It has a very favourable geographical position being
close both to sunny Mediterranean beaches and the
snowy Alps. UNESCO classified its many historic sites
as part of the worldwide heritage. The Cathedral of Fourvière
Prehistory & Antiquity
In 20,000 BC Lyon was a marshy, densely wooded place.
Small tribes from northern Europe had already settled there and created the Condate at the bottom of the Croix-Rousse. They built a shrine at Fourvière to honour their god, Lug. Much later the city was given the name of Lugdunum.
In his mission to conquer the Gauls, Julius Caesar erected his war camp on this hill in 58 BC and Canabae, a supply village, sprang up at the bottom of the hill. On Julius Cesar's death, the general Lucas Muniatus Plancus founded Lugdunum (Lug: god, light, crow; dunum: hill, strong town, sunrise. There are many etymological permutations — the hill of lights? the hill of crows?) on the orders of Rome in order to welcome the Romans who had been driven out of Vienna. The second town of the Roman Empire after Rome, Lugdunum was proclaimed the capital of the three Gauls by Emperor Augustus. The Romans built a theatre, a forum, temples, the shrine which is said to be to Cybèle, baths, aqueducts and comfortable houses. On the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, the Amphitheatre des Trois Gaule became the political centre, where every year representatives of 60 tribes from three provinces met. The Gauls adopted the pagan rites of their conquerors and when they were exposed to Christianity from the east there was harsh repression. The martyrs, Deacon Sanctus, Bishop Pothin and St Blandine, were fed to lions in the same amphitheatre in the year 177.
The fall of the Gallic Empire (a short-lived offshoot of the Roman Empire consisting of Britain, Gaul and Hispnia) in 273 left Lyon open to barbarian invasions. The aqueducts,
sabotaged by the Germans, forced the water-deprived population to leave Fourvière and settle in the low
town (the basse, Vieux Lyon) around the Groupe cathedrale;
some remains are still visible today around St Jean's
cathedral. The Burgondes, the Sarrasins, the Francs as well as natural disasters, plague, fire and a huge flood in 580 stopped the town's evolution over the years.
Lyon in the Middle Ages
Lyon's dignity was restored for a short time under the reign of Charlemagne (742-814). Then, new conflicts weakened the town. Wars between noblemen meant the town frequently changed hands between Provence and Burgundy. Over the years Lugdunum became Lyon.
These battles did not abate until the eleventh and twelfth centuries. In 1079 Lyon became the seat of the Primate of the Gauls and therefore gained in importance and power. Houses, churches and abbeys were rebuilt (Saint-Paul and Saint Martin d'Ainay, for example), while specific areas of Old Lyon came to be defined according to the social class of their inhabtants: the central Saint-Jean Quarter was dominated by the ecclesiastic powers, the south at St Georges was home to craftsmen, and the North to men of law.
In 1307 Philippe the Fair annexed Lyon to the kingdom of France. The town, which had a population of 20,000 inhabitants, was ruled by twelve councils. The Hundred Years War did not immediately affect the people of Lyon, but from 1360, the town suffered from the barbarism of the brigands and Grandes Compagnies.
Towards Modernity
At the beginning of the fifteenth century Lyon saw a time of prosperity. It became the European trade capital. Its fairs (granted by Charles VII and then Louis XI) enjoyed an international acclaim, attracting merchandise and merchants from further and further afield until its influence extended to the Middle East and Asia. Bankers and usurers flocked to the town and a trade centre came into being on the Place du change (the first credit note was born). Silk and weaving were introduced by the Venetians and the Piedmontese. The printing press revolutionised life in Lyon. In 1473 La legende doree became the first book to be published in the vernacular tongue. Lyon enjoyed a brilliant cultural life with the likes of Louise Labe, otherwise known as "La Belle Cordière," and Rabelais, famous for his novel Gargantua and Pantagruel. The court came more frequently to this prosperous town. Feasts were sumptuous. Charles VIII and his entourage settled here in 1506. Magnificent Renaissance buildings beautified the town: Philibert Delorme's galery in Hôtel Bullioud, Gadagne, la Loge du Change... Lyon's special Traboules (shortcuts from one street to the next by going through the buildings) began to appear. The town had 50 000 inhabitants in 1550. Then dissent from the Protestants began to cause trouble. Religious wars ravaged the town. In 1562 the Terror began, churches were destroyed and people were burnt at the stake. The town was brought to its knees. Then Henry IV's troops brought order to Lyon. In 1600 he married Marie de Medici at the Cathedrale Saint Jean. Catholics and Protestants were reconciled. Four municipal magistrates ruled over the town. The Town Hall was built in 1646 and the services in Lyon were centralised.
A new phase of growth began in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The dazzling reign of Louis XIV benefited the people of Lyon and the town saw real change. The Place Bellecour and Cordeliers were built. The town extended to the left bank of the Rhône. The Hôtel de Ville, the Loge du Change, the theatre, and the Hôtel Dieu were entrusted to the architect Soufflot. Elegant buildings were erected and the equestrian statue of Louis XIV was built on the Place Bellecour. The town became more structured: a fire brigade was formed, cab drivers began to appear and street names were put up. The silk industry employed 60 000 people. The enlightenment saw the birth of the first veterinary school in Europe, the creation of the Aerostat des Montgolfier and the discoveries of Ampère.
After this redemption, decadence took hold again, in the form of the 1789 revolution. Lyon and its
150 000 inhabitants did not accept the Convention. People were persecuted, guillotined and the retaliation was gruesome. All aristocratic symbols were destroyed. The town lost everything but its name.
Contemporary Lyon
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the town became an important industrial centre.The silk trade took off in the eras of the first Empire and theRestoration. The Emperor praised the arrival of the weaving loom invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804. The silk workers put this new technique (one loom being the equivalent of men) into practice at the Croix-Rousse. There were no less than 400 companies, which exported as far as the US. However, this spectacular progress was not without repercussions and it led to the revolt of the silk workers in 1831 and again in 1834. At this time rapid progress was being made in all areas - the Lumière brothers invented cinema and the Institut Lumière was established in 1895. The industrial era was well underway, epitomised in the chemical industry by Rhône Poulenc, in pharmaceuticals by Meieux and in transportation by the construction of the automobile Berliet. There were also numerous significant additions to the city's skyline: the Opera, the Palais de Justice, the stock exchange, the university, the Prefecture, the Basilique de Fourvière were all under construction. The Parc de La Tête d'Or was developed. Grand buildings with beautiful facades were erected along the main arteries of the town.
Edourad Herriot, the mayor of Lyon from 1905 to 1957, ensured the development of the metal, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile and photo industries, finished work on the town's facilities and epanded the university centre. He entrusted the architect Tony Garnier with the construction of the Halle - an arcade of the same name, a hospital, a stadium and housing.
During the Second World War, Lyon became the capital of the Resistance with three big movements: combat, Liberation and Francs Tireurs. The chief of police, Jean Moulin, gave his life to the cause. The Red Army freed Edouard Herriot, who was brought to Germany.
After the war, the town improvements continued with the development of the transportation infrastructure, most notably that of the metro, Satolas airport, the motorways and the superfast TGV train service. The town also went through a modernisation programme with housing restoration (in the colours of the Renaissance) and the building of a conference centre, Euroexpo, exhibition park, Auditorium, Dance centre and theatre. The Opera was redone by Jean Nouvel, the Place des Terreaux was renovated by Drevet and Buren, and it was the age of the Murs Peints and Plan Lumières. Quays, ports as well as historical sites were expanded. New districts emerged: la Part-Dieu business and trade centre and its important Bibliothèque Municipale, and the International city with its Hôtel Hilton and its Casino, are two of the most significant developments.
Today Lyon is focused on progress and the future, while at the same time valuing its heritage - as it should - for UNESCO has classified 500 hectares as sites of historical interest. NEXT ->
Lyon has an extremely attractive setting, 
Canabae, a supply village, sprang up at the bottom of the hill. On Julius Cesar's death, the general Lucas Muniatus Plancus founded Lugdunum (Lug: god, light, crow; dunum: hill, strong town, sunrise. There are many etymological permutations — the hill of lights? the hill of crows?) on the orders of Rome in order to welcome the Romans who had been driven out of Vienna. The second town of the Roman Empire after Rome, Lugdunum was proclaimed the capital of the three Gauls by Emperor Augustus. The Romans built a theatre, a forum, temples, the shrine which is said to be to Cybèle, baths, aqueducts and comfortable houses. On the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, the Amphitheatre des Trois Gaule became the political centre, where every year representatives of 60 tribes from three provinces met. The Gauls adopted the pagan rites of their conquerors and when they were exposed to Christianity from the east there was harsh repression. The martyrs, Deacon Sanctus, Bishop Pothin and St Blandine, were fed to lions in the same amphitheatre in the year 177. 
The fall of the Gallic Empire (a short-lived offshoot of the Roman Empire consisting of Britain, Gaul and Hispnia) in 273 left Lyon open to barbarian invasions. The aqueducts, 
conflicts weakened the town. Wars between noblemen meant the town frequently changed hands between Provence and Burgundy. Over the years Lugdunum became Lyon. 
At the beginning of the fifteenth century Lyon saw a time of prosperity. It became the European trade capital. Its fairs (granted by Charles VII and then Louis XI) enjoyed an international acclaim, attracting merchandise and merchants from further and further afield until its influence extended to the Middle East and Asia. Bankers and usurers flocked to the town and a trade centre came into being on the Place du change (the first credit note was born). Silk and weaving were introduced by the Venetians and the Piedmontese. The printing press revolutionised life in Lyon. In 1473 La legende doree became the first book to be published in the vernacular tongue. Lyon enjoyed a brilliant cultural life with the likes of Louise Labe, otherwise known as "La Belle Cordière," and Rabelais, famous for his novel Gargantua and Pantagruel. The court came more frequently to this prosperous town. Feasts were sumptuous. Charles VIII and his entourage settled here in 1506. Magnificent Renaissance buildings beautified the town: Philibert Delorme's galery in Hôtel Bullioud, Gadagne, la Loge du Change... Lyon's special Traboules (shortcuts from one street to the next by going through the buildings) began to appear. The town had 50 000 inhabitants in 1550. Then dissent from the Protestants began to cause trouble. Religious wars ravaged the town. In 1562 the Terror began, churches were destroyed and people were burnt at the stake. The town was brought to its knees. Then Henry IV's troops brought order to Lyon. In 1600 he married Marie de Medici at the Cathedrale Saint Jean. Catholics and Protestants were reconciled. Four municipal magistrates ruled over the town. The Town Hall was built in 1646 and the services in Lyon were centralised. 
XIV benefited the people of Lyon and the town saw real change. The Place Bellecour and Cordeliers were built. The town extended to the left bank of the Rhône. The Hôtel de Ville, the Loge du Change, the theatre, and the Hôtel Dieu were entrusted to the architect Soufflot. Elegant buildings were erected and the equestrian statue of Louis XIV was built on the Place Bellecour. The town became more structured: a fire brigade was formed, cab drivers began to appear and street names were put up. The silk industry employed 60 000 people. The enlightenment saw the birth of the first veterinary school in Europe, the creation of the Aerostat des Montgolfier and the discoveries of Ampère. 
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the town became an important industrial centre.The silk trade took off in the eras of the first Empire and theRestoration. The Emperor praised the arrival of the weaving loom invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804. The silk workers put this new technique (one loom being the equivalent of men) into practice at the Croix-Rousse. There were no less than 400 companies, which exported as far as the US. However, this spectacular progress was not without repercussions and it led to the revolt of the silk workers in 1831 and again in 1834. At this time rapid progress was being made in all areas - the Lumière brothers invented cinema and the Institut Lumière was established in 1895. The industrial era was well underway, epitomised in the chemical industry by Rhône Poulenc, in pharmaceuticals by Meieux and in transportation by the construction of the automobile Berliet. There were also numerous significant additions to the city's skyline: the Opera, the Palais de Justice, the stock exchange, the university, the Prefecture, the Basilique de Fourvière were all under construction. The Parc de La Tête d'Or was developed. Grand buildings with beautiful facades were erected along the main arteries of the town.
After the war, the town improvements continued with the development of the transportation infrastructure, most notably that of the metro, 