The 3rd district of Lyon is one of nine districts of the commune French of Lyon. Located on the left bank of the Rhône and centered around the Part-Dieu district, it is the most populous of the arrondissements. The territory of the 3rd arrondissement gathers around its economic center of Part-Dieu important cultural places in Lyon as well as institutions. Its location in the heart of the city, the business center of Part-Dieu, and the presence of the station make it a very attractive area economically. Its residential districts and its proximity to the city center also make it a popular area for families.

Two thousand years of history have left their successive imprints on the landscape of the city. The physiognomy of the 3rd arrondissement reflects different eras and partly tells the story of Lyon. Dynamic from a cultural, economic and town planning point of view, the 3rd arrondissement is the most important in Lyon due to its constantly evolving population.

From the hill of Montchat to the banks of the Rhône, offers a contrasting and attractive territory. The 3rd arrondissement covers the Mutualité-Préfecture-Moncey districts, along the Rhône, Voltaire / Part-Dieu, west of the station, Villette / Paul-Bert and Dauphiné / Sans-Souci, and the Montchat district, the further east of the borough.

History
Until 1852 the territory of the 3rd district is part of the municipality of La Guillotière, administratively attached to the department of Isère. The 3rd district is created by the decree of March 24, 1852(date of creation of the first five districts), following the attachment of the municipality of La Guillotière to the municipality of Lyon (and therefore to the Rhône department). The 3rd arrondissement then includes all the territories of the city of Lyon located on the left bank of the Rhône (current 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8 th arrondissements). At that time, the territory was still not very urbanized and cultures occupied 4/5 of space. The Law of July 17, 1867 has shared this district into two by creating the 6th arrondissement. The 3rd district finally found its current boundaries after the creation of the 7th district by the law of March 8, 1912.

Communities
The city of Lyon is one of three French municipalities currently divided into municipal districts (with Paris and Marseille). The law No.82-1169 of December 31, 1982 relating to the administrative organization of Paris, Lyon, Marseille and public establishments for inter-municipal cooperation, known as the PLM Law after the names of the cities concerned, is the French law which has established the particular administrative status applicable in particular to the city of Lyon. It was adopted in the context of the decentralization law (known as the Deferre Law) of March 2, 1982.

In this context, the PLM law transformed the former district town halls into structures elected at the local level. However, they are not fully-fledged town halls, and in particular do not levy taxes, but distribute the credits delegated to them by the Lyon Town Hall. However, they manage certain municipal facilities, and are consulted by the City of Lyon before certain decisions of local interest.

The Mutualité-Préfecture-Moncey district
From La Guillotière to the prefecture, this district along the banks of the Rhône offers a variety of faces. Since the end of the 19th century, the Mutualité / Préfecture / Moncey district has been the subject of numerous projects. One of the first successful development projects was that of the “Place du Pont” in 1936, today the Place Gabriel-Peri. The project included the demolition of an island and the construction of the Prisunic store to create a round square with a radius of 75 meters. The urban vocation of the place intended to declare war on the slums and the insalubrity of the district.

The aerial bombardment of May 26, 1944, which aimed at the double destruction of the SNCF marshalling yard and of the Military Health School, then the headquarters of the Gestapo, affected the neighborhood a lot, causing a significant number of deaths and destruction. Avenue Berthelot was also destroyed by poorly targeted and very deadly American bombings. The reconstruction was then the opportunity to demolish unsanitary buildings and to develop blocks offering vast gardens and interior courtyards in the eastern and southern part of the district.

In 1985, a neighborhood renovation operation was launched with the aim of revitalizing this complex and enhancing the existing heritage. The Prisunic closed in 1988 to make way for the creation of the CLIP and the Moncey axis. The project was intended to create a large opening in the axis of the rue Moncey to connect the city center to the Part-Dieu.

Today, the district is one of the most remarkable on the left bank in terms of associative dynamics. Initiatives abound, associations are numerous. Mutualité / Préfecture / Moncey appears to be a lively, pleasant neighborhood, well connected to the city and rich in various cultures.

The Montchat district
The district of Montchat, located in the eastern part of the district, is characterized by its homogeneity which has been conferred on it by the planned developments throughout the sector. Montchat is the heir of the village of Chaussagne which was formed in Roman times to the south-east of Lugdunum. The name “Montchal” appears in the 15th century but it was in the 19th century, following a transcription error, that the estate took the name of Montchat.

It was also at this time that the district became urbanized. In 1858, Jean-Louis-François Richard-Vitton, large landowner, former member of the municipal council of Guillotière and future mayor of the 3rd arrondissement, developed one of the first housing estates by dividing up his estate into several family houses. It ensures the construction of a church, schools and an asylum room, and cedes the streets of its subdivisions to the city of Lyon. Aujourd’hui et depuis 1926, 65 jardins de 150m² chacun font le bonheur des familles qui les cultivent. Et si à l’origine ces jardins servaient à nourrir des familles nombreuses et modestes, les potagers sont encore là bien que les familles savent aussi profiter autrement de ce lieu de verdure privilégié à Lyon.

At the start of the 20th century, pre-war country life gave way to villas, shops and small businesses. Soon, the social fabric of workers, small bosses, disappears for the benefit of medical personnel. Between 1920 and 1934, the Édouard Herriot Hospital was built on land formerly belonging to the Montchat estate. From the first third of the 20th century, Montchat became the “district of hospitals”. Driven by the construction of the Edouard Herriot hospital, many medical structures chose this sector to establish themselves. The district’s medical vocation was confirmed in 1930 with the Desgenettes military hospital and then, in the 1970s, with the neurological and cardiological hospitals and the international cancer research center.

Today, the district retains its original character while continuing its development. The uniformity of its fittings gives it a timeless character, apart from in the Lyon metropolitan area.

Prefecture district
The Prefecture is a district of Lyon (France) in the 3rd district of the city. It is located between the banks of the Rhône, the Moncey district, the Part-Dieu and the Cours Lafayette. This district is centered around the building of the Rhône prefecture, located on the Cours de la Liberté.

Moncey district
Moncey is a district of Lyon (France) in the 3rd district between the Rhone, the neighborhoods of the Part-Dieu and Guillotière. It takes its name from the rue Moncey which crosses it. The neighborhood dates from the XVII th and XIX th centuries. It was attached to the city of Lyon in 1853.

La Part-Dieu district
Part-Dieu is a neighborhood located in the 3rd district of the city of Lyon in France. La Part-Dieu is considered to be the second city center of Lyon after the Presqu’île. Initially designed as an alternative to the old city center, this district then became the leading business district in France outside Île-de-France. It is mainly made up of low rise buildings and towers. It is the “nerve center” of the Lyon metropolitan area as a metropolis of balance in France; important multimodal hub in France (and in Europe), this new district has easy access to Lyon by plane, direct access by train, access to the entire agglomeration-department (metro-tramway-bus). The initial combination of the 1960 housing-shops-activity project in the tertiary sector is still appropriate today to keep the district “alive” (economically active and recent architectural heritage enhanced).

La Villette district
La Villette is a district of the 3rd district of Lyon between the Part-Dieu, Bellecombe, Sans Souci – Dauphiné and the two parts of the Ferrandière and Les Maisons-Neuves located in the municipality of Villeurbanne.

Sans Souci – Dauphiné district
Sans Souci – Dauphiné, sometimes referred to as the reverse Dauphiné – Sans Souci or simply Sans Souci, is an area of 3rd district of the city of Lyon between the districts of La Villette, Montchat and Monplaisir.

Former suburb of Guillotière grouping together individual houses, workshops and factories to the east of the railways along the southern sector of Part-Dieu, it is today a residential area that is developing while maintaining commercial activity on these historic axes.

Grange Blanche district
Grange Blanche is a district of Lyon (France) straddles the 3rd and 8 th districts. It is served by line D of the metro and lines T2 and T5 of the Lyon tramway at Grange Blanche station.

This district is centered around Place d’Arsonval. There are notably the international cancer research center, the Édouard-Herriot hospital and the Rockefeller Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, part of the University Claude-Bernard-Lyon-I.

Attractions

The Part-Dieu tower
The tower Part-Dieu, is a skyscraper of offices located in the business district of the Part-Dieu in Lyon, in France. The construction of the tower was decided by several financial groups, including Crédit Lyonnais. Today, the bank no longer occupies the premises, but is still one of the six landlord owners, as indicated by its sign affixed to the top of building.

Work of the American firm Araldo Cossutta & Associates and built between 1972 and 1977, the tower is 164.9 meters high. Until the construction of the Incity tower (nicknamed “the gum”), whose mast rises to 200 m high, it was the tallest French skyscraper that is not located in Île-de-France. According to the wishes of the architect, the top of this tower is located approximately at the same height as the basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. At its delivery in 1977, it was the 4 th tallest building in France and 14 th now. The Part-Dieu tower has a shapecylindrical. Its top floor is surmounted by a transparent pyramid 23 m high which has earned the tower the nickname “Crayon Tower”. The pyramid on the roof allows natural light to enter the center of the Radisson Blu hotel.

On the occasion of its 31 th anniversary, the tower changed its name and logo. The September 22, 2008, the building officially takes the name of Tour Part-Dieu and the logo incorporates the nickname “pencil”, given to it by the Lyonnais since the beginning. In 2010, an illuminated sign stamped Tour Part-Dieu – LCL was installed on the pediment of the building (five years after the bank changed its name).

The Oxygen Tower
The Oxygen Tower is a skyscraper of 28 floors and 115 meters high, in the district of the Part-Dieu in Lyon (France). It is an integral part of the Oxygen project which also includes a shopping center, the “Oxygen course”. It is the third tallest skyscraper in the city. Its inauguration took place on June 2, 2010.

The Incity Tower
The Incity tower,is a skyscraper of offices located in the district of the Part-Dieu in Lyon (France). Located at the corner of rue Garibaldi and cours Lafayette, instead of the old UAP tower (destroyed in 2012), the Incity tower rises to 202 meters in height. The tower was, in 2016, the tallest skyscraper in Lyon, in front of the Part-Dieu tower (nicknamed “the pencil”) and the Oxygene tower, and the third tallest skyscraper in France behind the First tower (La Défense) and the Montparnasse tower (Paris).

The Incity tower is also the tallest French tower, apart from the Parisian towers, and the first HQE (high environmental quality) tower in the city center in France, with 39 floors and a mass of 90,000 tonnes.

The Grand Temple of Lyon
The Grand Temple de Lyon is a parish Protestant located on the banks of the Rhone, 3 Quai Victor Augagneur in the 3rd district of Lyon. It is attached to the United Protestant Church of France. Worship is celebrated there every Sunday, at 10:30 am or 5:30 pm. There are also numerous concerts, conferences and other cultural activities.

The Rhône Prefecture Hotel
The Rhône prefecture hotel is a building housing the headquarters of the prefecture of the Rhône departmental constituency, which corresponds since the1 st January 2015to two local authorities: the Rhône department, sometimes called today “Nouveau-Rhône”, and the metropolis of Lyon or “Grand Lyon”, which replaces both the Rhône and the urban community of Lyon on the territory corresponding to Lyon and 58 neighboring municipalities. It also hosts the departmental council of the Rhône, although located outside the said department and maintained here despite the creation of the metropolis of Lyon on1 st January 2015. The Rhône Prefecture is located in the 3rd district of Lyon.

The Maurice-Ravel Auditorium
The Maurice Ravel Auditorium is a theater and concerts, located in the district of the Part-Dieu in the 3rd district of Lyon. It is the hall of residence of the Orchester national de Lyon.

The Lyon Labor Exchange
The Labor Exchange is a theater located in Lyon, in the 3rd district. Founded in 1891, the Bourse du Travail was first the site of revolutionary activism in Lyon. Little by little, it welcomed plays, intended to form a real working-class and anti-partisan culture. With a capacity of 1950 seats, the hall, which has now lost its political and social function, hosts a large number of concerts, one-man shows, dance performances, seminars, etc.

The Fort Montluc
The strong Montluc is a work at 5, rue du General Mouton Duvernet, in the 3rd district of Lyon. First built as a fort of the first belt of Lyon in 1831, it is now occupied by the 2 police station of Lyon.

Cultural facilities

The Auditorium and the National Orchestra of Lyon
The richness of the ONL’s repertoire is reflected in a vast discography under the baton of Serge Baudo, Emmanuel Krivine and David Robertson in particular, who also unite their talent in the box set published in 2005 on the occasion of the centenary of the ‘orchestra. The arrival of Jun Märkl at the head of the ONL gave a new impetus to this discographic policy, with numerous recordings and recording projects at Altus and Naxos. World-renowned conductor, American Leonard Slatkin has been, since the 2008-2009 season, the twelfth musical director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he has just extended his contract until the end of 2012-2013. Since September 2011, he has held the same position at the head of the Orchester national de Lyon, where he previously had numerous engagements as guest conductor. He has also been Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra since the fall of 2008.

The municipal library
The Municipal Library of Lyon is made up of a network of 16 libraries (the Part-Dieu Central Library and 14 libraries and 1 media library present in all districts of Lyon) and 3 bookmobiles serving either directly neighborhoods or communities for adults or children (residences for the elderly, social centers, PMIs, schools, nurseries, etc.). The missions of the “BML” are multiple. They range from the conservation and enhancement of a considerable written and graphic heritage (the most important in France after that of the BnF), to actions to promote books and reading in “sensitive” neighborhoods, through a strong lending activity (around 3.6 million loans per year), assistance for documentary research, education (especially for students and schoolchildren) and cultural events (exhibitions, conferences, reading or writing workshops, etc.). In direct contact with the changes in the information society, the BML also plays an important role in the appropriation of NICT by the greatest number.

Green spaces
Bazin Park: The Bazin Park is Lyon park of 3.1 hectares located in the district Montchat the 3rd district of Lyon.
Chambovet Park: The Chambovet park is a Lyon park of 5.2 hectares located in the district Montchat the 3rd district of Lyon. It is bordered to the northeast by rue Chambovet which gives it its name. Located on the heights of Montchat, it offers a view of the city with the Notre-Dame de Fourvière basilica and the Lyonnais mountains. This scope includes Park City and four hectares of allotments. As part of the Greater Lyon urban ecology charter, according to a list updated in 1998, it is listed among the sites belonging to the ecological heritage of the metropolis of Lyon.
Jacob-Kaplan Park: The Jacob Kaplan park or Buire park is a Lyon Park with an area of 5000 m², located in the district of Buire the 3rd district of Lyon. It is named after Jacob Kaplan.
Sisley Park (Dauphiné)
Zenith Park (Lacassagne)
Garden of Place Bir-Hakeim (Bir-Hakeim)
Garden of the Place du Château (Montchat)
General Delestraint Garden (Prefecture)
Edison Garden (Voltaire)
Jeanne Jugan Garden (La Villette)
Saint-Marie Perrin Garden (Part-Dieu)
Square Jussieu (Prefecture)