Croix-Rousse district

The Croix-Rousse district

The Lyon audio-guided tour takes you to the plateau of the Croix-Rousse, nicknamed the "hill that works", cradle of the Lyon silk industry.

The hill that works

It is on this plateau that the canuts, silk weaver workers, made Lyon the first working-class city of France at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Built from 1812 on this hill reputed for its pure air, the district was intended from the start to house the weaving workshops and to become a high place of the silk industry, increasingly coveted by the nobility. Still today, the Croix-Rousse is a lively district that has been able to modernise without losing its soul, prized by the people of Lyon. Under the ground runs a mysterious network of underground galleries, the network of the Fantasques, a vestige of the history of the hill.

What there is to see

The Croix-Rousse district charms with its village atmosphere, its market, its traboules and its rich silk past. Between canut workshops, viewpoints and authentic atmosphere, it offers an immersion in the working-class and creative soul of Lyon. It is one of the most endearing districts of the city, to be explored without haste.

Practical information

The Croix-Rousse district is on the plateau overlooking the Presqu'île, in Lyon. Its streets can be walked freely on foot at all hours; shops, market and workshops follow their own hours.

Why is the Croix-Rousse called the hill that works?

Because of the canuts, silk workers who worked there and made Lyon the first working-class city of France.

When was the Croix-Rousse district built?

From 1812, to house the silk weaving workshops on this hill reputed for its pure air.