The place Bellecour is the greatest place of Lyon and the larger fourth places France (after the Place of the Harmony to Paris, the place of the Rough grazing with Montargis, and the Place of the Quincunxes to Bordeaux) with a size of 310 meters by 200 meters. It is also the greatest place pedestrian of Europe, the places previously quoted being able to accommodate vehicles, contrary to the Bellecour Place.

In its center a equestrian Statue is of Louis XIV. Another statue, representing the Small Prince and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, is located at the western end of the place.

Two houses are also on the place. The first shelters the Tourist bureau, the second a gallery of Article.

Localization and access

The Bellecour place was there is 200 years only one more vast marsh which water of the Saone came to fill with each rising…

This place is today in the second district of the city, between the the Saone and the the Rhone. One finds there in particular the tourist bureau of Lyon. Bellecour place leave three arteries major pedestrians the peninsula of Lyon: the street of the Republic, driving with the street, Town hall Victor Hugo, which leads to Perrache, and street of President Edouard Herriot, where the signs of luxury concentrate. The district of the Old man-Lyon and the cathedral Midsummer's Day are located opposite compared to the Saone.

It is served by two lines of subway: the lines has and D. the station Bellecour of this fact is attended Lyons subway.

Lastly, the Bellecour place constitutes the kilometric item 0 of Lyon: all the distances are counted starting from this point.

History

At the time Gallo-Roman, the district of Bellecour is a formed alluvial ground island. The district knows a Roman, military and commercial activity then (one found " there; Canabae" , huts which were used as warehouse to the traders and with the Gallo-Roman nautes).

At the end of XIIème century, the archbishop of Lyon has a vine called " curtis" bleated; (beautiful garden). Given up, the place becomes again marshy.

In 1562, the baron of the Adrets Lyon attacker, installs its men-at-arms on " the pre one of Beautiful-court".

In 1604, Henri IV pushes the Council of the city to acquire the pre one in order to arrange a public place there. But the heirs to the archbishop dispute at the time of an interminable lawsuit.

Many years later, it is finally Louis XIV which obtains the final possession of the place. In 1715, it becomes Royale place. Named " place Louis-the-Grand" , it is decorated of a bronze statue representing the king and carried out by Martin Desjardins. Around the place buildings are then built, whose frontages are drawn by the first architect of the king Robert de Cotte.

With the Revolution, a furnace bridge of Freedom is high there on July 14th, 1790. The place changes name then and becomes " place of Fédération". One installs there a Guillotine in 1792. The royal statue is destroyed in 1793, and the place becomes " place of Egalité".

June 21st 1800, Bonaparte of passage to Lyon after its victory the Marengo one, poses the first stone of the new buildings. The place bears the name of " then; place Bonaparte" and becomes logically a little later " place Napoléon".

With the Restoration, in 1825, a new statue of Louis XIV is set up on the place.

It is only under the Third Republic that the place takes its current name: " place Bellecour".

The Bronze horse (statue of Louis XIV)

In the center of the place a equestrian Statue is of Louis XIV, work of François-Frederic Lemot. It is accompanied, with its feet, of two allegorical statues of the the Saone and the the Rhone, created by the Nicolas brothers and Guillaume Costou in 1720.

A first statue had been created in 1713. It was destroyed with the Révolution (in 1793) in order to make guns of them.

In 1825, the current statue, works of François-Frederic Lemot, is installed on the place. Run in Paris, it is transported to Lyon in twelve days, on an attachment trails by twenty-four horses. The entry of the statue in the city was an occasion of festivals which attracted a big competition of spectators.

Nickname

The Lyoneses, perhaps by distrust towards the Parisian capacity, took the practice to name the statue " the Horse of Bronze" , thus not referring to the king.

Urban legend

The statue of Louis XIV is at the base of a urban Légende Lyons particularly tough. It is told indeed that its sculptor, realizing that he had forgotten the clamps with the statue, would have committed suicide. Actually, if Louis XIV does not have a clamp, it is because it is represented with the Roman, i.e. with vintage, without saddle nor clamps. When in François-Frederic Lemot, he died a few years after having completed the statue (in 1827) of dead " naturelle".

Place of appointment

It is traditional in Lyon to give itself appointment " under the tail of the cheval".

Events

Throughout the year, a certain number of demonstrations take place places Bellecour; in winter a skating rink is installed in particular there. One finds there sometimes Concerts and events as a living room of the book or the distribution each year of the Lost Petit, " monument" room.

It is also very often the point of required passage of many trade-union demonstrations or coeds.

The place is the starting point, every Friday evenings of an excursion with Roller

In September 2007, the Minister for Housing settled for 15 days Place bellecour, in bangalows.

Internal bonds

• Odonyme celebrates

External bonds

• Lyon Passionately: The place Bellecour
• Seen air of the place

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