Traboules and Murals

One of the things you can do in Lyon is go on a guided or self-guided tour of the Traboules. The linked page I have included provides a good explanation but basically they are covered (and hidden) passageways known most famously as being a means of transporting goods, especially silk by the silk workers (canuts) in the Croix-Rousse area so that the silk wasn’t exposed to the elements. During World War II, they were also used as a way to prevent the Germans from taking complete control of the region.

This last one below is in the Croix-Rousse district, near where we are staying and is quite famous.

Completed in the mid-19th century, the Cour des Voraces also played an important role in the silk workers rebelling for better wages. And as noted in the linked article, the construction of the staircase, in the early 19th century, was a technical and architectural achievement for its time.

In various locations across Lyon, there are expanses of walls of buildings that have been painted with murals – some including local celebrities. I’ve posted a couple of these before but here they all are together.

The first is the largest – again in our neighborhood – Croix-Rousse. It is known as “le Mur des Canuts” or the wall of the Canuts. On the left, the column of windows indeed comprises windows but the second column is just part of the mural. In the middle is the set of stairs that we encounter on our way to and from the Saône.

This next one is close to the Saône and it includes the celebrities. It can be a lesson in looking behind you – we had walked past this spot the previous day and only saw the smaller mural in front of us.

The next day, when I turned around, there was the “Fresque des Lyonnais Célèbres”.

Then there is this library image – “la Bibliothèque de la Cité”.

What is astounding for me is the evidence of the Roman occupation in the area. As we walk from Croix-Rousse towards the Saône, we can walk aside the remains of an amphitheatre, known as the Ampithéàtre des Trois Gaules.