Gros Caillou (literally "big pebble") is a landmark of the French city of Lyon in the neighborhood Croix-Rousse. The rock's mineralogical composition suggests it is a glacial erratic, and would have been transported from the nearby Alps by slowly moving glaciers.
Originally, Gros Caillou was located at the end of Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse, constructed in 1865, and the boundary between the 1st arrondissement (Croix-Rousse hill) and the 4th arrondissement (Croix-Rousse plateau). Until it was annexed in 1852, the Croix-Rousse Plateau was a separate city. Thus, the location of Gros Caillou at that intersection became a unifying symbol. At the beginning of the 21st century, an underground parking lot and green area took over this area and Gros Caillou was relocated 30m into the 1st arrondissement.
Gros Caillou is a metamorphic Triassic quartzite, typical of the alpine regions of Haute-Maurienne and Haute Tarentaise. It is rock that was displaced by glaciers over 200 km during the Riss glaciation (around 140,000BC). [1]
The discovery of Gros Caillou dates back to 1861 during drilling of the tunnels of a funicular linking downtown Lyon to the Croix-Rousse plateau. The drilling had to be interrupted as the workers were blocked by an extremely hard rock, which they could not break. [2]
After many attempts and work stoppages, Gros Caillou was eventually excavated, becoming a symbol of not only the annexation of Croix-Rousse, but a symbol of the perseverance of Lyon's inhabitants. Had the funicular not been under construction, Gros Caillou would never have been found and relocated to the east side of Croix-Rousse boulevard, where to this day it overlooks the Rhône River and the Alps.
Traboules are a type of passageway primarily associated with the city of Lyon, France, but also located in the French cities of Villefranche-sur-Saône, Mâcon, Saint-Étienne, along with a few in Chambéry). In Lyon, they were originally used by silk manufacturers and other merchants to transport their products.
The Funiculars of Lyon is a network of funicular railways in Lyon, France. Of the five lines once in existence, only the two routes on the Fourvière hill remain in operation, with the rest of the network now either closed, converted to road vehicle use, or integrated within the Lyon underground system.
The nine arrondissements of Lyon are the administrative divisions of the City of Lyon. Unlike the spiral pattern of the arrondissements of Paris, or the meandering pattern of those in Marseille, the layout in Lyon is more idiosyncratic. This is for historical reasons: following the annexation of the communes of La Guillotière, La Croix-Rousse and Vaise in 1852, the newly enlarged city was divided into 5 arrondissements, which originally spiralled out anticlockwise from the Hôtel de Ville ; however, as the city's population expanded, it became necessary to split certain arrondissements, giving rise to today's seemingly random pattern.
Lyon or Lyons is the third-largest city and second-largest urban area of France. It is located in the country's east-central part at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, about 470 km (292 mi) south of Paris, 320 km (199 mi) north of Marseille and 56 km (35 mi) northeast of Saint-Étienne. Inhabitants of the city are called Lyonnais.
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. The village is best known for tourism, and has been a popular holiday destination because of its beauty and location since the early 1900s. It has 450 km of ski pistes, reputed to be the third largest domain exclusively in France, and is one of the least busy ski areas of its size. In 1892, two hundred people were killed when a water pocket in a glacier above the town suddenly burst open, causing destructive flooding.
La Croix-Rousse is a hill 254 metres (833 ft) high in the city of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a neighborhood located on this hill. The neighborhood is divided into les pentes and le plateau. The name "La Croix-Rousse" comes from a reddish-brown stone cross erected there in the 16th century. This zone is served by Metro line C .
The 1st arrondissement of Lyon, France is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon. It is located below the hill of Croix-Rousse and on the north part of the Presqu'île formed by the Saône and the Rhône, the two rivers in Lyon
The Place des Terreaux is a square located in the center of Lyon, France on the Presqu'île between the Rhône and the Saône, at the foot of the hill of La Croix-Rousse in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon. The square belongs to the zone classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The 4th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.
The Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse is a pair of two tunnels located in the 1st and 4th arrondissements of Lyon, a road tunnel opened to traffic on 19 April 1952 and a sustainable transport tunnel opened in 2013.
The Place Sathonay is a square located in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, France, at the bottom of hill of La Croix-Rousse, in La Martinière quarter. It was named after Nicolas-Marie-Jean-Claude Fay de Sathonay, mayor of Lyon from 1805 to 1812, as a tribute for all the importants works undertaken under his presidency. The square is currently the third largest square in Lyon and belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. According to Lyon geography agrégé Jean Pelletier, it is "one of the most interesting squares of Lyon", because of its harmonious proportions, its boundaries composed of buildings with beautiful 1920s facades, and its plantations, which brings "a charm tinged of poetry" and give it the appearance of a village square.
The Passage Thiaffait is an urban area located on the slopes of La Croix-Rousse, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon. It has an entry by a portico and is a curved traboule (path) which ends with a staircase leading to the hill. The street belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Cour des Voraces, also called Maison de la République, is a building court in the Pentes quarter, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, and famous for its enormous six-floor stairway of facade. It is a big traboule that link the number 9 of the Place Colbert and the number 14 bis of the montée de Saint-Sébastien or the number 29 of the rue Imbert-Colomès.
The rue Sainte-Catherine is a very old street at the foot of the slopes of La Croix-Rousse quarter, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon. It is particularly known for being a drinking street. The street belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Montée de la Grande Côte, or the Montée de la Grande-Côte, is a street of La Croix-Rousse quarter, located in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, connecting the Terreaux quarter and the Plateau de la Croix Rousse. It is characterized by a high elevation and is more narrow at the bottom. The street belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Place Croix-Paquet is a square located in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, in the pentes de la Croix-Rousse quarter. It is formed by the intersection of the rue du Griffon, the rue des Capucins and the montée Saint-Sébastien. The square belongs to the zone classified World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Tête Rousse Glacier is a small but significant glacier located in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps whose collapse in 1892 killed 200 people in the town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains.
The parc de la Cerisaie is an urban park in the Croix-Rousse 4th arrondissement of Lyon, France. It is partially situated on a slope, leading from the plateau of the Croix-Rousse down towards the river Saône.
Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse is a boulevard that marks the border between the 1st and the 4th arrondissements of Lyon, in the neighborhood Croix-Rousse.