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About
Lyon
Situated
at the crossroads of Northern Europe and the Mediterranean,
travellers have often passed through Lyon but not always
given this city the attention it deserves. Two hours from
the alpine ski resorts and three hours from the sea, Lyon
– the capital of the Rhône-Alpes region and the
second largest contributor to the French economy after Paris
– is more than worthy of a detour on the way to the
sun or the ski slopes.
In
December 1998, Lyon became one of only a few urban centres
on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city’s major
asset resides in the way that it has developed, enabling
each of its districts to conserve their own distinctive
architectural hallmarks. As a city, Lyon is characterised
by contrasts in its setting, between its two hills –
the Fourvière and Croix-Rousse – and between
its two rivers – the Rhone and the Sâone. Lyon
also demonstrates its mixed heritage, by displaying traits
of a typical northern French town in some areas, while other
features bear witness to its Latin heritage.
The
city’s history begins on Fourvière Hill, where
vestiges of the original Roman city are still evident. The
Romans named Lyon Lugdunum, meaning the ‘city of light’.
This tradition continues to the present day – every
evening throughout the year, more than one hundred sites
throughout the city are lit up to show the splendour of
Lyon’s architecture.
The
best way for one to fully appreciate two millennia of Lyon’s
historical heritage is on foot. The sunny and temperate
weather lends itself to strolling through the streets, appreciating
the architectural splendour of the city. Walking around,
the visitor passes through a number of historical eras,
from Fourvière Hill and its Roman settlement to evidence
of Lyon’s power in the Gallo-Roman period. Old Lyon
(Vieux Lyon) contains the largest display of Renaissance
architecture in France, which dates back to the end of the
15th century, when it became an important and wealthy trade
centre, famous for its fairs and its silk industry. Strolling
around Lyon is the only way for visitors to discover and
enjoy an authentic local feature, the traboules. These covered
passageways were created during the Renaissance, initially
as short cuts, although they later became escape routes
for the French resistance during World War II
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