Guignol, created in the early 19th
C., associated with the silk-workers
1,600,000 m2 (17,222,256.67 sq ft) of office space and services and more than 55,000 jobs.[48] Cité Internationale, created
by the architect Renzo Piano is located in the border of the Parc de la Tête d'Or in the 6th arrondissement. The worldwide
headquarters of Interpol is located there. The district of Confluence, in the south of the historic centre, is a new pole of
economical and cultural development.
Tourism is an important part of the Lyon economy, with one billion euros in 2007 and 3.5 million hotel-nights in 2006
provided by non-residents. Approximately 60% of tourists visit for business, with the rest for leisure. In January 2009, Lyon
ranked first in France for hostels business. The festivals most important for attracting tourists are the Fête des lumières, the
Nuits de Fourvière every summer, the Biennale d'art contemporain and the Nuits Sonores.
Since the Middle Ages, the region residents have spoken several dialects of Franco-
Provençal. The Lyonnais dialect was replaced by the French language as the
importance of the city grew. However some "frenchified" Franco-Provençal words
can also be heard in the French of the Lyonnais, who call their little boys and girls
"gones" and "fenottes" for example.[49]
The Lumière brothers pioneered cinema in the town in 1895. The InstitutLumière, built as Auguste Lumiere's house, and a fascinating piece ofarchitecture in its own right, holds many of their first inventions and otherearly cinematic and photographic artifacts.
8 December each year is marked by the Festival of Lights (la Fête deslumières), a celebration of thanks to the Virgin Mary, who purportedlysaved the city from a deadly plague in the Middle Ages. During the event,the local population places candles (luminions) at their windows and the city of Lyon organizes large-scalelight shows onto the sides of important Lyonnais monuments, such as the medieval Cathédrale St-Jean.
The Saint Francis of Sales church is famous for its large and unaltered Cavaillé-Coll pipe organ, attractingaudiences from around the world.
The Opéra Nouvel (New Opera House) is the home of the Opéra National de Lyon. The original opera housewas re-designed by the distinguished French architect Jean Nouvel between 1985 and 1993 and is namedafter him.
Lyon is also the French capital of "trompe l'œil" walls, a very ancient tradition. Many are to be seen around thecity. This old tradition is now finding a contemporary expression, for example in the art of Guillaume
Bottazzi.[50][51]
The Brothers of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic congregation that operates schools in Europe and NorthAmerica, was founded in Lyon in 1821.
The African Museum of Lyon is one of the oldest museums situated in Lyon.[52]
The Museum of Resistance and Deportation looks at the various individuals prominent in the Resistancemovement in World War II. The building is strongly linked to Klaus Barbie. Lyon sees itself as the centre of theFrench resistance and many members were shot in Place Bellecour in the town centre. The exhibition islargely a series of , mini-biographies of those involved.
Lyon is a pilot city of the Council of Europe and the European Commission Intercultural cities program.
The historic site of Lyon was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. In its designation, UNESCO cited the
"exceptional testimony to the continuity of urban settlement over more than two millennia on a site of great commercial and
strategic significance."[37] The specific regions comprising the historic site include the Roman district and Fourvière, the
Renaissance district (Vieux Lyon), the silk district (slopes of Croix-Rousse), and the Presqu'île, which features architecture
from the 12th century to modern times.[53]
Culture
UNESCO World Heritage Site