Tourist information -
Lyon
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.
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