Villeurbanne

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Villeurbanne
Villeurbanne coat of arms
Villeurbanne (France)
Villeurbanne
region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Métropole de Lyon
Arrondissement Lyon
Coordinates 45 ° 46 ′  N , 4 ° 53 ′  E Coordinates: 45 ° 46 ′  N , 4 ° 53 ′  E
height 165-189 m
surface 14.52 km 2
Residents 147,712 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 10,173 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 69100
INSEE code 69266
Website www.mairie-villeurbanne.fr

town hall

Villeurbanne is a French commune in the Métropole de Lyon in the region of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . The industrial city with 147,712 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) is located on the eastern outskirts of Lyon on the left bank of the Rhône . Before Montreuil and Roubaix , Villeurbanne is the most populous of the cities in France that are not a prefecture of a department or a sub-prefecture of an arrondissement.

history

The name of the city is derived from Villa urbana , a Roman estate that was located in what is now the Cusset district. The area first belonged to the Burgundy Empire , then to the Franconian Empire , and finally to the Kingdom of Arelat . As part of the Dauphiné , Villeurbanne came to France in 1349. Until the 19th century, Villeurbanne was a small rural community, the first city mayor, Étienne Dubourg, was appointed on the eve of the French Revolution . In 1810 a census showed 1,903 inhabitants. In 1837 the Rhone , which up until then had repeatedly overflowed its banks, was dammed by dikes . As part of industrialization , Villeurbanne became a rapidly growing working-class suburb of Lyons from the end of the 19th century, which in 1900 had around 28,000 inhabitants and has remained politically left-wing until today. The first skyscrapers in France were built here in the 1930s. Mayor has been Jean-Paul Bret from the Parti socialiste since 2001 .

Villeurbanne was subdivided until 2015 and was the capital of the cantons of Villeurbanne-Center , Villeurbanne-Nord and Villeurbanne-Sud .

Attractions

The town hall and theater are located on Place Lazare Goujon , named after a previous mayor . In 1980 the architect Mario Botta constructed a media library ( Maison du livre, de l'image et du son ). The high-rise ensemble Gratte-Ciel, built between 1927 and 1934 in the classic modern style, is also worth seeing . Villeurbanne also has a 40 hectare city park with the Parc de la Feyssine .

Memorials

In the vicinity of Villeurbanne is the French war cemetery la Doua (in French: Nécropole nationale de la Doua or Cimetière national militaire de la Doua ).

education

Research institutes from the University of Lyon are based in the city .

Culture

The Théâtre National Populaire is culturally significant .

Well known is the Transbordeur , a concert hall in a former factory building, where greats like Marianne Faithfull , Nick Cave and Stephan Eicher have performed.

economy

Chemical, metal and electrical industries are located in the city.

Personalities

Sons and daughters of the town:

Other personalities:

Honorary citizen

Web links

Commons : Villeurbanne  - collection of images, videos and audio files