Old Lyon is the most extensive and most obviously the old Renaissance district of the city in the fifth district. In 1954, it became the first place in France, which fell under the protection of the Law of Malraux on the protection of cultural monuments. The territory of Old Lyon, located at the foot of Fourviere Hill, is about 424 hectares, and it is one of the largest Renaissance urban areas in Europe.

The district consists of several blocks. The quarter of St. Jean in the Middle Ages was the center of the political and religious power of the city, and until now St. Jean street remains the main street of Old Lyon. Here is the cathedral of Saint-Jean, a beautiful Gothic building. The adjoining to the cathedral construction of the Manecanteri is one of the few surviving examples of the Romanesque style in architecture in Lyons. Also in the Saint-Jean quarter is the Miniature Museum: it occupies the former building of the Golden Cross Tavern of the 15th century

Saint Paul's Quarter in the 15th-16th centuries was It is populated mainly by Italian bankers and merchants. They built here characteristic urban mansions, which have survived until now. The two most notable of them are the Hotel Boulogne and the hotel de Gadan. In them today are the Historical Museum of Lyon and the International Museum of Puppets. Loge du Sanghe refers to the period when the fairs made Lyon a rich city. The Romanesque church of Saint-Paul is distinguished by a noticeable tower with a catchy spire.

The quarter of Saint-Georges in the 16th century was occupied mainly by weaving manufactories, which in the 19th century moved to the Croix-Rousse hill. In 1844, Pierre Bossan rebuilt the church of Saint-Georges, which is on the shore of Saona, giving it a neo-Gothic look. Here, in Saint-Georges, is one of the most characteristic and photographed buildings in Lyon and the symbol of the Old City: The Pink Tower. It was built in the 17th century according to an older project

In addition, in the Middle Ages, when there were only a few parallel streets between the hill and Saona, it was in this quarter that the trawls began to appear, which are now considered one from the most characteristic city sights. The trawls and through corridors in the buildings connected the streets with each other and represented either covered galleries or very narrow open alleys. Today the most famous tourist trawls of Lyon are marked with special signs

Walking around Old Lyon is possible without any plan and goal . But if you want to fulfill the obligatory program, find the street for the beginning of Gadan . This is a paved pedestrian street a street in the Saint Jean quarter surrounded by a whole kaleidoscope of squares: Place du Chance, Place du Piete College and Place de la Balein . The street becomes the widest in front of the Town Hall, a former Jesuit college, and the most narrow in the northern part . At the corner of ul .Gadan and ul . Fronts you can see the statue of St. Anna @ and @ four small curious little houses with ten arches: No. 2 preserved from the Middle Ages . On the same street is the Gadan Museum occupying the largest Renaissance building in the city . @.

Gadan Street turns into a 188-meter pedestrian street, Rue du Boeuf, which is built exclusively by houses from the 16th to 17th centuries. This street appeared already at the end of the 3rd century, and later on it the rich merchants of Lyon settled. Pay attention to the statue of a cow at the corner of Place-Neuve-Saint-Jean, carved in the 16th century on the building: just at this time the street received its modern name. Not to mention the Rose Tower, almost every street house, starting at No. 6, the building of the former Jesuit Institute, and up to No. 22, can be considered an architectural landmark.

The whole Old Lyon is regarded by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site

Practical information

In most parts of Old Lyon you can reach the green metro line D.