Le Mur Des Canuts (The Canuts Mural), Lyon (must see)

The Wall of the Silkworkers (Le Mur des Canuts) is a mural in the Croix-Rouge ("Red-Cross") district of Lyon. It is the largest "trick of the eye" (trompe-l'oeil) mural in the city, covering an area of 12,917 square feet. It is located at the corner of the Canuts Boulevard (Boulevard des Canuts) and Denfert Rochereau Street.

This mural is unlike any other. It represents ordinary day-to-day life in the neighborhood of Croix-Rouge, but with a twist. It is updated. The first update was in 1997. The second, in 2013. The aim is to keep up with the transformations of the district, including changes in the people. The mural is a "living" history.

Pastel colored buildings with tall windows, a steep stairway of stone, a theatre, a silk shop, a bank; all appear in a near surrealistic display. It is another work of CiteCreation. The mural painting organization created the mural in 1987 to honor the history of Croix-Rouge neighborhood.

The profound three-dimensional effects give a sense of action to the display. A black dog lies in front of a shop. Customers wait for the bank to open. Children play at parkour on the stone steps. Tenants peer from windows at passersby. It is a show of life on the "Hill that works." The spirit of the silk weavers of Lyon lives on.