Lyon

Lyon (English, Lyons), city in east central France, capital of the Rhône Department, at the confluence of the navigable Rhône and the Saône rivers. It is the third-largest city in France and the centre of a metropolitan area second only to Paris in size and economic importance. A variety of manufactured goods are produced here including machinery, motor vehicles, electrical equipment, chemicals, and textiles. Large petroleum refineries are in nearby Saint-Fons and Feyzin. The University of Lyon (1808) now consists of three separate campuses: the University Claude-Bernard, or Lyon I (1970); University of Lyon II; and University Jean Moulin, or Lyon III (1973). Special points of interest in Lyon include two Roman amphitheatres; the cathedral (12-14th century); the narrow streets and Renaissance town houses of Old Lyon on the eastern bank of the Rhône; and the Textile Museum. The city contains the oldest stock exchange in France and several famous restaurants, and it is the site of numerous annual trade fairs.

Lyon was founded in 43 bc as the Roman colony of Lugdunum and was the major city of ancient Gaul by the 2nd century ad. Christianity was introduced into Gaul at Lyon, and the city was for centuries a leading religious centre ruled by archbishops. The French Crown annexed Lyon in 1307, and later in the 14th century it became a centre of trade and commerce famous for its silk industry. The modern industrialization of the city began in the 19th century. During World War II, Lyon was a centre of the French Resistance during the German occupation of the country. After the war the city underwent a period of modernization and expansion, with the completion of the Part-Dieu business quarter in the 1960s. An underground railway system was opened here in 1978. A monumental exhibition hall, Eurexpo, was built in 1980, the year in which the TGV station opened in Lyon. As a monument to town planning and urban design, Lyon was placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1998. Population 466,400 (2005 estimate).