Vénissieux (;
Arpitan: or in the
Lyonnais dialect) is a
commune 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 ...
in
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 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 ...
.
Geography
Vénissieux is located on the southern outskirts of Lyon.
Toponymy
The name ''Vénissieux'' derives from Latin ''Viniciacum'', itself crafted upon a Roman
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 ...
landlord named ''Vinicius''. Inhabitants are called 'Vénissians'.
History
Vénissieux was part of
Nazi-occupied France
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. In May 1944, the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
bombed the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
-held factories in the area, with a focus on
Berliet factories. On 2 September 1944, Vénissieux was liberated by the Allies.
Riots in September 1981, occurring particularly in the Vénissieux neighborhood of Les Minguettes, were some of the first of their kind in suburban neighborhoods in France. In the summer of 1983, riots again occurred in Les Minguettes, attracting significant media attention, and marked the first time cars were burned as a protest in France. France was experiencing a wave of racist crimes, particularly perpetrated against African immigrants from the
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
, particularly the former colony of
French Algeria
French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
(independent Algeria since 1962). On March 21, 1983, a police raid led to violent confrontation between a group of young people of Les Minguettes and the police. Demanding the end to police intimidation, a
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...
began. On June 21, 1983, during a police raid, a police officer shot and seriously injured Toumi Djaïdja, the young president of the association ''SOS Avenir Minguettes''. In response, the idea of a nonviolent march emerged in order to attempt to reduce tensions between the police and the youth of Les Minguettes. Priest Christian Delorme and pastor Jean Costil organized an extended, non-violent march, inspired by Reverend
Martin Luther King Jr.'s demonstrations calling for the end of segregation in the United States and those of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
for Indian independence from the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
. They demanded equal rights, and an end to injustice and social inequality. The
March for Equality and Against Racism grew into a series of events across France through the remainder of 1983.
Starting in the late 1980s, major urban renewal programs began transforming the Minguettes neighborhood, replacing old and crowded buildings and reducing high population density; between 1990 and 1999, the district's population declined by more than 2,000. Today Vénissieux is classified 'ZSP' for Priority Security Zone and still tarnished by a bad reputation because of its high crime rate. The district is home of about 22,000 inhabitants. Unemployment affects 40% of youth.
Transport
The city is situated between two boulevards. From south of the town the southern urban boulevard can be reached and from the north the Lyon ring road three exits that overlook the town can be joined : the exits of Parilly, Vénissieux center and the Moulin à Vent. The city is also very well served by the various means of transport by the TCL network. The last two, line D of the Lyon metro stations are located on its territory :
Parc de Parilly
Parc de Parilly is an urban park in the communes of Bron and Vénissieux, Lyon Metropolis. Created in 1937, the park encompasses an area of . The park includes numerous sport facilities, including a running track, a hippodrome, and basketball c ...
and the railway station of Vénissieux, the Lyon's tramway T4 line and three bus lines.
Vénissieux station
Vénissieux station (French: ''Gare de Vénissieux'') is a railway station in the town Vénissieux, a suburb of Lyon, Lyon Metropolis, France. Opened on 1 July 1858, it is served by the SNCF's TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
The station is served ...
has rail connections to Lyon and Saint-André-le-Gaz.
Population
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Vénissieux proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Vénissieux ceded the commune of
Saint-Fons
Saint-Fons (; frp, Cent-Fonts) 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 ( ...
in 1888.
[
]
Immigration
In 2008, the immigrant population was 13,846, representing 24% of the population: 4.6% of the population were immigrants born in Europe and 19.4% born outside Europe, mainly originating from the Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
.
Culture
* Cinema Gérard-Philippe
* Music school Jean-Wiener
* Médiathèques Lucie-Aubrac, Robert-Desnos, Anatole-France, La Pyramide (neighborhood libraries)
Monuments
Some monuments are really old, like "l'ecole du centre" or "l'école Pasteur". This two monuments were used by the Nazi during the World War II.
Religion
* Evangelical, Protestant, Catholic churches
* Mosque Eyüb Sultan
The city offers a strong socio-educational project with nearly 60 institutions. It offers a favorable school education with a high density of schools throughout the city.
* There are regular confusion between the residents of Venissieux (Venissian, Venissianes) and with the city of Venice (Venetian).
* Vénissieux, a bit long to pronounce is often shortened to "Vé" in the current language residents ex: "Gare de Vé".
Notable people
* Étienne Bally (1923–2018), athlete
*Florence Foresti
Florence Foresti (; born 8 November 1973 in Vénissieux) is a French comedian and actress.
Life and career
Following her high school studies in literature, theatre and dramatic expression at Saint-Just de Lyon, Florence Foresti entered a scho ...
(born 1973), comedian and actress
*Joseph-Désiré Job
Joseph-Désiré Job (born 1 December 1977) is a former professional footballer who played as a left-winger or attacking midfielder. Born in France, Job represented the Cameroon national team.
After starting his career in France, Job moved to ...
(born 1977), footballer
*Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin (born 20 August 1980) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2019 for the , and teams. He now works as a directeur sportif for UCI ProTeam .
Career
Dumoulin rode as an amate ...
(born 1980), cyclist
*Amel Majri
Amel Majri (born 25 January 1993) is a French-Tunisian professional footballer, who plays in the French First Division for Olympique Lyon, with whom she has also played the Champions League with, and won. She is naturally a midfielder, but ha ...
(born 1993), footballer, lives here
* Fares Ziam (born 1997), Mixed Martial Artist
Twin towns – sister cities
Vénissieux is twinned with:
* Manises
Manises (, ) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Oest in the Valencian Community, Spain. Located in the province of Valencia, it had 30,693 inhabitants in 2018 (NSI) and is famous for its pottery and being the location of Valencia Airp ...
, Spain
* Oschatz
Oschatz () is a town in the district Nordsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is located 60 km east of Leipzig and 60 km west of Dresden.
Geography
Site and climate
Oschatz lies in the Saxon Lowland and is located on the river Döllni ...
, Germany
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
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venissieux
Communes of Lyon Metropolis
Dauphiné