Place de la République, Lyon

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The Place de la République is a square located in the Bellecour quarter, in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. It belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

2nd arrondissement of Lyon French municipal arrondissement in Rhône-Alpes, France

The 2nd arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.

World Heritage Site place listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or natural significance

A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties. The sites are judged important to the collective interests of humanity.

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Place de la Republique Lyon Place de la Republique W1.JPG
Place de la République

History

Plan of the projects on the Presqu'ile de Lyon. Prequile lyon 1853.jpg
Plan of the projects on the Presqu'île de Lyon.

This place was created in the dense urban web of the Presqu'île at the same time as the rue Impériale (now named rue de la République) in the second half of the 19th century when major works were led by the Prefect of Rhône Claude-Marius Vaïsse. Between 1862 and 1871, it was named Place Impériale, then renamed Place de Lyon. When the rue de Lyon was renamed rue de la République (by prefectoral order of 5 September 1878), the place probably received its current name. [1]

Claude-Marius Vaïsse French politician

Claude-Marius Vaïsse was a French lawyer who joined the administration of the July Monarchy. During the French Second Republic he was briefly Minister of the Interior. Under the Second French Empire he was appointed prefect of the Rhône department. He was called the "Hausmann of Lyon" for his work on urban design in Lyon.

Originally, there was a fountain at the center, flanked by two flower beds and trees at the east and the west. Then in the early 20th century, a statue of Sadi Carnot, planes were added, and removed in 1974 during the construction of the metro. In 1990, an underground car park was created. [2]

Marie François Sadi Carnot French statesman and the fifth president of the Third Republic

Marie François Sadi Carnot was a French statesman, who served as the President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894.

Rapid transit passenger rail system in an urban area

Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail, metro, subway, tube, U-Bahn or underground, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. Unlike buses or trams, rapid transit systems are electric railways that operate on an exclusive right-of-way, which cannot be accessed by pedestrians or other vehicles of any sort, and which is often grade separated in tunnels or on elevated railways.

Location and architecture

From the Place Bellecour, the rue Childebert (reference to Childebert I) is just in front of the square. Other three streets are directly connected to the square : the rue Jean de Tournes, the rue Stella et the rue du Président Carnot. A traboule / shopping mall from the rue du Président-Édouard-Herriot also provides an access to the square : the Passage de l'Argue. The square is rectangular and a total of 11 streets lead to it. [2]

Place Bellecour large square in the city of Lyon

La Place Bellecour is a large square in the centre of Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m, it is one of the largest open squares in Europe, and the third biggest square in France, behind the Place des Quinconces in Bordeaux (126,000 m²) and the Place de la Concorde in Paris (86,400 m²). It is also the largest pedestrian square in Europe: vehicles are allowed in Places de la Concorde and des Quinconces.

Childebert I Frankish King

Childebert I was a Frankish King of the Merovingian dynasty, as third of the four sons of Clovis I who shared the kingdom of the Franks upon their father's death in 511. He was one of the sons of Saint Clotilda, born at Reims. He reigned as King of Paris from 511 to 558 and Orléans from 524 to 558.

Jean de Tournes French printer, book publisher and bookseller

Jean de Tournes was a French printer, book publisher and bookseller, and the founder of a long-lasting family printing business. From 1559 he was the imprimeur du Roi, printer to the French king.

The Place de la République is now composed of two kiosks, a glass carousel, two large plane trees, benches (at north). In the middle of the square, there is a large rectangular pool with many water jets and all around, stores of all types. To the north and the south, there are two three-floor houses which include wolves and monsters in their architecture. There is a more modern and higher building at the corner of the rue Childebert. [3] However, the large fountain at the center of the square is harmful because pedestrians can not cross diagonally the square. [2]

Carousel amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders

A carousel, roundabout, or merry-go-round, is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The "seats" are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gears to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of looped circus music. This leads to one of the alternative American names, the galloper. Other popular names are jumper, horseabout, and flying horses.

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References

  1. ↑ Vanario, Maurice (2002). Rues de Lyon à travers les siècles (in French). Lyon: ELAH.
  2. 1 2 3 Pelletier, Jean; Delfante, Charles (2009). Places de Lyon — Portraits d'une ville (in French). Lyon: Stéphane Bachès. pp. 81–83. ISBN   978-2-915266-64-1.
  3. ↑ "Place de la République" (in French). Rues de Lyon. Retrieved 22 May 2010.

Coordinates: 45°45′39″N4°50′08″E / 45.760748°N 4.835647°E / 45.760748; 4.835647

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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