Canuts mural

The Wall of the Canuts

The Lyon audio-guided tour presents you with the Wall of the Canuts, an immense trompe-l'œil mural that celebrates the life of the silk workers of the Croix-Rousse.

The largest trompe-l'œil in Europe

With its one thousand two hundred square metres, the Wall of the Canuts is the largest trompe-l'œil in Europe. Created in 1987, this mural has a particularity: it is "evolving", regularly updated to remain close to the reality of the district. The 1997 version modernised the scene; the six-year-old girl painted in the middle of the staircase was then sixteen. The latest update, in 2013, gives the current version, greener, more colourful and more lively. Through the versions, the mural has always kept the same intention: to represent the life of the canuts, the weaver workers who made Lyon the capital of silk. It is the work of Cité Création, a world reference in monumental mural design.

What there is to see

The Wall of the Canuts impresses with its realism: one would swear to see a real street of the Croix-Rousse, with its staircases, its passers-by and its shops. The largest trompe-l'œil in Europe, it pays tribute to the life of the canuts and to the silk past. It is an essential stop, playful and moving, which shows all the talent of Lyon mural art.

Practical information

The Wall of the Canuts is on the plateau of the Croix-Rousse, in Lyon. An open-air work, it can be contemplated freely at all hours and on the level, along the walk.

Why is the Wall of the Canuts said to be evolving?

Because it is regularly updated to remain close to the reality of the district, in 1997 then in 2013.

What is the size of the Wall of the Canuts?

One thousand two hundred square metres, which makes it the largest trompe-l'œil in Europe.