The History of Lyon, France

          Lyon, France is known for it's unique and artistic architecture and is home to 1.2 million people. The founder of Lyon is credited to the Roman Legate. It is said that Lyon was founded on October 9th in 43 B.C. The Romans proclaimed it the capital of the three Gauls. During the 15th century, Lyon was strong in banking. This strength lead to the advantage of trade all around Europe. Due to the trade and popularity of Lyon, it was soon inhabited by the social, intellectual, and artistic elite. During World War II, Lyon was the center for the French Resistance. 

          

          There are three major, documented historical phases of Lyon. The first was the "Gallo-Roman Lyon: the Rise and Fall of the Gallic Capital" (Site Officiel de la Ville de Lyon). When the Roman Legate founded Lyon, they proclaimed it the economic, military, political, and religious capital of the three Gauls. Lyon was the birthplace of Christianity in Gaul and witnessed the beginning of martyrdom in 177 with the torture of St. Blandine. The second of the phases was the "Medieval Lyon, or the Ecclesiastic City" (Site Officiel de la Ville de Lyon). The city flourished in the 9th century with the rise of the Church. This is when the city became known as Lyon (it was previously known as Lugdunum). In this time, trade started to flourish again and the success lead to the develop of the arts. Also, during this time the city motto was accepted: "Onward, Onward, Lyon the Best" (Site Officiel de la Ville de Lyon). The last major phase of historical documentation is "Lyon's Renaissance Splendors" (Site Officiel de la Ville de Lyon). During the period of the 15th and 16th century, the predominant features of the city became clear. They were recognized as silk, silk products, and textile. 

        

          In the 17th and 18th century, the Lyon silk and weaving industry boomed. During the 19th century, the cityscape changed drastically. The "opera house, court house, stock exchange, the laying of two large boulevards" (Site Officiel de la Ville de Lyon) as well as additional universities, were created. One of the main universities created was the Lumiere Institute, which is where the motion picture was discovered in 1895. In the 20th century, there were more changes to the cityscape and city in general. This is including transportation. There were, also, changes to cultural monuments; including the opera house and the Museum of Fine Arts. 

          This is just a brief introduction to Lyon, France. There is a great deal of history behind this amazing city.