The Cité du Design

The City of Design, in Saint-Étienne

The City of Design is the great creative hub of Saint-Étienne, installed in the heart of the former arms manufactory. The Saint-Étienne audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this heart of the Creative District, symbol of the reconversion of the industrial town into a capital of design recognised by UNESCO.

The heart of the Creative District

You are in the heart of the former arms manufactory, in what is today the heart of the Creative District of Saint-Étienne. Let us take a little tour to get our bearings: right in front of us stands the Platine, the flagship building, a vessel of concrete and glass that shelters the City of Design. This vast ensemble, laid out on the historic site where arms were formerly manufactured for the armies of France, embodies the spectacular mutation of the town. Saint-Étienne, a great working-class and industrial town, hardly struck by the decline of its traditional industries, has been able to reinvent itself by betting on creation and design, to the point of being the only French town recognised UNESCO City of Design. The City of Design is the heart of this renaissance: it gathers a higher school, spaces of creation, research and exhibition, and hosts every two years the famous International Design Biennale, that attracts creators and visitors from all over the world. The site thus mixes the industrial heritage, with its old rehabilitated buildings of the manufactory, and the contemporary architecture, in a district entirely devoted to creativity. A creative hub and a symbol of renaissance, the City of Design is a fine stop of the discovery of Saint-Étienne.

What to see

Here you discover the great creative hub of Saint-Étienne, in the heart of the former arms manufactory, dominated by the Platine, its flagship building; symbol of the reconversion of the industrial town into a capital of design, the only UNESCO City of Design in France, it gathers a school, spaces of creation and exhibition, hosts the International Design Biennale and mixes rehabilitated industrial heritage and contemporary architecture. The City of Design is the heart of the Creative District of Saint-Étienne. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The City of Design lies in the district of the Manufactory, in Saint-Étienne, reachable on foot and by public transport. The visit of the exhibitions and the spaces follows its own hours and conditions, which vary according to the programme and the periods of the Biennale. It is best to check them before coming.

What is the City of Design in Saint-Étienne?

The great creative hub of Saint-Étienne, laid out in the heart of the former arms manufactory and dominated by the Platine, its flagship building; symbol of the reconversion of the industrial town into a capital of design, the only UNESCO City of Design in France, it gathers a school, spaces of creation and exhibition, and hosts every two years the International Design Biennale.

Where is the City of Design in Saint-Étienne?

In the district of the Manufactory, in Saint-Étienne, in France.