as the
east bank of the Rhône
(3e), including the
modern development known
as La Part-Dieu.
The City
The centre of Lyon is
the Presqu'île ,
or "peninsula", the
tongue of land between
the rivers Saône and
Rhône, just north of
their confluence. Most
of it lies within the 2e
arrondissement ,
but it's known by its
quartiers , which
include Bellecour
, around the central
square, and Perrache
around the station. At
the top end of the
Presqu'île, as the Saône
veers west, is the 1er
arrondissement ,
known as Terreaux
, centred on place des
Terreaux and the Hôtel
de Ville. On the west
bank of the Saône is the
old town, or Vieux
Lyon , at the foot
of Fourvière, on which
the Romans built their
capital of Gaul,
Lugdunum. Vieux Lyon is
made up of three
villages: St-Paul, St-Jean
and St-Georges, and
forms the eastern end of
the 5e arrondissement
. The 9e lies to its
north.
To the north of the
Presqu'île is the old
silk-weavers' district
of La Croix-Rousse
, the 4e
arrondissement .
Modern Lyon lies
east of the Rhône, with
the 7e and 8e
arrondissements to
the south, the 3e
arrondissement in
the middle, with La
Part-Dieu TGV station
amidst an assertive
cultural and commercial
centre, and the 6e
arrondissement ,
known as Brotteaux
, to the north. North of
Brotteaux is Lyon's main
open space, the Parc
de la Tête d'Or .
The district of
Villeurbanne , home
to the university and
the Théâtre National
Populaire, lies east of
the 6e and the park.
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