(International City) is a quarter in the

6th arrondissement The 6th arrondissement of Paris (''VIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le sixième''. The arrondissement, called Luxembourg in a reference to the seat of ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

, France. It is situated between the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

and

Parc de la Tête d'Or The Parc de la Tête d'or (English: "Park of the Golden Head") is a large urban park in Lyon, France, with an area of approximately . Located in the northern part of the 6th arrondissement, it features the Jardin botanique de Lyon, as well as a l ...

and encompasses an area that had previously been the location of the

Foire de Lyon The (; or Lyon Fair) is a trade fair, traditionally held in March in Lyon, France. Begun as an initiative by Lyon mayor Édouard Herriot in 1916, the fair has been held in the Eurexpo convention center in Chassieu since 1985. History The ...

. It is connected to the commune of

Caluire-et-Cuire Caluire-et-Cuire (; frp, Caluéres-et-Cuéres) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the fifth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' a ...

by the

Passerelle de la Paix The ("skyway of peace") is a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Rhône river in Lyon, France. It connects the 6th arrondissement of Lyon and the commune of Caluire-et-Cuire. Grand Lyon commissioned the construction of a bridge between Cit ...

History

In 1984, the

moved from its previous location near the

to the

Eurexpo Eurexpo is a convention center and exhibition hall in the commune of Chassieu, south-east of Lyon. It is the site of the annual Foire de Lyon. Description Built in 1984, the site includes 13,000 parking spaces, a total exhibition space of ...

Chassieu Chassieu (; frp, Chassiô) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Population Twin town Chassieu has been twinned with Coleshill, England, near Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city ...

. This freed land was designated as the site for the construction of the Cité Internationale by successive Lyon mayors (

Michel Noir Michel Noir (born 19 May 1944) is a French politician. Political career Governmental functions Minister of Foreign Trade : 1986-1988 Electoral mandates ''National Assembly of France'' Member of the National Assembly for Rhône : 1978-198 ...

Raymond Barre Raymond Octave Joseph Barre (; 12 April 192425 August 2007) was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three presidents (Rey, ...

, and

Gérard Collomb Gérard Collomb (; born 20 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Mayor of Lyon from 2001 to 2017 and again from 2018 until 2020. A member of La République En Marche! (LREM) since he left the Socialist Party (PS) in 2017, he was Ministe ...

). In 1985, Lyon mayor Francisque Collomb launched an international competition to design the site, which was won by architect

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City ...

making him the project manager. The Cité Internationale was established in 1987 and the first construction zone was established in 1988. In 1989 the city decided to demolish the buildings that had housed the Foire de Lyon to make room for the new construction. In 1992, a second construction site was created. The first construction permits were issued in 1993, and construction began in September of that year. In 1998 the construction plan was modified to allow for the possible development of the future

Palais des congrès de Lyon The Palais des Congrès de Lyon (or "Cité des Congrès de Lyon" or "Centre de Congrès de Lyon") is a convention hall which is part of the Cité Internationale, a newly built district of Lyon, France. Overview The building was designed by ar ...

. The same year, the

Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon The Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon is a museum devoted to contemporary art, located in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon, in the Cité Internationale, next to the cinema, in front of the Parc de la Tête d'Or. It had over 42,000 visitors in 200 ...

was completed. A Marriott hotel (previously-Hilton) was added in 1999, a casino in 2000, and the first apartments were built in 2001. The construction permits for an extension of the Palais des congrès de Lyon were filed in 2002, and construction started in 2003. Construction concluded in 2006 upon the completion of the Crowne Plaza Hotel and an amphitheatre.

References

External links

Official website

Official Lyon tourism website for Cité Internationale
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cite Internationale Renzo Piano buildings 6th arrondissement of Lyon