European Capital of Wall Art? Not Only Berlin This French City Is Bedecked With Frescoes Too

If you want to fully understand the cultural history of Lyon, La Fresque des Lyonnais (the Fresco of the People of Lyon), standing seven stories high on the banks of the Saone, includes almost all of the symbolic figures admired by locals. The 24 "spokespeople" include the "founders of film,” the Lumière brothers; the "pope" of French gastronomy, Paul Bocuse; and the pilot and author of The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

Most movingly, apart from these great personages, the bottom of the fresco also depicts 6 ordinary modern citizens of Lyon. All of the figures appear in their own way; for example, ex-pilot Saint-Exupéry is shown standing on a balcony wearing his trademark pilot's helmet, his right hand holding the hand of the blond-haired Little Prince.

La Fresque des Canuts (Silk Weavers' Wall) in the quartier Croix Rousse, covering 1,200 sq. m., is Europe's largest urban fresco. Through the "Canuts," or silk weavers, it gives a thorough portrayal of the history of this district as the center of Europe's weaving industry and the end of the Silk Road. Don't leave without posing for the perfect artsy photo in front of the wall!

The wall also shows the famous Lyonnais puppet show Guignol. This artwork is the ideal way to learn about life in a Lyon neighborhood. The Croix Rousse quarter was once famed for its silk-weaving heritage and its rustic feel; these days it has come to represent all manner of trendy designers' studios, arty cafés, and nightlife.

The Musée Urbain Tony Garnier is in fact not just a museum, but several interconnected residential buildings covered with 25 murals to commemorate the famous Lyonnais urban planner and architect Tony Garnier. The murals depict a series of Utopian urban settings, reflecting the idealistic visions this great architect held for the city of Lyon.

It was Tony Garnier who proposed the idea of the "industrial city" in modern urban planning, and he also designed Lyon's famous Stade de Gerland soccer stadium. Some parts of the outdoor museum are free for visitors, and inside the building there is also a museum of a 1930s apartment, which has voice-guided tours describing the vogue of the "années trente."

Lyon was the birthplace of the world's first movie, and as such, the city's 8th arrondissement not only contains the Institut Lumière—the Lumière Museum housed in the converted old residence of the inventors of film—but also a retro-style movie-themed mural, the Mur du Cinéma (Cinema Wall). This is a stop that simply has to be included in any movie fan's itinerary.

The mural is spread across a number of apartment blocks and neighborhood walls, so it seems that half of the history of film is on display here. Not only can you see old-school early movie posters, but it also depicts the on-set scenes filmed at the time, as well as Lyon's former movie theater.

Lyon en 2046 (Light Fresco: Lyon in 2046) imagines a futuristic impression of the city in a fresco on the building's exterior wall. Seen in daylight, it is a giant work of glorious romance; under the veil of night, thanks to the insertion of 300 small light bulbs, the whole piece appears as a dazzling array of stars twinkling in the Milky Way.

The main part of this fresco comes from the real comic book illustrations of the Belgian artist François Schuiten. We recommend you come here in the evening, when the lights are on—the scene is breathtaking.