Terreaux

Be it in terms of its past or its various buildings such as the Town Hall, the Opera House and the Palais Saint-Pierre, the Terreaux area is one of Lyon’s most prestigious districts.

The Terreaux district, a neighbourhood steeped in history

The Terreaux district has a prestigious history in which many important events took place. For example, it was on the Place des Terreaux in 1848 that the choice of the French tricolour flag was announced, the re-establishment of the Republic was declared from the balcony of the Town Hall in 1870, and General De Gaulle also proclaimed Lyon the capital of the Resistance from the same balcony. 

The fountain that should not have been

In 1857, the City of Bordeaux decided to create a Fountain for its Place des Quinconces. It therefore launched a competition, which was won by the young sculptor, Frédéric Bartholdi. However, it was not until 1886, after the inauguration of the Statue of Liberty, that the City of Bordeaux followed up its plan, and contacted Bartholdi once again.

He subsequently finished the fountain and presented it at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889. But the City of Bordeaux once again cancelled the project. Antoine Gailleton, the mayor of Lyon, thus decided to purchase the fountain. It was installed on the Place des Terreaux and inaugurated in September 1892. Had things ended differently, the Bartholdi Fountain, which now seems such an essential part of the Terreaux district, might never have been there at all. 

Musée des Beaux-Arts  

The Palais Saint-Pierre, the current Musée des beaux-arts [Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon], is situated at the southern end of the Place des Terreaux. In the Middle Ages, it was an abbey catering to girls of the highest nobility. It has been the Musée des Beaux-Arts that we know today since 1804. It houses more than 60,000 works, as well as a hidden restaurant: Les Terrasses Saint-Pierre, accessible via the museum’s garden. An atypical lunch spot, set in the peace and quiet under the shelter of the lime trees.

Life in the Terreaux district: at the heart of Lyon

Terreaux: a dynamic district

The Terreaux district is located on the Presqu'île, at the heart of Lyon. It is a meeting place, thanks both to its shopping streets and its bars and numerous restaurants, such as Le Cercle Rouge with its contemporary cuisine inspired by Asia and Latin America, the Lyon Gastropub and it splendid brunches, as well as Le Garet which is renowned as one of the best bouchons in Lyon. The Place des Terreaux lights up every year during the Fête des Lumières [Festival of Lights], one of the most eagerly-awaited illuminations, and usually the most magnificent. 

Transportation & Schooling 

Transportation

The Terreaux district is served by both the metro and numerous bus lines. Located at the heart of the Presqu'île, you are connected to the rest of the City. The C metro line provides fast access to La Croix-Rousse as well as Caluire-et-Cuire, while line A connects Vaulx-en-Velin to Perrache via Villeurbanne and the 6^th arrondissement.

Schooling 

Public schools 

• Chenavard nursery school

• Robert Doisneau nursery school 

• Michel Servet nursery school and primary school

• Victor Hugo nursery school and primary school 

• Les Tables Claudiennes nursery school and primary school

• La Tourette lower secondary school 

• La Martinière upper secondary school  

• Jacques de Flesselles upper secondary school

Private schools 

• Institution des Chartreux nursery and primary school 

• Saint Louis/Saint Bruno nursery and primary school

• Institution des Chartreux lower secondary school

• Saint Louis/Saint Bruno lower secondary school 

• Cours Pascal lower secondary school

• Saint Louis/Saint Bruno upper secondary school 

• Institution des Chartreux upper secondary school

• Jean Baptiste de la Salle upper secondary school