Traboules de la Croix-Rousse

NileGuide Expert tip:

There are 78 listed 'traboule' passageways in Croix-Rousse, but unfortunately many can only be accessed by residents. For a full 'traboule' listing and information on which ones are accessible, contact the Office du Tourisme at Place Bellecour.

Description:

• The Croix Rousse district started developing in the 18th century when the silk workshops moved here from the Vieux Lyons area. These slopes became a typical working class neighbourhood where the silkworkers known as canuts lived and worked. The density of the buildings created a maze of streets and it is easy to imagine the bustle in the streets when Lyons was the centre of silk manufacture in Europe. To help people get from one street to another, staircases and passages (traboules) were added inside buildings and inner courtyards. The idea was to create short cuts from street to street to go up and down the hill. Some of the traboules were used as hiding places for the silkworkers protesting in the 1831 revolution. As in the area of Vieux Lyon, some of the traboules are only accessible to residents who know the entrance door codes. The Croix-Rousse area and it s unique passages is absolutely charming. One of its most famous site is undoubtedly the cours des Voraces (entrance at 9, place Colbert, exit rue Imbert Colomès) which takes its name from a secret " canut " society headquartered in this building. The huge staircase is particularly impressive by day or by night with its special lighting. Another one is at 19, rue René Leynaud where you go along passage Thiaffait which leads down to the rue Burdeau. There is so much to discover: simply open a door and let the arched passages and steep steps show you their secrets.
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