Villeurbanne (; frp, Velorbana) is a
commune in the
Metropolis of Lyon in
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 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 an ...
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 ...
, 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. Si ...
. 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 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 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 (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 Unit ...
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, a disciple of
Tony Garnier (architect) 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
*
Lycée Pierre Brossolette
*
Lycée Magenta
Private schools:
*
Institution Scolaire Immaculée Conception is a private school from elementary to high school/sixth-form with three campuses, two elementary and one secondary.
*
École Beth Menahem (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 campus, home to the
Claude Bernard University (Lyon I), a public university,
CPE Lyon and the
Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, one of the premier engineering institute (
Grandes écoles) 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 (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 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 ...
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, Spain
*
Abovyan, Armenia
*
Bat Yam, Israel
*
Mogilev, Belarus
In addition, Villeurbanne has a friendship declaration with:
*
Stepanakert, Republic of Artsakh
Demography
In terms of population, Villeurbanne is the second largest city in the Metropolis of Lyon, the fourth largest in the
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 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 i ...
(1901–1987), tennis player
*
Charles Hernu (1923–1990), politician, mayor of Villeurbanne (1977–1990)
*
Mourad Benhamida (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 ...
(born 1987), race car driver
*
Florent Manaudou (born 1990), swimmer
*
Gnonsiane Niombla (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 mad ...
(born 1992), footballer
*
Willem Geubbels (born 2001), footballer
See also
*
Communes of the Metropolis of Lyon
The following is a list of the 59 communes of the Lyon Metropolis
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-Rhôn ...
References
External links
*
Villeurbanne Message Board
{{Authority control
Communes of Lyon Metropolis
Dauphiné
Cities in France