The Basilica of Notre Dame of Fourvière dominates the skyline of Lyon from its position atop the Fourvière hill. You can identify the structure by its four octagonal towers and the gilded statue of the Virgin Mary perched on its bell…
Lyon Through the Ages
This walk traces the history of Lyon from its Roman origins to its 21st-century modern architecture, exploring ancient theatres, historic squares, and revolutionary passages.
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1. Basilica of Notre Dame of Fourvière
2. Ancient Theatre of Fourvière
The Ancient Theatre of Fourvière is defined by its massive, semi-circular tiers of stone seating carved directly into the hillside of Fourvière, facing toward the modern city of Lyon. Built around fifteen BC during the reign of Emperor…
3. Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste
The Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste is recognizable by the two hundred eighty small stone medallions embedded into its façade, which depict a mix of biblical scenes and everyday medieval life. Located in the heart of Vieux Lyon, this…
4. Place des Terreaux
The Bartholdi Fountain, a monumental bronze sculpture of a chariot pulled by four wild horses, acts as the center of the Place des Terreaux. The square is framed by the seventeenth-century City Hall to the east and the Museum of Fine Arts…
5. Amphitheater of the Three Gauls
The Amphitheater of the Three Gauls is identified by a sunken, elliptical basin nestled into the slope of the Croix-Rousse hill. Constructed around nineteen AD, it served as the heart of a federal sanctuary where representatives from sixty…
6. Traboule et Cour des Voraces
The Cour des Voraces is defined by a massive six-story staircase that climbs the side of its inner courtyard. Built around eighteen-forty on the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, this structure serves as a traboule, one of the city’s many…
7. Parc de la Tête d'Or
The Parc de la Tête d'Or stretches across one hundred seventeen hectares, defined by a large lake and expansive green spaces that contrast with the dense urban fabric of Lyon. Prefect Claude-Marius Vaïsse commissioned the project in…
8. Centre d'Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation
The Centre d’Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation occupies a compound of late nineteenth-century buildings that once served as a military health school. Its red brick walls and tree-lined courtyard are situated on Avenue…
9. Musée des Confluences
The Musée des Confluences is defined by its deconstructivist architecture, a jagged assembly of glass and stainless steel that appears to hover above the riverbank. Designed by the Austrian firm Coop Himmelb(l)au and opened in December…