Traboules (from Latin ''transambulare'' via vulgar Latin ''trabulare'' meaning "to cross") are a type of secret covered passageways primarily associated with the city of

Lyon, France Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, but also located in the French cities of Villefranche-sur-Saône,

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...

, and

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...

, along with a few in

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the southeastern ...

. In Lyon, they were originally used by

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

manufacturers and other merchants to transport their products.

Lyon

The first examples of traboules are thought to have been built in Lyon in the fourth century. Lacking water, the inhabitants moved to the banks of the

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

(in the 'lower town', at the foot of the Fourvière hill). The traboules thus allowed them to get from their homes to the river quickly and allowed the canuts on the

La Croix-Rousse La Croix-Rousse () is a hill high in the city of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a neighborhood located on this hill. The neighborhood is divided into ''les pentes'' (slopes, belonging to the city's 1st arrondissement) and ''le plateau'' ( ...

hill to get quickly from their workshops to the textile merchants at the foot of the hill. Thus the traboules of Lyon are located primarily in the 'old city' (5th

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, and certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissem ...

) and the Croix Rousse (1st and 4th

s). The "Traboule de la cour des Voraces" ("Traboule of the Voracious Court") is the most famous, located in the Croix-Rousse quarter. It is one of the landmarks of the Canut Revolts ('' canut'' is a local term for silk workers) and it is also the oldest reinforced concrete stairwell in Lyon. The layout of

Vieux Lyon Vieux Lyon (, ) is the largest Renaissance district of Lyon. In 1964, Vieux-Lyon, the city's oldest district, became the first site in France to be protected under the Malraux law to protect France's cultural sites. Covering an area of 424 hecta ...

is such that there are very few connecting streets running perpendicular to the river. The traboules allowed workmen and craftsmen to transport clothes and other textiles through the city while remaining sheltered from inclement weather. For many inhabitants, being a "true Lyonnais" requires being knowledgeable about the city's traboules. Nowadays, traboules are tourist attractions, and several are free and open to the public. Most traboules are on private property, serving as entrances to local apartments. Many, if not most, of the underground passages have been blocked off and are currently used as storage areas. Other former traboules remain accessible to the public but can now only be reached through one of the two original entrances, due to the other entrance now being closed. These are sometimes referred to as ''miraboules'' (from ''mirer'', "to stare"), as sightseers may still admire the internal courtyard spaces, despite no longer being able to use them as thoroughfares. File:Traboule 8.jpg, Traboule (Vieux Lyon) File:Traboule in Lyon, France 1.jpg, Traboule in Lyon File:Traboule in Lyon, France 2.jpg, Traboule in Lyon File:Traboule in Lyon, France 3.jpg, Traboule in Lyon

External links

{{Commonscat, Traboules
Website with photographs and five self-guided walking tours of Lyon's traboules
19th century in Lyon 20th century in Lyon Roman Lyon Medieval Lyon Buildings and structures in Lyon Types of secret places

Lyon

See also

External links