LYON is physically the second
biggest city in France, a result of
its uncontrolled urban sprawl.
Viewed at high speed from the
Autoroute du Soleil, the impression
it gives is of a major confluence of
rivers and roads, around which only
petrochemical industries thrive. In
fact, from the sixteenth century
right up until the postwar dominance
of metalworks and chemicals, silk
was the city's main industry,
generating the wealth which left
behind a multitude of Renaissance
buildings. But what has stamped its
character most on Lyon is the
commerce and banking that grew up
with its industrial expansion. It is
this that gives the town its staid,
stolid and somewhat austere air.
The city is now busy forging a
role for itself within a new Europe,
with international schools and
colleges, the new HQ for Interpol, a
recently inaugurated eco-friendly
tram system, a second TGV station
with links to the north that bypass
Paris, and high-tech industrial
parks for international companies
making it a modern city par
excellence . More so than any
other French city, it has embraced
the monetarist vision of the
European Union and is acting, with
some success, as a postmodern
city-state within it.
Most French people would find
themselves in Lyon for business
rather than for recreation: it's a
get-up-and-go place, not a
lie-back-and-rest one. You probably
wouldn't plan a two-week stay - as
you might in Provence's cities - but
Lyon certainly has its charms.
Foremost among these is gastronomy
; there are more restaurants per
Gothic and Renaissance square metre
of the old town than anywhere else
on earth, and the city could form a
football team with its superstars of
the international chef circuit.
While the textile museum is
the second famous reason for
stopping here, Lyon's nightlife,
cinema and theatre (including the
famous Lyonnais puppets), its
antique markets, music and other
cultural festivities might tempt you
to stay at least a few days. In
addition it has been long
established as the home of major biennial
festivals of art and fashion.
Lyon is organized into arrondissements
, of which there are nine. A visit
to Lyon will necessarily take you
into the Presqu'île (1e and 2e arrondissements
), the area between the Rivers Saône
and Rhône, and you are more than
likely to spend some time in Vieux-Lyon
(5e) on the west bank of the Saône,
as well as the east bank of the Rhône
(3e), including the modern
development known as La Part-Dieu.
The City
of Lyon
The centre of Lyon is the Presqu'île
, or "peninsula", the
tongue of land between the rivers Saône
and Rhône, just north of their
confluence. Most of it lies within
the 2e arrondissement , but it's
known by its ...
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