Montée de la Grande-Côte and the Canuts' Way
Why is it significant?
Ascend the polished cobblestones of Montée de la Grande-Côte, the historic pedestrian spine that climbs eighty vertical metres up the Croix-Rousse hillside in a dramatic, uninterrupted straight line.
Key Facts
| Place | Montée de la Grande-Côte and the Canuts' Way |
|---|---|
| Address | Montée de la Grande-Côte 85, 69001 Lyon, France |
| Geo Coordinates | 45.77280, 4.83180 |
| Part of Walk | Croix-Rousse and the Canuts: Silk Revolts, Secret Traboules, and Giant Murals |
| Generated | Generated |
Ascend the polished cobblestones of Montée de la Grande-Côte, the historic pedestrian spine that climbs eighty vertical metres up the Croix-Rousse hillside in a dramatic, uninterrupted straight line. Serving since the Middle Ages as the primary northern highway linking the city center to Burgundy through the Saint-Sébastien gate, this long street was completely transformed in the early nineteenth century into the throbbing heart of the Grande Fabrique silk industry. The street is lined with the architectural trademark of Lyon's silk district: the purpose-built canut houses. These imposing stone buildings feature monumental windows over two metres tall designed to harvest every ray of daylight, soaring four-metre ceilings engineered to accommodate the bulky wooden framework of the Jacquard loom, and massive oak support beams capable of bearing the vibration of heavy weaving machinery. Today a delightfully pedestrianized artery filled with fair-trade cafes, cooperative bookshops, and cabinetmakers, the street retains the proud soul of its working-class past. The downward perspective over the rooftops toward Bellecour is breathtaking.
Look up at the high upper-floor windows: notice the suspended wooden mezzanines, called soupentes, built halfway up the towering ceilings where the master weaver's entire family slept to leave the main floor space free for operating the clacking looms.
It was on this steep incline in November 1831 that the first Canut Revolt erupted: facing catastrophic wage cuts from merchants, thousands of weavers descended in armed rebellion carrying black flags inscribed with their immortal slogan: Live working or die fighting.
Look southward down the slope: on clear days, the straight canyon of stone facades frames a spectacular view of the Hôtel de Ville belfry tower and the far-off blue hills of the Dauphiné.
Turn left onto Rue Imbert-Colomès to enter the historic working-class sanctuary of the Cour des Voraces.