Villeurbanne (; frp, Velorbana) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Metropolis of Lyon The Metropolis of Lyon (french: Métropole de Lyon), also known as ("Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing t ...

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is situated northeast of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, with which it forms the heart of the second-largest metropolitan area in France after that of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Villeurbanne is the second-largest city in the metropolitan area of Lyon and the 20th most populated in France. In 2013, Villeurbanne was elected the city with the best administration of France, which attracts more and more people.

History

The current location of downtown Villeurbanne is known to have been inhabited as far back as 6000 BC. Its current name comes from a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

farming area, established at about the same time as Lyon (then ''

Lugdunum Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but continued an existing Gallic settle ...

'') and known as the ''

Villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

Urbana'' ("town house"). It would then become ''Urbanum'', then ''Villa Urbane'' and, ultimately, ''Villeurbanne''. Villeurbanne has belonged to the kingdom of France since 1349. It was then separated from La Guillotière (A former city lately incorporated into Lyon as the 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th Arrondissment) by the river La Rize, a former branch of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

River. Until the 19th century, the city was merely a patchwork of distinct villages separated by fields and undeveloped land. These villages have mostly survived, and nowadays form the neighborhoods of Charpennes, Cusset, Croix-Luizet, Maisons-Neuves, etc. With the industrial era, Villeurbanne's economy soared: the textile industry was the first to bloom, followed by mechanical and chemical ones. The factories lured in numerous immigrants, most notably from Italy.

20th century

Transforming from a rural community to an industrial town, Villeurbanne underwent a tremendous demographic boom in the late 1920s. From 3,000 inhabitants in 1928, its population rocketed to 82,000 in 1931. Mayor

Lazare Goujon Lazare is the French and Georgian form of the given name Lazarus, which is itself derived from the Hebrew name Eleazar. It is also a surname. Lazare may refer to: Given name * Lazare de Baïf (1496–1547), French diplomat and humanist * Lazar ...

(elected 1924) engaged the city in a vast public works initiative. Arguably the most visible heritage of this program is the Gratte-Ciel, a housing complex made up of two

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

towers and annex smaller buildings, lining up along the Avenue Henri Barbusse. These structures built between 1924-1934 are the work of architect Môrice Leroux, with a contribution of Tony Garnier. They are one of the most notable Art Deco structures in France and the 19-story twin towers have become an emblem of the city. Villeurbanne city hall was built by

Robert Giroud The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, a disciple of

Tony Garnier (architect) Tony Garnier (13 August 1869 – 19 January 1948) was a noted French architect and city planner. He was most active in his home city of Lyon, where he notably designed the Halle Tony Garnier and Stade de Gerland. Garnier is considered one of ...

and friend of Môrice Leroux. Repit agriculteur.jpg, Gratte-Ciel complex, Villeurbanne Place lazare goujon.jpg, Lazare Goujon Square and Villeurbanne city hall

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public senior high schools: * Lycée Faÿs * Lycée Alfred de Musset *

Lycée Marie Curie Villeurbanne In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...

* Lycée Pierre Brossolette *

Lycée Magenta In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...

Private schools: *

Institution Scolaire Immaculée Conception Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...

is a private school from elementary to high school/sixth-form with three campuses, two elementary and one secondary. *

École Beth Menahem École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

(a Jewish school from preschool to senior high/sixth-form)

Colleges and universities

Many colleges and universities of the Lyon metropolitan area are located in Villeurbanne. Many of these are located on the

La Doua LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

campus, home to the Claude Bernard University (Lyon I), a public university,

CPE Lyon CPE may refer to: Biochemistry * Carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae, a "superbug" resistant to antibiotics * Carboxypeptidase E, an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of neuropeptides and peptide hormones * Clostridium perfringens ente ...

and the

Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

, one of the premier engineering institute (

Grandes écoles Grandes may refer to: * Agustín Muñoz Grandes, Spanish general and politician *Banksia ser. Grandes, a series of plant species native to Australia * Grandes y San Martín, a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain ...

) in France, very well known for high quality education and for research in France.

Weekend schools

The ''Association Pour le Developpement de la Langue et de la Culture Japonaises'' (ADLCJ; リヨン補習授業校 ''Riyon Hoshū Jugyō Kō''), a part-time Japanese supplementary school, is held in the ''Maison Berty Albrecht'' in Villeurbanne.欧州の補習授業校一覧（平成25年4月15日現在）

.

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The , also known as MEXT or Monka-shō, is one of the eleven Ministries of Japan that composes part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan. Its goal is to improve the development of Japan in relation with the international community ...

(MEXT). Retrieved on May 10, 2014. "Maison Berty Albrecht 14, Place Grandclement, 69100 Viueurbanne, FRANCE" It was formed in 1987.

Transport

Villeurbanne is well served by the Lyon area public transit system, the TCL (

Transports en Commun Lyonnais The Transports en commun lyonnais ("Lyon public transport" in French; usually referred to as TCL) is the Lyon public transport agency. It is the second largest public transport system in France (after Paris), and covers 73 communes, including all ...

). The east branch of subway line A runs through the city heart, and the new

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

way lines T1 and T4 connects the ''La Doua'' campus to the Lyon business and commercial district of ''La Part-Dieu'' and the ''Presqu'île'' downtown.

Twin towns – sister cities

Villeurbanne is twinned with: *

Abanilla Abanilla is a Spanish municipality located in the Comarca Oriental (composed by Fortuna and Abanilla) in the Autonomous Community of Murcia. It lies close to the border of the province of Alicante in the Autonomous Community of Valencia. Geo ...

, Spain *

Abovyan Abovyan or Abovian ( hy, Աբովյան), is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia within the Kotayk Province. It is located northeast of Yerevan and southeast of the province centre Hrazdan. As of the 2011 census, the population of ...

, Armenia *

Bat Yam Bat Yam ( he, בַּת יָם or ) is a city located on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast, on the Central Coastal Plain just south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area and the Tel Aviv District. In 2020, it had a population ...

, Israel *

Mogilev Mogilev (russian: Могилёв, Mogilyov, ; yi, מאָלעוו, Molev, ) or Mahilyow ( be, Магілёў, Mahilioŭ, ) is a city in eastern Belarus, on the Dnieper River, about from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from the bor ...

, Belarus In addition, Villeurbanne has a friendship declaration with: *

Stepanakert / az, Xankəndi, italic=no , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...

, Republic of Artsakh

Demography

In terms of population, Villeurbanne is the second largest city in the Metropolis of Lyon, the fourth largest in the

region, and the 21st largest in France.

Notable people

* Henry Bertrand, silk weaver *

Henri Cochet Henri Jean Cochet (; 14 December 1901 – 1 April 1987) was a French tennis player. He was a world No. 1 ranked player, and a member of the famous " Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Born in ...

(1901–1987), tennis player *

Charles Hernu Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

(1923–1990), politician, mayor of Villeurbanne (1977–1990) *

Mourad Benhamida Mourad Benhamida (born 18 January 1986) is a French footballer who plays as defender for French lower league side Vaulx-en-Velin FC. Career Olympique Lyon Born in Villeurbanne, Rhône, Benhamida was trained in the youth sections and player dev ...

(born 1986), footballer *

Laure Manaudou Laure Manaudou (; born 9 October 1986) is a retired French Olympic, world and European champion swimmer. She has held the world record in freestyle events between 200 and 1500 meter. She is the daughter of a French father and a Dutch mother, and s ...

(born 1986), swimmer, world record holder *

Jean-Karl Vernay Jean-Karl "J. K." Vernay (born 31 October 1987) is a French professional racing driver. He was 2010 Indy Lights and 2017 TCR International Series champion. He has won races at the World Touring Car Cup, where he finished fifth in 2018 and won t ...

(born 1987), race car driver *

Florent Manaudou ] Florent Manaudou (; born 12 November 1990) is a French competitive swimming (sport), swimmer, an Olympic champion of the 50-meter freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics, and the younger brother of Laure Manaudou, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist i ...

(born 1990), swimmer *

Gnonsiane Niombla Gnonsiane Niombla (born 9 July 1990) is a French female handball player for Paris 92 and the French national team. On 1 December 2016, Niombla was awarded the rank of Chevalier (knight) of the French National Order of Merit. Honours *Olympic ...

(born 1990), handball player * Xavier Chavalerin (born 1991), footballer *

Amos Youga Amos Youga (born 8 December 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Bulgarian First League club CSKA Sofia and the Central African Republic national team. Youga started his career at Saint-Priest but soon made ...

(born 1992), footballer *

Willem Geubbels Willem Davnis Louis Didier Geubbels (born 16 August 2001) is a French professional footballer who plays as forward for Swiss club St. Gallen. Club career Lyon Geubbels started his playing career at Lyon's academy. He made his first team debut o ...

(born 2001), footballer

References

External links

*
Villeurbanne Message Board
{{Authority control Communes of Lyon Metropolis Dauphiné Cities in France