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This article is about the French city. For other usages, see Lyon (disambiguation).

Lyon (traditionally Lyons in English) (pronounced in French) is a city in east central France. Location: . The third largest French city, it is a major centre of business, situated between Paris and Marseille, and has a reputation as the French capital of gastronomy and a significant role in the history of cinema.

Together with its suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon forms the second largest metropolitan area in France after Paris, with 1,648,216 inhabitants at the 1999 census, and approximately the 20th to 25th largest metropolitan area of Western Europe.

Lyon is the préfecture (capital) of the Rhône département, and also the capital of the Rhône-Alpes région.

The city gave its name to the Lyonnais province, of which it was the capital. Today the region around Lyon is still known as Lyonnais (French: le Lyonnais), or sometimes even as the Lyonnaise Region (French: Région Lyonnaise). Lyonnaise Region is an unofficial, popular name, not to be confused with the administrative région of Rhône-Alpes, which is much larger than the Lyonnaise Region.

Lyon is also the international headquarters of Interpol.

Geography

Lyon's geography is dominated by the Rhône and Saône rivers which converge to the south of historic city centre forming a sort of 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 westward for the historic city centre.

To the west is the Fourvière, known as "the hill that prays", is the location for the highly decorated Notre-Dame de Fourvière basilica, 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.

To the north is the Croix-Rousse, "the hill that works", was traditionally home to the many small silk workshops, an industry for which the city was renowned.

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'ile and much of the Croix-Rousse are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, see below.)

On the peninsula (presqu'ile) between the rivers Rhône and Saône, is the third largest public square in France, and one of the largest in Europe, the Place Bellecour. Specifically, it is the largest clear square (i.e., without any patches of greenery, trees or any other kind of obstacles) in Europe.

East of the Rhône from the presqu'ile 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 center of Part-Dieu which clusters the former Credit Lyonnais Tower (central France's only skyscraper), the Part-Dieu shopping centre, and Lyon's main rail terminal, Lyon Part-Dieu.

North of this district is the relatively wealthy sixth arrondissement which is home to the Parc de la tête d'or, one of Europe's largest urban parks, and Interpol's headquarters.

Administration

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 445,452 (1999).

Lyon, similarly to Marseille and Paris is divided into 9 municipal arrondissements (often translated into English as borough), referred to by number. The arrondissements were originally created in 1852 when a number of surrounding communes (Croix-Rousse, Guillotière, and Vaise) were annexed to Lyon. Within each arrondissement, there are a number of recognisable "quartiers" or neighborhoods:

  • 1st arrondissement: Pentes de la Croix-Rousse, Les Terreaux, Saint-Vincent
  • 2nd arrondissement: Cordeliers, Bellecour, Ainay, Perrache et Confluent
  • 3rd arrondissement: La Part-Dieu, La Villette, Montchat, La Guillotière
  • 4th arrondissement: La Croix-Rousse, Serin
  • 5th arrondissement: Saint-Jean- Saint-Paul - Saint-Georges (Vieux Lyon), Saint-Just, Fourvière, Le Point-du-Jour, Ménival, Champvert, La Sarra, Saint-Irénée
  • 6th arrondissement: Les Brotteaux, Bellecombe, Tête d'Or
  • 7th arrondissement: La Guillotière, Gerland, La Mouche
  • 8th arrondissement: Monplaisir, Le Bachut, Mermoz, Les États-Unis, Le Grand Trou, Moulin à Vent, Laënnec, Grange-Blanche
  • 9th arrondissement: Vaise, La Duchère, Saint-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe

History

Main article for early history: Lugdunum.

Lyon was founded as a Roman colony in 43 BCE by Munatius Plancus, a lieutenant of Caesar, on the site of a Gaulish hill-fort settlement called Lug*dunon—from the Celtic sun god Lugus ('Light', cognate to Old Irish Lugh, Modern Irish Lú) and dúnon (hill-fort). The name was latinised as Lugdunum; Lug was equated by the Romans to Mercurius. Lug's 'totem' was a cock (rooster), hence the Modern French association with 'le coq'.

The three parts of Gaul mentioned by Caesar met at Lyon. 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 fortunate site 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.

The Christians in Lyon were persecuted for their religious views under the reigns of the Roman emperors Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus. The great Christian bishop of Lyon in the 2nd century was the Easterner Irenaeus.

Burgundian refugees from the destruction of Worms by 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.

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 center 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. Thanks to the silk trade, Lyon became an important industrial town during the 19th century.

Lyon was a scene of mass violence against Huguenots in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacres in 1572.

The silk workers of Lyon, known as canuts, staged two major uprisings: in 1831 and 1834. The 1831 uprising saw one of the first recorded uses of the black flag as an emblem of protest.

Lyon was a centre for the occupying German forces and also a stronghold of resistance during World War II, and the town is now home to a resistance museum. (See also Klaus Barbie.) The traboules, or secret passages, through the houses enabled the local people to escape Gestapo raids.

Culture

As early as the 13th century, residents of the region spoke a dialect of the Franco-Provençal language. This Lyonnais dialect was replaced by the French language as the importance of the city grew. Lyon was an early center for printing books, and nurtured a circle of 16th century poets. For several centuries Lyon and its bouchons have been known as the capital of gastronomy, fine handweaving, and the silk trade. The Lumière brothers invented cinema in the town in 1895. December 8 each year is marked by "la Fête des lumières" (the Festival of Lights), a celebration of thanks to the Virgin Mary, who purportedly saved the city from a deadly plague in the Middle Ages. During the event, the local population places candles in their windows and the city of Lyon organizes and projects impressive large-scale light shows onto the sides of important Lyonnais monuments, such as the mediaeval Cathédral St-Jean.

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.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Saint-Jean and the Croix-Rousse areas, which are noted for their narrow passageways (traboules) that pass through buildings and link the streets either side, were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1998.

Colleges and universities

Main sights

Transportation

Air

Saint-Exupéry International Airport is located 20 km to the east of Lyon, and serves as a base for regional and low-cost flights, including EasyJet. There are daily Ryanair flights from Saint-Etienne airport, and long haul flights generally depart from Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Rail

Lyon is connected to the North (Lille, Paris) and the South (Marseille, Montpellier) by the TGV. It was the first city to be connected by the TGV c. 1982.

Lyon has two major train stations: Lyon-Part-Dieu, which was built to accommodate the TGV and has become the principal train station for extra-regional trains; whereas Lyon-Perrache is an older station that now primarily serves regional rail transport. In practice, many trains, including TGVs, serve both stations. Smaller train stations include Gorge de Loup, Vaise and Venissieux.

Intercity Coach

Lyon is served by the Eurolines intercity coach organisation. Its Lyon terminal is located at the Lyon-Perrache train station.

Public Transportation

The TCL (French:Transports en Commun Lyonnais), Lyon's public transport, consisting of metros, buses and trams, serves 62 communes of the Lyon agglomeration. The metro system has 4 lines, including one fully-autonomous one, 38 stations and runs with a frequency of up to a metro every 2.5 minutes. The bus system consists of normal buses, trolley buses powered by overhead lines, and coaches for areas outside the centre, but which operate on the same ticketing scheme. Lastly, there are two tram lines, running from Montrochet in the south to IUT-Fessine in the north, and from Perrache station in the southwest to Saint-Priest in the southeast.

Vélo'v

Lyon has a public bicycle network of 2000 bikes which can be picked up and dropped off at points around the city. Known as Vélo'v, it is owned and operated by the advertising company JCDecaux, which refers to it as Cyclocity. The system was introduced in May 2005 and was a huge success in its first few months of operation. Despite occasional problems with the technology infrastructure or lack of cards in vending machines, it seems to have been adopted as a viable means of public transport.

It was reported in May 2006 that Vélo'v had led to a 33% increase in the amount of bicycle traffic in a year, while the number of bicycle accidents had remained stable, with about 90 injuries and one fatality. The number of pedestrian accidents caused by bicycles had also remained stable, with about 10 injuries and one fatality.

Miscellaneous

Born in Lyon

The long list of notable native Lyonnais includes:

Sport

Lyon is home to Ligue 1 Football team Olympique Lyonnais, commonly known as Lyon or OL. The team has enjoyed unprecedented success recently, winning the last five national titles and establishing themselves as France's premier Football club. The captain of the side, Juninho Pernambucano is one of several Brazilians at Lyon, and he has received many awards while leading his team to unrivalled success. The team plays at the impressive Stade Gerland and competes in the prestigious UEFA Champions League.

Twin cities

Lyon is twinned with:

Musical reference

In the Marillion song Bitter Suite from "Misplaced Childhood" there is a reference to Lyon.

Sources and external links

Lyon

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Lyon".

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