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Lyon, France: Discovering its Secret Passageways (the Traboules)
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This video is the first of a series on Lyon, the third largest city in France. Lyon dates back to pre-Roman days and has an interesting history throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It was also one of the centers of the Gestapo oppression and the French Resistance during World War II. You may know it on my blog as the city that has the fantastic Fete des Lumieres/Illuminations during the week of December 8th every year.
This video however shows you a part of Lyon that you may not even know about: the Traboules or secret passageways. They number more than 300 throughout Lyon and were created originally by the silk industry of the 1400 to 1500′s. They carried the delicate silk throughout the city through the traboules to protect it from the elements, but later, they were used by the French Resistance to hide from and sabotage the Gestapo. You can find maps of the Traboules on the internet. The ones in the video are all located on just three streets near Saint Jean Cathedral. You can also find some of them by looking for brass plates nailed to the walls next to the entrance doors. You’ll find an unmarked button to push to open the doors. Most of the traboules lead to beautiful Renaissance courtyards, which are featured in the video. We see these traboules and more on our French Alps Tour so join us and see them yourself.
Enjoy this unknown world of Lyon.
