"Keeweechic's Lyon" a Lyon Travel Page by keeweechic

In 43 B.C., L.M. Plancus chose Fourviere, a hill which dominates the Rhone river as the site for founding "Lugdunum." The city was built at a point where many of the roads met and was also symbolic of a crossing of destinies. It became the capital of Gaul, and Lyon is today the oldest Roman archeological site after Rome itself. The Old Town is one of the most important and well-preserved Renaissance sectors in Europe. But Lyon is also a silk capital, the place where the Jacquard method of weaving was invented, where manufacturers, merchants and silkweavers made the town famous throughout the world.

Dubbed France's second city, Lyon is graced with an outstanding geographical location and a stunningly picturesque landscape of which is dominated by two lofty hills and with the regions two rivers, the Saone and Rhone meeting and merging together. There is a definite contrast between Old Lyon (Vieux Lyon) and the bustling modern side which is striking.

As the capital of the Rhone-Alpes region, the city has a unique position at the very centre of Europe and as a large city, it possesses considerable industrial and business advantages. Numerous world-class companies and international institutions have set up their headquarters there, bringing the city into the front line among Europe's economic leaders. Its wide range of business sectors include metallurgy, electronics, chemistry, pharmaceutical products, biotechnology, the food industry, electricity, plastics technology and textiles, as well as banking and insurance, engineering and communication.

Lyon joins Prague as the second major urbancentre on the World Heritage list, with a surface area of 1,240 acres. The Lyon site encompasses the historic districts of the Croix-Rousse, Old city (Vieux Lyon) and the Peninsula (Presquile), all linked by 2,000 years of exceptional stability.