Rue Victor Hugo (Lyon)
Encyclopedia
Rue Victor-Hugo is a pedestrian street in the 2nd arrondissement
of Lyon
, in the Ainay
district of the Presqu'île
quarter, reputed to be one of the most known shopping area of Lyon. From north to south, it connects the Place Bellecour
to the Place Carnot. Beyond the Place Bellecour, the rue de la République
is its natural extension, thus creating one of the biggest pedestrian streets in Europe. The street is served by metro stations Perrache, Bellecour and Ampère - Victor Hugo. It belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site
by UNESCO.
The street is mostly surrounded by three to six-floor buildings of the 19th century. There are two older houses on corners of the rue Sainte-Hélène and the rue Jarente. Most doors have beautiful sculptures and decorations (heads of lions, snakes ...).
, it would allow the emperor to see the equestrian statue of Louis XIV located on the place Bellecour
from his palace whose construction was scheduled at the Confluence. The street met place Bellecour in 1841 and the digging of the road was eventually completed in 1842. Since its inception, it sheltered aristocracy of Lyon. The street was renamed rue de la République from 1848 to 1852 before retook its original name. Its current name was assigned by the deliberation of the municipal council
on 26 May 1885.
The street was opened in five steps: first in 1817 from Place Napoléon to the rue des Ramparts d'Ainay, then in 1920 from the rue Sainte-Hélène to the rue Sala, then in 1832 from the rue Jarente to the rue Sainte-Hélène, then in 1839 on the garden of the Hotel, and finally in 1841 from the Hotel to the Place Bellecour. The odd numbers 1 to 27 were built between 1834 and 1848, numbers 29 to 67 between 1820 to 1857, and the even numbers from 2 to 16 in 1844 and numbers 18 to 68 between 1826 to 1864. At No. 25 and 27, an institution founded by Chalotte Dupin and called the Œuvre des Charlottes was installed, which became the Sisters of St. Joseph.
In 1974, the street was ripped to the needs of the construction of the Line A of the metro
. On 8 December 1976, after a two-year work and despite the traders' opposition and the mayor's lack of enthusiasm, it was transformed into a pedestrian street and took its current shape, which made it the second pedestrian street of Lyon and France (the first one was the rue de la République, a few months earlier).
On 27 March 1984, gendarmer genegal Guy Delfosse was killed in a bank attack by the terrorist group Action directe.
2nd arrondissement of Lyon
The 2nd arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon.-History:The first five arrondissements of Lyon were created by the Decree of March 24, 1852, which included the 2nd arrondissement.The current mayor is Denis Broliquier....
of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, in the Ainay
Ainay
Ainay is an area within the Presqu'ile district in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, to the south of Place Bellecour and the north of Perrache. It is best known for its Romanesque church, the Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay. A middle-class area in the city centre, its buildings mainly date to the...
district of the Presqu'île
Presqu'ile (Lyon)
The Presqu’île, literally the "peninsula", extending from the foot of the Croix Rousse hill to the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône rivers, is in the city centre of Lyon, France. It has a preponderance of cafés, restaurants, luxury shops, department stores, banks, government buildings, and...
quarter, reputed to be one of the most known shopping area of Lyon. From north to south, it connects the Place Bellecour
Place Bellecour
The Place Bellecour is a large town square in Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m , it is the largest clear square in Europe, and the third biggest square of France, behind the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux et the place de la...
to the Place Carnot. Beyond the Place Bellecour, the rue de la République
Rue de la République
Rue de la République is a street located in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements of Lyon. This is the main shopping street of the city. This zone is served by the metro stations Bellecour, Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel and Cordeliers...
is its natural extension, thus creating one of the biggest pedestrian streets in Europe. The street is served by metro stations Perrache, Bellecour and Ampère - Victor Hugo. It belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by UNESCO.
Description
There are mainly cafeterias, restaurants, shops, services and hotels. In its center, It includes a pedestrian square with trees, the Place Ampère which gave, with the street itself, the name of the metro station it serves, Ampère - Victor Hugo.The street is mostly surrounded by three to six-floor buildings of the 19th century. There are two older houses on corners of the rue Sainte-Hélène and the rue Jarente. Most doors have beautiful sculptures and decorations (heads of lions, snakes ...).
History
The street should have been named rue d'Euripide and rue du Caire, but these names were ultimately never used. It was first named rue de la Direction, then Grande rue Royale, and was named rue de Bourbon in September 1816 as tribute to Lyon alderman Jacques Bourbon. Planned in 1775 by Perrache and drawn during the First EmpireFirst French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, it would allow the emperor to see the equestrian statue of Louis XIV located on the place Bellecour
Place Bellecour
The Place Bellecour is a large town square in Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m , it is the largest clear square in Europe, and the third biggest square of France, behind the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux et the place de la...
from his palace whose construction was scheduled at the Confluence. The street met place Bellecour in 1841 and the digging of the road was eventually completed in 1842. Since its inception, it sheltered aristocracy of Lyon. The street was renamed rue de la République from 1848 to 1852 before retook its original name. Its current name was assigned by the deliberation of the municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
on 26 May 1885.
The street was opened in five steps: first in 1817 from Place Napoléon to the rue des Ramparts d'Ainay, then in 1920 from the rue Sainte-Hélène to the rue Sala, then in 1832 from the rue Jarente to the rue Sainte-Hélène, then in 1839 on the garden of the Hotel, and finally in 1841 from the Hotel to the Place Bellecour. The odd numbers 1 to 27 were built between 1834 and 1848, numbers 29 to 67 between 1820 to 1857, and the even numbers from 2 to 16 in 1844 and numbers 18 to 68 between 1826 to 1864. At No. 25 and 27, an institution founded by Chalotte Dupin and called the Œuvre des Charlottes was installed, which became the Sisters of St. Joseph.
In 1974, the street was ripped to the needs of the construction of the Line A of the metro
Lyon Metro Line A
Line A of the Lyon Metro was constructed using the cut-and-cover method, and went into service on May 2, 1978...
. On 8 December 1976, after a two-year work and despite the traders' opposition and the mayor's lack of enthusiasm, it was transformed into a pedestrian street and took its current shape, which made it the second pedestrian street of Lyon and France (the first one was the rue de la République, a few months earlier).
On 27 March 1984, gendarmer genegal Guy Delfosse was killed in a bank attack by the terrorist group Action directe.