Courtyard of a traboule (Vieux Lyon)
Traboules (from Latin transambulare via vulgar Latin trabulare meaning "to cross") are a type of passage way associated with the city of Lyon, France (although a few also exist in Chambery, France as well). In Lyon, they were originally used by silk manufacturers and other merchants to transport their products.
The traboules of Lyon are located primarily in Vieux Lyon (5th arrondissement) and the Croix Rousse (1st and 4th arrondissements) and are often credited as one of the reasons why the occupying Nazis were unable to take complete control of these areas during World War II.[citation needed] The most famous of all Traboules is in the Croix-Rousse quarter, the "Traboule de la cour des Voraces" (the "Traboule of the Voracious court"). It is one of the markers of the Canut Revolts (Canut being a local term for silk workers) and it is also the oldest reinforced concrete stairwell in Lyon.
The layout of Vieux Lyon is such that there are very few connecting streets running perpendicular to the river. These shortcuts thus 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" implies knowledge of the traboules. Nowadays, traboules are tourist attractions, forty being open freely to the public. However most of them are private property, used to access local apartments. Many, if not most, of the underground passages have now been blocked off and are now used as storage areas.
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Traboules
Site with photographs and five guiding tours to visit the traboules of Lyon
