Boulevard des Belges
Encyclopedia
The Boulevard des Belges is a wide and posh avenue located in Les Brotteaux
Les Brotteaux
Les Brotteaux is a quarter in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon. It is situated between the Rhône and the track railway which leads to the Gare de la Part-Dieu. The urbanization of this area began in the late eighteenth century under the leadership of architect and urban planner Jean-Antoine Morand...

 quarter, in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon
6th arrondissement of Lyon
The 6th arrondissement of Lyon is one of the nine arrondissements of the City of Lyon and one of the poshest.This zone is served by the metro lines , and Tramway T3-Streets and squares:* Boulevard des Belges* Rue de Créqui* Rue Duguesclin...

. It begins with the Quai de Grande Bretagne, runs along the southern part of the Parc de la Tête d'Or
Parc de la Tête d'Or
Parc de la Tête d'Or , in central Lyon, is an urban park in France, with it is 8.5 times smaller than bois de Vincennes in Paris. Located in the 6th arrondissement, it features a large lake on which boating takes place during the summer months...

 until the Avenue Verguin and ends on the Place Jules Ferry, in front of the Gare des Brotteaux
Gare des Brotteaux
The Gare des Brotteaux is an old train station located in the Brotteaux quarter, in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon.-History:Built by the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée company , and especially by Parisian architect Paul d'Arbaut and engineer Victor-Louis Rascol, the station served the line to...

. The boulevard is lined with plane trees and is served by two velo'v
Vélo'v
Vélo'v is a bicycle rental service run by the city of Lyon, France, in conjunction with the advertising company JCDecaux. The relationship with JCDecaux allows the city to provide the service on a cost neutral basis for the city, and at very low cost to users, in return for providing exclusive...

 stations and the line B of the metro.

History

In the 19th century, before the houses building, there were a few huts where notably lived a famous magician, and the street was mostly populated by poor people; however, the street was pleasant for walkers. It was largely built on the site of the old ditches that formed the walls of Lyon, erected under the reign of Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe may refer to:*Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, last King of France*Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, called King Louis Philippe II by some factions*Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans*Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans...

. The boulevard was developed under the Second Empire, but the last two military buildings were not removed until 1890. In 1897, Lyon Mayor Antoine Gailleton enacted a regulation on buildings bordering the park at the northern side: he banned the shops and the heights above three storeys. The first buildings on this side of the boulevard began in 1900 and were spread during the first half of the twentieth century. Formerly named Boulevard du Nord, it was renamed in 1916, after deliberation of the Municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...

 on 14 July 1914, to pay tribute to the resilience of the Belgian army in 1914, like the rue d'Anvers in the 7th arrondissement, and the rue d'Ypres, in the 4th arrondissement. Several buildings, including the odd numbers from 55 to 65, were built by architects Henry Despierre and L. Roux-Meulière in the 1880s.

Édouard Aynard, one of the founders of the Crédit Lyonnais
Crédit Lyonnais
Crédit Lyonnais is a historic French bank. In the early 1990s it was the largest French bank, majority state-owned at that point. Crédit Lyonnais was the subject of poor management during that period which almost led to its bankruptcy in 1993...

, was one of the first inhabitants of the street.

Architecture

At the northern side, along the park, there are mansions and small luxury buildings that reflect the eclectic architecture of Lyon from the late nineteenth century (Napoleon III, Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

, 1930s styles ... ). Legally, the buildings may not have more than three storeys in this part of the street. Until No. 63 which is in front of the large tropical greenhouses of the Parc de la Tête d'Or, the odd numbers houses are separated from the park only by a grid and their own garden. These belong to the richest inhabitants of Lyon and only the initials of these people are mentioned on the plaques of doors. There are two yellow stone mansions at No. 33 and two identical buildings paved with marble at No. 35 and 37. In front of the rue Duquesne and the Rue de la Tête d'Or, there are two flags adorned with figures surrendering the green gates with golden lions sculpted that overlook the park. After the Avenue Verguin, a small square, then early 20th-century buildings can be seen.

At the southern side, buildings were built in the early, then in the middle of the 20th century. After the rue de Créqui
Rue de Créqui
La Rue de Créqui is a very long street located in the 7th, 3rd and 6th arrondissements of Lyon. It is a long straight line along the rue Duguesclin or the rue de Vendôme, that begins on the Grande Rue de la Guillotière in the 7th arrondissement and ends at the north in the 6th, on the Boulevard des...

, the buildings are composed of four to eight storeys, then after the Avenue Verguin, many even numbers buildings have half-columns in advance.

Several buildings of the street have a noteworthy architecture, including the Nos. 14, 14 bis, 18, 52, 54 and 58. The No. 15 is the hotel Vibert built by architect François Rostagnat for founder of Pétrole Hahn society Laurent Vibert. Nos. 18 and 66 are bourgeois buildings made by Marius Bornarel in 1931. At No. 45, sculptures and ironworks are Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

-styled. The building at Nos. 65-67 shows color contrasts, mixing white and pink stones. At Nos. 82 and 99, there are two luxuous houses typical of the Haussman style of the late 19th century buildings of the street. The No. 114 is the Art Nouveau hotel Lutétia, created by Martinon in 1910.

Notable monuments

Notable monuments of the street include the former Musée Guimet at No. 28. Built in 1878, this natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...

 museum, now transferred to the Musée des Confluences
Musée des Confluences
The Musée des Confluences is a museum under construction in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, . It is located at the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône and forms part of a large redevelopment project of the Confluence quarter...

, displayed Egyptian and Asian collections, stuffed animals, aquariums and the big skeleton of a mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...

.

The Consulate General of Federal Republic of Germany is situated at No. 33. The building was constructed around the year 1900. Originally a private residence, it was not until 1954 that the Federal Republic of Germany acquired it (the Consulate General was previously in a large apartment on the Place Bellecour
Place Bellecour
The Place Bellecour is a large town square in Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 200 m , it is the largest clear square in Europe, and the third biggest square of France, behind the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux et the place de la...

). This building is officially classified as monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...

.
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