Parc de la Tête d'Or : One of the largest park in France

"Parc de la Tête d'Or" is a zoo being located at the heart of the city of Lyon in the bourgeois 6th district. It was modeled on the English Garden. It consists of a lake created from a Rhône arm and a zoo and botanical garden.

This huge park covers an area of 105 hectares.

This is the largest park in France to be at the heart of a city and the zoo is the second that has French zoological establishment open to the public after Paris.

The achievement of the park was confided in 1856 to the brothers Denis and Eugène Bühler landscapers and the engineer Gustave Bonnet. They design an English garden style park, which is the official model of the Second Empire. Bülher chooses to dig a lake, build dams, create paths for walking on horses and by car, to build greenhouses and orangery, book spaces for entertainment. Over the years he built a zoological part then composed of farm animals, but soon the wild and exotic animals appeared. 

The name of the place "La Tête d'Or" (= The gold head) precedes the creation of the park. The legend would say that the Crusaders had hidden a treasure in which there was a head of Christ in gold.

Legend or reality, to this day the mystery of the "Tête d'Or" is still unsolved ..

Today, "Parc de la Tête d'Or" is a renowned park and is an integral part of the identity of Lyon. It attracts many visitors throughout the year. In 150 years, the layout of the park has never stopped. It has undergone many changes and open various recognized structures: The park carousel entirely in wood, the "Guignol theater". In 1989 the velodrome of the head of gold hosted the world championships.

Lately, in 2006, the park opened the African plain in the heart of the zoo of 10 hectares. This is the life locations for more than a hundred animals (giraffes, zebras, flamingos ...). It is the image of what a zoo should be today.

As for biological tightens, it contains many plants from all over the world.

Finally the zoo is committed to become a place of learning and knowledge with a powerful teaching team. An educational union passed with schools and colleges, offering their tours and workshops to answer questions and educate the various missions of a modern zoo.

Nuits Sonores Festival

Nuits Sonores is an electronic music festival, which was founded in 2003. Each year, more than 100 000 spectators come to see the 250 artists from Europe and around the world who come to perform in about 50 places different in Lyon.

The Nuits Sonores will be installed in Lyon from 13 to 17 May 2015 in which Jon Hopkins, Laurent Garnier, Rone... are expected at the festival of electronic music. More than just a festival, Nuits Sonores is also committed at the urban level, by investing in public and heritage sites, including brownfields. It is also a famous festival for prestigious artists and new local talent, national, European and international that invites. 

During 5 days and 5 nights, the city of Lyon can be found completely transformed into a space invested by the values of music, curiosity and meeting. Lyon becomes the capital of the electro scene.

Last year, the festival was attended by 130 000 people. For this 2015 edition, the program has been global with more than 22 nationalities (Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Algeria, Brazil, Portugal, Bulgaria, Egypt ...) represented. Among the strengths of this cultural event: the circuit. The second night of the festival (Thursday May 14) will propose a circuit of 15 steps through the city of Lyon connected between by shuttles. 

Teenagers will not be forgotten. Nuits Sonores make a place for mini festivalgoers offers to children  their festival by participating in the program "Mini Sonore".

Nuits Sonores also take place the day.

Nuits Sonores is primarily a music history. The festival is born from the meeting of a band of electro sounds passionates. The Nuits Sonores, this is a festival not to be missed: electro nice atmosphere and for once it is not the capital which is the seat of such an event.

Lyon student life

Lyon has many strengths and sees its attractiveness enhanced by renowned schools in various disciplines, an exceptional quality of life and a dynamic employment basin.

The British research company QS (Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd) has released the first ranking of the best student cities in the world. With 367 points Lyon ranks in 14th place in this top 50.

The study is based on different criteria, namely the importance of the student population, quality of life, perception of employers, the costs of education and student life, as well as research.

With its four major universities (École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon 2 University and the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3) Lyon offers rich training courses and internationally recognized.

Moreover, Lyon appears as a particularly accessible city with tuition fees and cost of living very low.

The study also focuses on the quality of life and the remarkable heritage of the city.

In 2010, Lyon had more than 160,000 students, including over 12,500 foreigners.

To the question "what benefits coming to study in Lyon?", The city can respond based on several attractive elements. First, rents are reasonable. With an average of 4,800 euros paid for accommodation in 2014, students are far from the average of 7900 euros Paris. A chance especially as the strengths of Lyon did not stop there. Unlike in Paris (yes, again!), Students do not need to cross the entire city to inquire or initiate administrative procedures.

The city also encourages the realization of your ideas and projects including the Young Investigator Award, the Prodij program, the Campus Creation Contest. From an opportunities perspective careers, Lyon is a city that has great potential. It is also a very dynamic city for someone looking for a job in the Lyon region.

Here are some figures to represent you this place offering some diversity:

20 is the number of establishments of the University of Lyon (universities, schools and research centers)

160,000 students of which 12,500 foreign students

11,500 researchers

The football team : Olympique Lyonnais

Olympique Lyonnais, commonly abbreviated as OL, is a French football club founded in 1950. He played in the first division since 1989. Olympique Lyon is evolving in the Stade Gerland and training at Tola Vologe in Lyon. He has to his record seven titles - achieved consecutively - champion of France, five Cups of France and the League Cup, making it one of the most successful clubs in the championship of France.

The club reached its apogee in the 2000s with seven consecutive league titles in France, which is a French record. In 2008, Olympique Lyonnais did better by winning both league and cup. Internationally, the club regularly participates in the most prestigious European Cups, the Champions League. Today it is considered one of the major European football clubs, with twelve qualifications Champions League row. Since 2011, the club relies increasingly on its training center. Today, Olympique Lyonnais is the French club who played more European games, as it is at 212 games.

Stadium atmosphere

The fans of Olympique Lyonnais encourage and support the French football club Olympique Lyonnais, particularly its first men's team and to a lesser extent, the first women's team. They are present in all four stands of the Stade Gerland and during movements of their team.

The first group of supporters created is that of Bad Gones in 1987. Real territory, the North Virage is a place of freedom very fiercely defended by its occupants, the Bad Gones. The sworn enemy of the club, and therefore the Lyon supporters, is Saint-Etienne. An important and violent conflict exist between these two clubs. It is considered as the most important derby of France.

Construction of the new stadium

With a capacity of about 59,000 seats, the "Stadium Lights" will host football matches of Olympique Lyonnais, who are being held at the Stade de Gerland, six matches of Euro 2016 and other sporting and cultural events. Completion of the building is scheduled on January 29th 2016. A particular attention has been given to the comfort of the spectators with a better visibility on the pitch, easy accessibility to the stadium and in its place and strengthened service offering (including WiFi).

Part-Dieu : Lyon Business District

Real business district - the first after Paris La Défense - Lyon Part-Dieu is undeniably the most popular place in Lyon by companies seeking to install their offices.

Of the one million square meters that make up Part-Dieu, one counts 45,000 employees working in more than 2,200 companies. Of these, many headquarters of listed companies - Ernst & Young, Manpower, Adamas - from international groups - April Group, Bluestar Silicones - and banks - Societe Generale, Caisse d'épargne, Banque Populaire...

Part-Dieu is positioned as the contemporary metropolitan hub, which refers worldwide. A place of exchange and distribution of flows crossed by half a million trips each day.

Part-Dieu has already an ease of living and working context by the presence of a large supply of entertainment, culture, shopping, services and restaurants.

In the future, the district will be more vibrant, active and welcoming, with new housing, shops and services in the heart of the neighbourhood.

Today, Lyon Part-Dieu is home to the first French interchange station. Designed to accommodate 35,000 passengers a day, it now has nearly 130,000.

Tomorrow an "open station" multimodal, resized to flows of real travelers, improve connections between Lyon and major European cities.

Launched in early 2011, the redevelopment of the station will bring out a welcoming public space, open to its environment, enriched with a hotel offer and renewed services.

The regional shopping center La Part-Dieu is located in the district of La Part-Dieu. This is one of the largest shopping centers in Europe. In 2013, the shopping center of La Part-Dieu is the third most visited center of France with 34 million visitors. With over 267 shops and restaurants, the shopping center La Part-Dieu is one of the most dynamic in Europe.

The city of Lyon has ambition: 5 new skyscrapers are expected to emerge before 2020!

Part-Dieu district in 2030

Source: http://grattecielpassion.unblog.fr/2014/01/13/lyon-la-future-skyline/

Lyon, city of lights

The Lyon Light Festival is a popular event that takes place throughout the city in the evening of 8 December. On this occasion, the city of Lyon glows for several days while the festivities are organized in the different neighbourhoods.

The origins of the festival

The history of the Festival of Lights in Lyon is intimately linked to the Lyon religious history.

Since the Middle Ages, the city of Lyon venerate the Virgin Mary, but it is more precisely in 1643, during a plague epidemic, the Lyon city was placed under the protection of the Virgin.

In 1852, a statue of the Virgin Mary erected at the Chapel of the Fourvière hill was to be inaugurated on September 8, but a flood of the Saône prevented the ceremony takes place.

The inauguration was postponed to December 8. It is on this occasion that the Lyon population illuminated for the first time its windows the evening of 8 December: Festival of Lights was born!

A perpetuated tradition

Since 1852 the festival has been renewed every year.

Tradition dictates that each family maintains with its Christmas decorations, glass candles assortment.

Since 1989, the city organizes events over several days during the Festival of Lights.

A long-awaited event

The activities organized in the city have made the Festival of Lights in Lyon a tourist event which attracts several million visitors each year.

This popular festival is now accompanied by a demonstration with a growing international influence. 

It offers to the visitors scenography and light shows born from the imagination of renowned national and international designers.

The Festival of Lights was awarded by the trophy for Best General Public event in 2006.

Lyon : the second city of France

Beyond its international reputation as the capital of gastronomy, Lyon is one of the most attractive cities in Europe for its quality of life and exceptional economic dynamism.

Lyon and its region offer a quality of life out of the ordinary. Locals and tourists enjoy this city of art and culture through its history and its rich heritage, its many cultural and artistic events, beautiful recreational areas, such as the famous Parc de la Tete d'Or and remarkable development of its banks of the Rhone. Not to mention the proximity to nature, the Beaujolais region, the mountains of the Alps, top of Europe, and the largest ski areas in the world.

Each year new French and foreign firms locate in Lyon. The Lyon region seduces with its environment that facilitates business, its skilled workforce and its geographical position at the crossroads of the strategic areas of the European economy.

The Lyon area is frequently cited among the best value for money in Europe relating to properties for business. It occupies the second rank of international real estate investments in France and its properties include a wide variety of sites for companies ranging from neighborhoods dedicated to biotechnology or clean technologies, tertiary sites of excellence such as the business district Part-Dieu or Lyon Confluence, model of urban dynamism, precursor in terms of architecture and urbanism. In Lyon the cost of housing remains competitive with other major European cities.

Some numbers:

- Lyon, capital of the Rhône-Alpes Region, the second French region.

- Lyon intramural: 468 300 inhabitants.

- Urban Lyon Area: 2.6 million inhabitants.

- Rhône-Alpes: 6 million inhabitants.

- Rhône-Alpes, the 5th GDP of European regions: 158 329 000 000 euros.

- The first host region for international companies in France: 900 companies with foreign capital.

The gastronomic capital

Lyon has become over time an icon of gastronomy, a place marked by the culinary art is recognized internationally. In Lyon, gastronomy is an ancient art whose know-how is transmitted from mothers to daughters, grandmothers in girls, without excluding boys. In Lyon, eating rhymes with conviviality and pleasure, evidenced by the famous "Bouchon Lyonnais" and small taverns.

Lyon was proclaimed capital of gastronomy. Do not miss on your trip to Lyon to discover its culinary specialties and wines. You can taste the gastronomy in a ''bouchon lyonnais". The latter is a typical restaurant mainly concentrated in the district of "Vieux Lyon". Lyon has built over the years a reputation of town where the art of the table has almost become religion.
Paul Bocuse, inspired by the heritage, has cultivated its expertise to become the first Chief to the international reputation.