Lyon

Places of Interest - France

introduction

The third city of France is called Lyon and is strategically built where the two rivers that enrich the city come together; the Rhone and the Saone. It is a commercial, industrial, but also an old and traditional city. The hill Fourviere is all decisive for the city since here the most important monuments of the city have been built and the city has been founded; a Roman theater and an Odeon and the much newer basilica and the metal (TV) tower that both have become city characteristics.

Lyon with its rich "Roman" past (Lugdunum) is known for its titles "the capital of gastronomy" and the "silk city" and its historic center has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998. The city has a fanatical football support (Lyonnaise), two major events (the light festival and a cultural festival on the "Fourviere") as well as two large exhibitions.

It has a number of very interesting museums, a large crowd of students and "Interpol" is located here. Some well-known Lyonnaises are the football players "Benzema" (Real Madrid) and "Djorkaeff" but also the musician "Jean Michael Jarre" and the ancient Roman emperor "Claudius" came into the world.

highlights

Vieux Lyon:

The center of ancient Lyon is formed by the Roman hill Fourviere which is part of the historic city (which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List). Here the Romans built a theater and an Odeon. In 1872 a beginning was made of the basilica Notre Dame de Fourviere which is nowadays an international pilgrimage site and is located on the route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Next to the basilica there is another attraction of Lyon: the metal tower that looks a bit like the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This is no longer allowed to climb for tourists unfortunately. From the hill you have a perfect view of the city with its two rivers (Saone and Rhone) and the traditional orange roof tiles of the city. You can also see the many dozens of bridges that the city is rich. Down in the historic city center you can enjoy the small cobbled stoned streets with shops, restaurants and cafes.

There are romantic terraces under trees on squares that you can discover for yourself and are surrounded by high brightly colored and sometimes chipped mansions. It feels like a true labyrinth to get lost. One of the things you should not forget when you're here is to visit one of the dozens of "traboules" or secret passages.

Museum Center d'Histoire de la Resistance et de la Deportation (see museums).

Other attractions:

The Fort and prison Montluc (used for example during WWII) and cemetery La Doua Lyon; here are 2723 French soldiers and resistance fighters who fell or were killed during WW2. There are also 39 Commonwealth burials and a number of Polish graves and the grave of Frère Benoît, Brother Henri Galdin. There are also 3622 French war graves from the First World War. Finally, there is the execution wall; here in WWII 78 people were killed by the Germans. Hotel Terminus is the former headquarters of the Gestapo and office of Klaus Barbie. Currently it’s used as a hotel.

history

It is claimed that at the place where later Lyon would appear a Celtic settlement was located. It is certain that the city in the year 43 BC. was founded by the Romans on behalf of Lucius Munatius Plancus. They called it Lugdunum and it became the capital of the newly conquered area Gaul.

It was and remained a very important strategic point in Europe. In 461, when the (western) Roman empire almost went down, the Burgundians captured the city and made it the capital of their kingdom Burgundy. A few centuries later when the Arabs invaded Europe they (in the year 725) caused great damage in the city.

In the Renaissance, the city experienced a flourishing period thanks to the silk trade with Italy. During the French Revolution in southern France, the city of Lyon was the most important resistance fireplace against the National Convention. The city was not only a popular refuge for the Girondins but also for Royalists. The convention decided to intervene militarily, besieged the city, demolished buildings (among other places in the square Place de Bellacour) and a bloody persecution followed.

Also in WWII, Lyon was a center for the resistance. First under the Vichy regime and later (when Klaus Barbie relentlessly tried to sabotage the resistance from his Gestapo headquarters) when the Nazis took over the baton. In addition to resistance leader Jean Moulin, about 4000 people were executed by the executioner of Lyon and about 7500 were sent to camps in Germany. On 26 May 1944 the city was bombed and on 3 September liberation followed. The retreating Germans had blown up 26 of the 28 bridges in the city.

tips & advice (2013)

About 25 km east of Lyon is the international airport of the city; Lyon St.Exupery. Lyon has two major train stations; Gare de la Part Dieu located about 1.5 km east of the river Rhone. The other is Gare de Perrache. A small number of local trains stop in the old part of the city (Vieux Lyon); this station is called Gare St. Paul. The Eurolines bus office is located in train / bus station Peschare.

Lyon - Grenoble: from train station Part Dieu there are trains every hour (15 minutes over the whole) to Grenoble. Costs are 21, 50 euro pp and it takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Name: Center d'Histoire de la Resistance et de la Deportation

Address: 14 Avenue Berthelot 7th

Price: 4 euros

Time: 09:00 - 17:30

Content:

Located in the old SD headquarters this museum is interesting. Before that it was a military health college. Unfortunately, the façade and all the archives were lost during the bombing of the train stations of Lyon during WW2 and it is unclear how the building was divided into personal sections during the war.

It is possible to get an image with an English booklet (since most information panels are only in French) of the WWII time of Lyon. Exhibitions are held in the cellars where prisoners of the Gestapo were once held.

The resistance, the hidden army, the liberation of the Americans and of course the atrocities of the Nazis and of Klaus Barbie (head Gestapo) in general are all discussed. A large piece of the lawsuit against Barbie, as a war criminal, is shown in 1987 in a film (40 minutes) but this was only at 14:30. The Gestapo stayed here until Allied bombing on May 26, 1944. This forced them to move to a building located on the corner of Place Bellecour and Rue Alphonse Fochier.

In the old historic part of Lyon are many beautiful authentic restaurants where you can eat; the narrow streets are packed with large terraces in every style and every kind you could wish for. In addition, the Lyon is a mecca for foodlovers and is known (next to Paris) as a city of food.

Wildcamp site: "St. Pierre de la Plaine"

Content:

Next to the cemetery in St. Pierre de la Plaine is a small passage where you can walk into the bushes where you can stay for a few nights. The sleepy village is about 45 minutes by bus (line 26 brings you from stop "Monissieus Clemencau" to stop Bachut where after tram line 2 leaves which can take you to the train station "Perrache" – this cost 2 euros from there you can walk into the center.

The grove (it is not big so you can not scream or raise your voice especially if there are people in the cemetery) is surrounded by houses on one side (you do not see this and you can do not go there because of the many thornbushes), the fence of the cemetery and parking on the other side and more thorn forests at the back. Watch out for the many thorns that can damage your tent but is fine for a while

Finally, there is often a woman present in the cemetery office that looks exactly on the sloping road that you have to walk down to get to your destination.

We asked at the information center what the costs are of a youth hostel (dormitory) in Lyon - the girls did not know exactly the price but it would be about 20 euros per night, per person including breakfast. If you want to camp, "Indigo Lyon" may be an option; it is located in Dardilly (www.camping-indigo.com) and a spot will cost around 10 euros.