Lyon is the third largest city in France and a large industrial, scientific and cultural center. Founded in Roman times, the city can boast of a revitalized Gothic-Renaissance Old Town, which was inscribed on the UNESCO list, as well as the highest-quality contemporary architecture.
Lyon located on the Rhone has developed for centuries as a dynamic center of the textile, mechanical and food industries, and in the 20th century also the automotive industry, which is exemplified by the Renault plants located here. Lyon is also the cradle of the film, in which at the end of the 19th century the Lumiere brothers built their cinematograph and made the first film. In turn, during World War II, it was a well-known center of the resistance movement, which is reminded by the Center for the History of the Resistance and Deportation.
The historic center of Lyon was created in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. To this day, many Romanesque and Gothic churches have been preserved, including the Romanesque Benedictine basilica and the church of St. Irena, in which early Christian crypts from the 5th century have survived
Lyon is also a city with interesting modern architecture. In the Confluence district, on the site of former factories and warehouses, many modern facilities were created, of which Le Orange Cube is best known, which looks like a huge cube of Swiss cheese with holes. The city can also boast of having the largest city park in Europe - Parc de la Tête d'Or.
