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Place Bellecour

The Red Square of Lyon

Place Bellecour

The huge open space of Place Bellecour is on La Presqu’île just across the Pont Bonaparte over the River Saone from Fourvière.

This is the largest pedestrianised square in Europe and is the point (kilometre 0) all distances from Lyon are calculated. Four of Lyon’s main thoroughfares start from here: rue de la République; rue Victor Hugo; rue du Plat and rue du Président Édouard Herriot.

Place Bellecour Lyon

At the South East corner of the Place is the main Tourist Office details of which are in Practical Information below. In the centre of the square is an equestrian statue of Louis XIV sitting Roman Emperor style on his horse without stirrups and known locally as The Bronze Horse.

On the corner of rue Gasparin which runs North from the Square, is a much more sinister statue by Thomas and Salendre, known as the Stone Watchman, forming part of the building. This is exactly where the French Resistance set off a bomb on 26th July 1944 targeting a Café frequented by Nazis and Gestapo members. No one was killed but the very next day five Resistance members already held by the Gestapo were executed on the spot and their bodies left as a warning to others

Practical Info Practical Info icon

Tourist Office

Place Bellecour Lyon

Lyon

Text © Paul Shawcross

Images by Paul Shawcross