Discover wall paintings of Lyon
You may have heard about the gastronomy of Lyon or the Festival of lights before… But, did you know that the city is also famous for its wall paintings? There is a plenty of them. From the Old town to la Croix-Rousse hill and passing through the peninsula, street-art lovers will be delighted.
What about taking a literary break?
Arts have always been important for the city of Lyon as demonstrated by its rich heritage and its various festivals that happen regularly. The large number of wall paintings in the city illustrate it very well. Sometimes, painting and literature intermingle to form unique pieces of artworks. The mural entitled “Bibliothèque de la cité” (Library of the city) is a perfect example of that. This mural has a size of 400 square meters and is located on the Peninsula, not far from our office on the other side of the Saone river. It has been made in 1998 by the artists of ‘Cité de la création’ to pay tribute to famous French writers such as François Rabelais, Louise Labé, Voltaire and many others…
Some blocks further, another painting attracts the attention of passersby.
After having seen the mural ‘The Catalan’s balconies’ which represents famous inhabitants of Barcelona, the previous mayor of Lyon, Michel Noir, wanted to launch a similar project in his city. He asked painters of ‘Cité de la création’ to bring it to life. Then, twenty-four famous people from Lyon were chosen to appear on the wall. On the ground floor, there are contemporary characters such as Paul Bocuse and Abbé Pierre. On upper floors, there are characters who lived in an earlier age like the Lumière brothers and the Roman emperor Claude who was born in Lyon. By the way, this painting is one of steps of our historic tour on segways.
Beyond the city center…
Artistic creativity also affects the walls beyond the city center. This is the case at the Urban Museum Tony Garnier in the ‘Etats-Unis’ district. The creators decided to do twenty-five paintings on several walls. Many of them show how the ideal city looks like in the minds of painters.
The must-see ‘la Croix-Rousse’ district
However, the most famous painting is probably the Canut wall painting on ‘La Croix-Rousse’ hill, and with good reason: it is the biggest trompe-l’oeil mural in Europe ! Cité de la création launched the creation of the wall in 1987. Now, the mural is updated every ten years. Characters get older, items change and become more modern.
So, don’t wait to come and contemplate the murals of Lyon ! And, if you are looking for more contemporary and surprising architecture, we advice you to go to Confluence district. ComhiC proposes tours on segways or electric bikes passing through this surprising district where modernity mingles with industrial history.
