What is Lyon?

Ville de Lyon
Flag of Lyons	Coat of arms of Lyons
City flag	City coat of arms
Motto: Avant, avant, Lion le melhor. (Franco-Provençal: Forward, forward, Lyons the best)
Location
Coordinates
Time Zone	CET (GMT +1)
Administration
Country	France
Region	Rhône-Alpes
Department	Rhône (69)
Subdivisions	9 arrondissements
Intercommunality	Urban Community of Lyon
Mayor	Gérard Collomb  (PS) (2001-2008)
City Statistics
Land area	47.95 km
Population	3rd in France
- 2007	470,000
- Density	10,000/km (2007)
Urban Spread
Urban Area	954 km (1999)
- Population	1,452,952 (2007)
Metro Area	3,306 km (1999)
- Population	1,783,400 (2007)
French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Historic Site of Lyons*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Three of the main sights in Lyon, the Cathedral St-Jean, the Basilica Notre Dame de Fourvière, and the Tour métallique de Fourvière.
State Party	France
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Reference	872
Region	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Inscription	1998  (22nd Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Lyon (Arpitan : Lyion), also known as Lyons (former names include Lugdunum), pronounced (helpinfo) in French, is a city in east central France. It is the third largest French city, the first being Paris and the second Marseilles. It is a major centre of business, situated between Paris and Marseilles, 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 1,783,400 inhabitants at the 2007 estimate, and approximately the 20th to 25th largest metropolitan area of Western Europe.

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

Lyons is known as the silk capital of the world and is known for its silk and textiles and is a centre for fashion.

Lyons is also the international headquarters of Interpol and EuroNews.

Geography

Lyons' geography is dominated by the Rhône and Saône rivers which converge to the south of the 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 eastward from the historic city centre.

To the west is Fourvière, known as "the hill that prays", 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", traditionally home to 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 located 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. The broad, pedestrian-only Rue de la République leads north from Place Bellecour

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 centre of Part-Dieu which clusters the former Credit Lyonnais Tower (central France's only skyscraper), the Part-Dieu shopping centre, and Lyons' 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, the Lycée du Parc, which is located nearby, and Interpol's headquarters.

Climate Table

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C)	6.2	8.4	12.4	15.3	20.0	23.5	27.0	26.7	22.3	16.7	10.2	7.1	16.3
Mean daily minimum temperature (°C)	0.1	1.2	3.3	5.6	9.9	13.1	15.6	15.3	11.9	8.4	3.6	1.5	7.5
Mean total rainfall (mm)	52.9	50.5	54.8	72.3	87.8	80.2	62.0	69.0	88.3	94.7	75.1	55.5	843.1
Mean number of rain days	9.4	9.0	8.8	9.5	11.3	8.8	6.8	7.2	7.7	10.3	9.2	9.5	107.5
Source: worldweather.org

Administration

Lyons 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 466,400 (2005).

Arrondissements

Main article: Arrondissements of Lyon

Similarly to Marseille and Paris, Lyons 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 Lyons. In 1963 Lyons annexed the commune of Saint-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe, and in 1964 the 9th arrondissement of Lyons was created as a result of the annexation, thus reaching a total of nine arrondissements, which are still the arrondissements found in Lyons today. 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, Sans-souci
• 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, Parc de la Tête d'Or
• 7th arrondissement: La Guillotière, Gerland, La Mouche
• 8th arrondissement: Monplaisir, Le Bachut, Mermoz, 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. :Further information: Ecclesiastical history of Lyon

Lyons 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[o]dunon—from the Celtic sun god Lugus ('Light', cognate with Old Irish Lugh, Modern Irish Lú) and dúnon (hill-fort). Lyon was first named Lughunum meaning the "hill of lights" or "the hill of crows". Lug was equated by the Romans to Mercurius. Lug's 'totem' was a cockerel (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. Today the archbishop of Lyon is still referred to as "le primat des Gaules".



The Christians in Lyon were persecuted for their religious views under the reigns of the Roman emperors Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus. These included saints such as Blandina (Blandine), Pothinus, and Epipodius, among others.

The great Christian bishop of Lyons 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 Lyons, which is a constant structure in French development" from the late Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution (Braudel 1984 p. 327). The fairs in Lyons, 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, Lyons 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 Lyons' architecture can still be seen. Thanks to the silk trade, Lyonss 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 Lyons, 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.

Lyons 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 traboules, or secret passages, through the houses enabled the local people to escape Gestapo raids.

Culture

As early as the 13th century, the Arpitans, residents of the region spoke a dialect of the Arpitan (often called the Franco-Provençal language too). This Lyonnais dialect was partly replaced by the French language as the importance of the city grew. Lyons was an early centre 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 Lyons organizes and projects impressive large-scale light shows onto the sides of important Lyonnais monuments, such as the mediaeval Cathédral St-Jean. The church of Saint Francis of Sales is famous for its large and unaltered Cavaillé-Coll pipe organ, attracting audiences from around the world. Lyon also features a renowned opera house.

Two of France's best known wine-growing regions are located near Lyons: the Beaujolais to the North, and the Côtes du Rhône to the South.

The Brothers of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic congregation that operates schools in Europe and North America, was founded in Lyon in 1821.

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.

Main sights

These are the main sights of Lyons.

• Place Bellecour
• Tour métallique de Fourvière (1894)
• La Mouche Cattle Market and Abbatoir (1914, 1928), designed by Tony Garnier.
• Sainte Marie de La Tourette monastery (1960) designed by Le Corbusier
• Saint-Exupéry International Airport (formerly Satolas Airport, 1975), designed by Guillaume Gilbert.
• Opéra National de Lyon, renovated in 1993 by Jean Nouvel.
• Lyons Airport Railway Station (1994) by Santiago Calatrava.
• Cité Internationale (1998), designed by Renzo Piano.
• Cathédrale Saint-Jean
• Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière.
• Basilica of St-Martin-d'Ainay.
• The church of Ainay, dating from the tenth and eleventh centuries, is of the Byzantine style.
• The doorway of St. Nizier's (fifteenth century) was carved in the sixteenth century by Philibert Delorme.

Colleges and universities

• CPE Lyon
• École Centrale de Lyon
• ECAM Lyon (École Catholique d'Arts et Métiers de Lyon)
• EM Lyon (École de Management de Lyon)
• École Normale Supérieure de Lyon
• École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines
• École Nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon
• Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (located in Villeurbanne)
• Institut d'études politiques de Lyon
• Institution des Chartreux http://www.leschartreux.com
• Université Claude Bernard (Lyon I)
• Université Louis Lumière (Lyon II)
• Université Jean Moulin (Lyon III)
• Catholic University of Lyon
• Université professionelle internationale de Lyon (UPIL)
• ESDES Business School
• École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État
• Le Lycée du Parc
• La Martiniere Lyon
• Centre Européen d'Enseignement Supérieur de l'Ostéopathie- (CEESO) http://www.ceeso.com

International schools in Lyons

There are several international schools in Lyons, including:

• EM Lyons Business School
• Ombrosa (private school)
• International School of Lyons (private school)
• Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon

Sport

Lyons 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 six national titles and establishing themselves as France's premier Football club. The captain of the side, Juninho Pernambucano is one of several Brazilians at Lyons, and he has received many awards while leading his team to unrivalled success. The team competes in the prestigious UEFA Champions League and plays at the impressive Stade de Gerland, where the Danone Nations Cup is held every year. Lyons also has a rugby union team, Lyon OU, currently playing in division 2, Rugby Pro D2. In Addition Lyons has a Rugby à Treize side. Lyon Villeurbanne Rhône à XIIIL[1] are a Rugby League club in the French rugby league championship the club currently plays out of Stade George Lyvet in Villeurbanne. Then, Villeurbanne have a famous basket ball team: l' ASVEL

Transport

Air

Saint-Exupéry International Airport is located 20 km to the east of Lyon, and serves as a base for regional and international flights.

Rail

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

Lyons 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, Venissieux and Saint-Paul.

Lyons Saint-Exupéry International Airport is also directly connected to the TGV with its own station.

Road

The City is at the heart of a dense road network and is the meeting point of several motorways: A6 (to Paris), A7 (to Marseille), A42 (to Geneve), A43 (Grenoble). The city is now bypassed by the A46.

Intercity coach

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

Public transport

Further information: Lyon Metro and Tramways in Lyon

The TCL (French: Transports en Commun Lyonnais), Lyons' public transport system, consisting of metros, buses and trams, serves 62 communes of the Lyon agglomeration. The metro system has 4 lines, 38 stations and runs with a frequency of up to a metro every 2 minutes. The bus system consists of normal buses, trolleybuses and coaches for areas outside the centre, but which operate on the same ticketing scheme. There are three tram lines since December 2006: T1 from from Montrochet in the south to IUT-Fessine in the north, Tram T2 from Perrache station in the southwest to Saint-Priest in the southeast, and Tram T3 from Part-Dieu to Meyzieu.

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 several hundred stations throughout the city.

Miscellaneous

Born in Lyon

The long list of notable native Lyonnais includes:

• Éric Abidal (1979- ), football player
• André-Marie Ampère (1775-1836)
• Pierre Autin-Grenier, (1947-), writer
• Shlomo Aviner (1943- ), Religious Zionist rabbi
• Pierre-Simon Ballanche (1776-1847), Christian philosopher
• Azouz Begag (1957- ), writer and politician
• Caracalla (186-217), Roman emperor
• David Charvet (1972- ), actor and singer
• Claudius (10 BC-54 AD), Roman emperor
• Pierre Coton (1564-1626), Jesuit confessor to kings Henry IV and Louis XIII
• André Coindre (1787-1826), founder of the order of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart
• Clovis Cornillac (1967- ), French actor
• Youri Djorkaeff (1968- ), football player
• Raymond Domenech (1952- ), football trainer and manager
• Jules Favre (1809-1880), republican statesman
• Tony Garnier (1869-1948), architect and utopian planner
• Marie-France Gaîté (Gribouille) (1941-1968), singer
• Ludovic Giuly (1976- ), football player
• Hector Guimard (1867-1942), Art Nouveau architect
• Maurice Herzog (1919- ), mountaineer
• Jean Michel Jarre (1948- ), musician
• Maurice Jarre (1924- ), composer
• Allan Kardec (1804-1869), systematizer of spiritism
• Louise Labé (ca. 1520-1566), poet called "La Belle Cordière"
• Bernard Lacombe (1952- ), football player
• Sarah LeTarte (1991- ), French actress
• Mathias Loras (1792-1858), first bishop of colonial Dubuque, Iowa
• Claude Martin (1735-1800), soldier, colonial official, and posthumous founder of La Martiniere College
• Abbé Morellet (1727-1819), economist and writer
• Olivier Panis (1966- ), Formula One racing driver
• Dominique Perben (1945- ), politician
• Abbé Pierre (Henri Antoine Grouès) (1912-2007), founder of the Emmaus movement
• Bernard Pivot (1935- ), journalist
• Maximine Portaz, pseudonyme Savitri Devi (1905-1982), esoteric Hitlerist author
• Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824-1898), painter
• François Rabelais (1494-1553), writer
• Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), aviation pioneer and writer
• Jean-Baptiste Say (1767-1832), French economist and businessman
• Maurice Scève (c. 1500-c. 1564), 16th century poet
• Sidonius Apollinaris (430-489)
• Bertrand Tavernier (1941- ), movie director
• Abbé Terray (1715-1778), controller general of finance under Louis XVI
• Jean-Claude Trichet (1942- ), president of Banque de France and European Central Bank
• Madeleine Ravel
• John Duncan, Scottish philosopher and philanthropist

Sister cities

Lyon's sister cities are:

• Beersheba, Israel
• Birmingham, United Kingdom, since 1951
• Curitiba, Brazil
• Guangzhou, People's Republic of China, since 1988
• Milan, Italy, since 1966
• Saint Louis, United States, since 1975
• Philadelphia, United States
• Frankfurt, Germany, since 1960
• Leipzig, Germany, since 1981
• Yokohama, Japan, since 1959
• Kutaisi, Georgia, since 2006
• Yerevan, Armenia
• Łódź, Poland, since 1992
• Montréal, Québec, Canada, since 1989
• Gothenburg, Sweden
• Pécs, Hungary
• Craiova, Romania, since 1992
• Varna, Bulgaria

Cultural references

• The city figures in the play The Lyons Mail by Charles Reade, which was adapted into a film in 1931.
• Lyon in the year 1656 is described by Samuel Chappuzeau in his book Lyon dans son lustre.
• A historical article about a 19th century flood inspired the 1979 song "The Flood at Lyons" by the rock band Renaissance.
• In the Marillion song "Bitter Suite" from Misplaced Childhood there is a reference to Lyon. The line is: "The sky was bible black in Lyons, when I met the Magdalene."
• Morrissey, former singer with The Smiths, briefly mentions Lyon in the 2006 song "Christian Dior," the B-side to "In The Future When All's Well".
• Lyon is the name of a multi-player level in the real-time strategy game Company of Heroes.
• The African Museum of Lyon Website

External links

• Lyons Official Web Site
• Lyon Travel Guide
• Tourist Information
• Lyon Town Hall
• Lyon Partner cities
• Musée de l'Imprimerie de Lyon: one of the major printing history museums of Europe, with the Gutenburg at Mainz and the Plantin at Antwerp -- the Museum offers exhibits & conferences & classes for both adults and children -- occupies a beautiful old building (former city hall) in central Lyon.
• Objectif Lyon Pictures and descriptions of the monuments
• Lyon Photogallery
• 149 photos from Lyon
• Lyon City Guide History, photos, descriptions of churches and other religious sites, and travel information.
• Maps including public transport
• Phonebook of Lyon
• Lyon Poche, time out guide : cinema times, restaurants, concerts, theatre, expositions...
• Lyon City Guide
• murals.trompe-l-oeil.info Outdoor Murals and trompe-l-oeil of Lyon (and France, more than 11 000 pictures)
• Photoblog about Lyons, a picture a day

•  • [ e] World Heritage Sites in France

Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe Amiens Cathedral Roman and Romanesque Monuments, Arles Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge, Avignon Belfries of Belgium and France (with ) Bordeaux, Port of the Moon Bourges Cathedral Canal du Midi Gulf of Porto (Calanche of Piana • Gulf of Girolata • Scandola Reserve) Carcassonne Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims Chartres Cathedral Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay Le Havre Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes Lyon Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay Fontainebleau Palace and Park Palace and Park of Versailles Paris – Banks of the Seine Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrire and Place d'Alliance, Nancy Pont du Gard Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vzre Valley Provins Pyrnes – Mont Perdu (with ) Routes of Santiago de Compostela Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans Saint-milion Strasbourg – Grande le Vzelay Church and Hill