Lyon off the beaten track: exploring Croix-Rousse

What’s successful the anagram OnlyLyon? What publicist thought up this superb selling strategy to beforehand France’s second-largest metropolitan country and third-largest city?

Lyon is simply a singular place: I person ne'er needed immoderate persuading to question to this Unesco World Heritage site.

I emotion its melodramatic presumption betwixt the Rhône and the Saône, rolling up and down the hills; its awesome Roman forum and exceptional museums. And of people who tin hide its gastronomy – not conscionable restaurants but the beauteous Saint-Antoine marketplace with implicit 100 vendors.

For applicable accusation and question tips connected Lyon, spot 2 caller articles successful MyFrenchLife™: savvy traveler tips and a metropolis usher to Lyon.

But fto maine archer you astir a portion of municipality that has ever eluded me: le Quartier de la Croix-Rousse. It’s named for the russet-colored chromatic transverse that was placed present successful the 16th century. A fewer months ago, I made a constituent to walk respective days successful the neighborhood.

A hillside of history

Away from the halfway of the city, built on a hillside that culminates successful a wide plateau, the Croix-Rousse was erstwhile the halfway of Lyon’s prosperous silk industry. In fact, the quartier was dubbed ‘la colline qui travaille‘, the elevation that works, portion Fourvière, the neighboring hilltop, was ‘la colline qui prie‘, the 1 that prays. That’s wherever you volition find Lyon’s majestic basilica.

Although the silk manufacture existed crossed the portion for hundreds of years, it was established successful the Croix-Rousse successful the 1800s. A stroll astir the country gives a bully thought of however extended the workshops were. Noteworthy are immoderate of their characteristically ample windows, designed to fto successful airy and air.

To larn astir the silk industry, halt by the Maison des Canuts. The depository features exhibits connected assorted techniques utilized successful textile production, specified arsenic the Jacquard loom, invented successful 1801. There are descriptions too, of the beingness of silk workers oregon canuts. There were implicit 200,000 by the extremity of the 19th century. Some of France’s earliest workers’ strikes for amended wage began here, successful the 1830s.

Today, the silk contented continues successful the area’s textile schools and modern silk factories. The week-long Festival Label Soie is held successful autumn, with tours and conferences.

Walls and concealed walks

Lyon is good known for its painted murals. One not to miss is the Croix-Rousse’s Mur des Canuts, the largest successful Europe. In the 1980s it was a blank partition and deemed an eyesore. Recently renovated, it offers a vivid representation of the vicinity and its inhabitants. It’s communal to spot tourists airs successful beforehand of the mural, joining successful its amusing trompe-l’oeil scenes.

And 1 much thing: the Croix-Rousse is the spot to research Lyon’s traboules. For centuries, these antithetic passageways person connected streets and buildings done a web of interior courtyards and stairs. During the Nazi occupation, members of the Resistance utilized shortcuts for speedy getaways.

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All images © Ronnie Hess.

This fashionable nonfiction was refreshed and republished successful 2025

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