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 Capital of the Gauls In 43 B.C., L.M. Plancus chose Fourvière, a hill dominating the Rhône river as it makes its way to the sea, as the site for founding "Lugdunum." The city, a younger sister to Rome, was built at a point where many roads met, and was also symbolic of a crossing of destinies. It became the capital of Gaul, and Lyon is nowadays the oldest Roman archeological site after Rome itself. The Old Town is one of the most important and well-preserved Renaissance sectors in Europe. But Lyon is also a silk capital, the place where the Jacquard method of weaving was invented, where manufacturers, merchants and silkweavers made the town famous throughout the world. Lyon, economic focal point
Lyon, the art of living well More than 4 million tourists visit Lyon each year, enticed by its many aesthetic pleasures and famous cuisine, spear-headed by Paul Bocuse and also to be found in the city's "bouchons," little picturesque restaurants offering a wide range of Lyon specialties. Cultural metropolis
Lyon in the run up to the World cup Partners rally round The great celebration will involve all Lyon-dwellers. Many of them have already declared their willingness to help in making the occasion something truly to remember. A call for new ideas |
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 Notre-Dame de Fourvière was built in the 19th century in a Romanesque-Byzantine style. For centuries, this site has been a centre of devotion to the Virgin Mary. |
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 The Fine Arts Museum of Lyon is housed in a former Benedictine abbey, the Palais de Saint-Pierre, and is rather like the Louvre but on a smaller scale. |
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 In Lyon and the surrounding region, gastronomy has been elevated to a science and art. There are about 30 great restaurants in the city. |
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 These are covered passageways leading from one street to another through courtyards and buildings. There are about 30 of them in the old part of Lyon and the Croix-Rousse district. |
he capital of the Rhône-Alpes region has a unique position at the very centre of Europe, and as a large city possesses considerable industrial and business advantages. Numerous world-class companies and international institutions have set up their headquarters there, bringing the city into the front line among Europe's economic leaders. Its wide range of business sectors include metallurgy, electronics, chemistry, pharmaceutical products, biotechnology, the food industry, electricity, plastics technology and textiles, as well as banking and insurance, engineering, consultancy and communication.
yon owes its distinctive character to its surroundings, which include two steep hills, a vast plain and two rivers. During the last decade, the city has become even more handsome, transforming and improving its squares and gardens, and implementing a lighting strategy to show off its finest features: 150 points of interest are now illuminated each night. A strategy which has been exported elsewhere throughout the world with great success, for the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the city of Jerusalem, and recently Havana have all benefited from Lyon's expertise in this respect.
ll the << partners >> in the Lyon area - the local, departmental and consular authorities, and, of course, the State - work together on a daily basis to achieve the many big projects that lay before them. The organisation of the coming World Cup is another chance to show their solidarity. At this very moment, the regional authorities, General Council, urban community, Guild chamber, Tourist Office and the city and urban division councils are all putting their shoulders to the wheel so that the great football celebration will be a success. Their ambition is to give Lyon's thousands of visitors the chance to really discover the city and what it has to offer, so that they will want to come back, for business or for pleasure.