Sunday - More JOURNEES EUROPEENNES DU PATRIMOINE

Sunday


Everyone told us we absolutely had to tour the Hotel de Ville (city hall for all of Lyon). We were also advised to get in line early since it was a very popular site. We looked at it a couple of times Saturday, but the lines were pretty long so we decided to give it a try on Sunday. So Sunday we arrived and walked right in - no lines! This is truly the most impressive building in Lyon! It was completed in 1672 and was designed to be a scaled down replica of the Louvre. It has experienced and survived fire and bombardment (see earlier post re the French Revolution and the siege of Lyon), but it remains an absolutely incredible building.

Here's the exterior from the Place des Terreaux side (deGaulle addressed the people of Lyon from this balcony soon after the city was liberated).

And, here it is from the side facing the Opera House.

I was standing on the steps of the Opera House and still couldn't get the whole building into the picture!

And now here are some shots of the interior (although these few pictures do not do it justice!):

Council Chamber

Ballroom/Reception Hall

One of the Red Salons (The way the mirrors are positioned, any image is reflected endlessly.)

Part of the Grand Staircase

After we left L'Hotel de Ville, it was time for coffee and a snack, then a trip across town to the next stop.

This was the first year the Memorial Montluc has been included in the places open to the public. We had gone to see the exterior on one of our explorations, but had never been inside before. I guess a lot of other people wanted to see inside, too, since the line to get in stretched all the way around the building. They actually ended up adding visiting time one afternoon the following week in an attempt to get everyone in.

Fort Montluc was built between 1831 and 1835 for use as a military prison. However, it had a much more sinister use during WWII, and was under the control of Klaus Barbie. It was used by the Nazis as a prison for Jews, Members of the Resistance, hostages, and various other persecuted individuals. Cells meant to hold a single person, held 8 people. The conditions were unspeakable. Some people were here temporarily before being deported to concentration camps or other prisons. Others were "interrogated," or just incarcerated, or shot. One person, a French pilot, actually managed to escape - he was the only escapee. The tour was not for the faint hearted.

Mural on outside wall - memorial to Jean Moulin and others in the Resistance.

Plaque on the front of the prison honoring those who were freed by the Free French forces and those who did not survive. (The accomplices it refers to are the Vichy and the Milice.)

My attempt to give you an idea of the size of the prison. There are three floors of cells.

But, there is also a vision of hope in this horrible place. The Nazis didn't win; the cause these people believed so strongly in prevailed. Modern Lyon has "risen from the ashes" to become a place that I hope the martyrs would be proud of. Just look out the window of this prison cell and see a park and the many new buildings...including "le Crayon" that is so near our apartment.

David will be doing a posting on Jean Moulin and the Resistance soon - it's quite a story!