Place des Terreaux (Terreaux Square), Lyon

An ideal rectangle of grand and grey resting on the peninsular (‘presqu’île’) between the Rhône and Saône rivers, at the foot of the Croix-Rousse hill in the 1st district of Lyon, Place des Terreaux is a famous local landmark.

This Lyonnais square is a UNESCO heritage site and a popular meeting place where you can sip beer in the outdoor café, perch on the steps of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and observe the Bartholdi fountain, or pop into the beautiful City Hall to pay a visit to the local mayor.

The Hôtel de ville de Lyon on the eastern side of the square was built between 1646 and 1651 by Simon Maupin; after the fire of 1674 it was rebuilt by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The former nunnery of Saint-Pierre, built in the 17th century, is now home to the Fine Arts Museum since 1803.

The square was the scene of beheading of Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars, condemned for conspiracy against Cardinal Richelieu. During the French Revolution, the guillotine installed here was running at full speed during the tenure of Marie Joseph Chalier. After the siege of Lyon, 79 people were also beheaded there.

The centre of the square is marked by an allegorical fountain of the Saône, made by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and inaugurated on 22 September 1891. The sculpted group, called Char Triomphant de la Garonne, represents the Garonne and its four tributaries jumping into the ocean, all of which are symbolized by a woman leading a quadriga.