UNE PETITE HISTOIRE

It might be helpful to our readers to have a thumbnail overview of Lyon and its history.  (Speaking of thumbs, the French expression “manger sur le pouce” – eat on the thumb – means to grab a quick bite when you’re too busy to eat properly.  At a nearby mall we saw a snack bar named Sur Le Pouce.  But I digress.)

Lyon sits at the confluence of the large Rhône River, which originates in the Alps, and the smaller Saône River, emanating from central France.  In Lyon’s iconography going back centuries, the swift Rhône is often associated with a male figure, and the quieter Saône with a female figure.

Although the confluence of two navigable rivers has played a pivotal role in Lyon’s commercial and social development, the first known settlement wasn’t actually on either river.  It was a Roman imperial outpost on a hill west of the Saône, called Lugdunum.  Over the early centuries of the modern era (A.D.), Lugdunum became the economic and administrative capital of Roman-controlled Gaul.  Today, the site is part of the hillside district called Fourvière.  There’s a wonderful Gallo-Roman museum cleverly built into the hillside.

Roman amphitheater in Fourvière

Floor marble imported from throughout the Roman empire.

In the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, a town grew up on the right (west) bank of the Saône.  Today the area is known as Vieux Lyon (old Lyon), and some of its narrow streets look almost unchanged from the 15^th and 16^th centuries.  The area includes magnificent Renaissance mansions built by prosperous merchants and financiers, including some who arrived from Italy.  In the mid-20^th century, Vieux Lyon was threatened by a redevelopment and modernization project envisioned by the then-mayor.  The plan was defeated, and Vieux Lyon and adjacent neighborhoods were further protected by being named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

In the 17^th century the city expanded across the Saône to the finger of land between the rivers, called Presqu’île (“nearly an island,” i.e., a peninsula).  Presqu’île is the center of modern Lyon, home to major municipal buildings, museums, performing arts venues, and smart, Madison Avenue-like shopping streets.

Looking west across the Saône toward Vieux Lyon.

Hôtel De Ville (City Hall), Presqu'île.

Fountain by Bartholdi, Presqu'île.

At the northern end of Presqu’île, where the rivers diverge, is a line of hills.  The district covering the slopes is Croix Rousse, primarily a residential and small-business area.  From a historical standpoint, the district is best known for having become the center of Lyon’s large silk-weaving industry in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  With the advent of new, larger looms, the independent weavers, known as canuts, relocated to Croix Rousse to build homes with ceilings high enough to accommodate the tall equipment.  In 1831, a protest by weavers over the depressed prices paid by the wealthy silk merchants led to the shooting deaths of numerous canuts by soldiers.  In the 20^th century, the French silk industry became uncompetitive in the global market and has disappeared.

Silk-weaving demonstration, Croix Rousse.

Looking east from a high vantage point in Croix Rousse on a clear day, Becky and I were able to see the snow-covered mass of Mont Blanc, France’s highest mountain, some 50 miles away.

Mont Blanc, France's tallest peak, viewed from Croix Rousse.

Lastly, in the 19^th century the turbulent Rhône was brought under sufficient control to allow permanent development on its left (east) bank.  Several entrepreneurial developers acquired land rights and began to build up the district that includes Part-Dieu (“place of God,” for reasons unknown to us), where Becky and I are living.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

A visit to the Gallo-Roman Museum and two nearby Roman amphitheaters.

A visit to La Maison des Canuts, a small but fascinating museum devoted to the extinct French silk industry, including a demonstration of how intricate patterns were woven on the wooden foot-powered looms.

A visit to the Gadagne Museum of Lyon’s history, located in the mansion of a 17^th century Italian merchant.  Becky and I were the only people to sign up for an English-language tour on a recent Saturday morning, so we had a private tour with an engaging and knowledgeable young French woman.

Becky’s swim in a beautifully-situated municipal pool on the bank of the Rhône.

Shopping and taking in the scene at the market that pops up in our local square every Sunday morning.

Lunching on the plat du jour under the sidewalk awning of a corner restaurant on a lovely summer day.

The invariable friendliness of French people whose directions or help we seek, and the unsolicited help of a French couple who saw us studying our map.