The Presqu'île (; literally "almost an island" in
French, meaning "
peninsula
A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula.
Etymology
The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
")
[''Le petit Robert de la langue française'' 2007] is the central part of the
City of Lyon,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. Extending from the foot of the
Croix-Rousse hill in the north to the confluence of the
Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...
and the
Saône
The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...
rivers in the south, it has a preponderance of cafés, restaurants, luxury shops, department stores, banks, government buildings and cultural institutions.
The
1st and
2nd arrondissements of the city are located here, along with the
Hôtel de Ville, Lyon's city hall in its 1st arrondissement. The spires of the
Church of St. Nizier, rebuilt from the 14th to the 16th centuries, are at the foot of the former Saône river bridge. With a history stretching back to the Middle Ages, Lyon's Presqu'île was inscribed on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage List
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
along with other districts in Lyon as a testimony to Lyon's long history as an important European city and its architecture.
History
This district was an important counterpoint to the
Vieux Lyon district in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
and the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
. Many picturesque streets still exist. Among these is the rue Mercière, where printers and booksellers gravitated in the 15th and 16th centuries and which still has some superb buildings. The Museum of Printing, housed in the former Hôtel de la Couronne, explains how Lyon’s first books were printed. Squares (in many cases decorated with fountains) and churches sprinkled throughout evoke the presence of numerous convents, including those of the Dominicans (
Jacobins
The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential List of polit ...
), the Celestines and the Conventual Franciscans (
Cordeliers), whose St. Bonaventure Church was rebuilt in the 14th century. Further south, the
Church of Saint-Martin d’Ainay in the
Ainay area was originally the church of
Ainay Abbey, a large
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
monastery, and is still a jewel of Romanesque art in Lyon.
The
Place des Terreaux was created in the 17th century, owing to the construction of two prestigious structures:
* The
Hôtel de Ville, or City Hall, was built between 1646 and 1655 by the architect
Simon Maupin and decorated by the painter
Thomas Blanchet. In 1674, the Great Hall was ravaged by fire, and the façade facing the square was redesigned in the early 18th century by
Jules Hardouin Mansart.
* The
St. Pierre Palace, formerly a royal Benedictine abbey, construction of which began in 1659 by the Avignon architect
François de Royers de la Valfenière. It now houses the
Museum of Fine Arts. The public garden in the former cloister is decorated with the work of famous sculptors and is a quiet, urban oasis. In the 17th and 18th centuries the Place Bellecour was created in honour of
King Louis XIV.
Nowadays, the Place des Terreaux hosts several restaurants and an impressive statue of a woman on a chariot; it is a common sightseeing destination within Lyon.
Place Bellecour 1.jpg, Place Bellecour and its equestrian statue of Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
Lyon - panoramio (12).jpg, Palais de la Bourse in the Cordeliers district
028. Photo prise depuis les toits de la Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière.JPG, Church of St. Nizier seen from Fourvière
Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon - Grand cloître, vue sur la chapelle sous une arche.jpg, Hôtel-Dieu
Théâtre des Célestins.jpg, Théâtre des Célestins
Façade de la mairie de Lyon.jpg, Hôtel de Ville
Fontaine Bartholdi Lyon 10.jpg, Bartholdi fountain, Place des Terreaux
MBA Lyon facade jour.jpg, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (Palais Saint-Pierre)
Modern times
Jacques-Germain Soufflot expanded the hospital located near the old Rhône bridge, building the
Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon along the banks of the river. Today, the hospital is closed. In the 2010s, works were underway to renovate the building, which now hosts a five-star
InterContinental hotel, shops, offices, apartments and the new Cité de la gastronomie. Numerous
hôtels particuliers were built in the vicinity of the Place Bellecour. The Hôtel du Gouverneur, built in 1730, now houses the
Musée des Tissus (Museum of Textiles) and the Hôtel de Lacroix Laval, designed by Soufflot, is now the Museum of Decorative Arts. In 1855, during France's Second Empire period,
Claude-Marius Vaïsse, Prefect of the Rhône département, created the
Rue de la République and
Rue Édouard-Herriot as part of a series of large construction projects. The Stock Exchange, built in 1860, is an example of the
Napoleon III style and is in the heart of the banking district. In the 19th century, two theatres were built: the
Célestins Theatre and the Grand Theatre, the latter of which is now the
opera house, rebuilt in 1993 by
Jean Nouvel. These are two of the city’s major cultural centres.
Though the business centre is located to the east in the
3rd arrondissement, road signs pointing to the ''centre'' of the city take drivers to
Place Bellecour in the 2nd.
''This zone is served by the metro lines , and .''
See also
*
History of Lyon
References
External links
Informations sur le site Lyon.frAssociation œuvrant pour la connaissance et la préservation du patrimoine de la Presqu'îleHôtels and restaurantssite tendancepresquile.orgSur la Presqu'île: some
traboules.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Presqu'ile
1st arrondissement of Lyon
2nd arrondissement of Lyon
Quarters of Lyon
Tourist attractions in Lyon