These dates have left their mark on the history of our town. Some still leave visible traces in the city. Thanks in particular to the Archives de Lyon website, we’ve selected a few key dates (among a thousand and one possible) that tell the story of our past like never before. Ready to take a trip back in time?
June 3, 1856, the Rhône floods devastate part of the city
This photo is part of one of the world’s very first photo reports! The flood of 1856 was such that it left its mark on history for generations to come. In Lyon, 18 people died in the particularly hard-hit Guillotière area. Napoleon III paid a visit to Lyon a few days later to support the people of Lyon in this catastrophe.
June 15, 1942, the historic cathedral of Saint Jean gets a facelift
Following the landslide at Fourvière on November 12, 1930, public attention turned to the Saint Jean district and its cathedral. Following several works carried out on the choir in 1935, it was decided to renovate the nave roof as well, replacing the slates with tiles. The attic was demolished in 1940 and rebuilt according to new plans in June 1942.
June 19, 1964, inauguration of the new rose garden in the Parc de la Tête d’Or
Along with its gastronomy, this is one of Lyon’s other proudest achievements. The Parc de la Tête d’Or is one of the largest urban parks in the world, covering 117 hectares in the heart of the city. The new rose garden was inaugurated on June 19, 1964. It covers 5 hectares of land and includes no fewer than 60,000 rosebushes.
June 22 1965, Beatles concert at the Palais d’Hiver, Villeurbanne
The Beatles in Lyon! By this time, the Fab Four were already superstars, performing hits like Twist and Shout, Can’t Buy Me Love, I Feel Fine and Ticket to Ride. That night, 3,500 lucky fans attended the show, with tickets priced at 25 francs… For all nostalgic fans, Candlelight concerts in tribute to the Beatles are held in the heart of the Basilique de Fourvière.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_rv4nXU31w&t=60s
June 7, 1974, laying of the foundation stone for Tour Part-Dieu
It’s an integral part of Lyon’s architectural DNA. The Tour Part-Dieu, nicknamed “Le Crayon” by the people of Lyon, is an iconic building. With over 40 floors and a height of 165 m, it is still one of the tallest towers built in France. For the record, its summit is at the same height as the Notre-Dame de Fourvière basilica.
June 25, 1997, Michael Jackson concert at Gerland
That evening, no fewer than 25,000 people turned out to welcome the King of Pop to Gerland for his HIStory World Tour. By this time (already), the heat was already hitting Lyon, and on the orders of Michael Jackson himself, the security service distributed over 2,000 bottles to the thousands of people who had been waiting since the early hours of the morning. Hats off to the artist. Fortunately, the magic of concerts still works in Lyon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfVFttiJYY
June 24, 2025, Olympique Lyonnais demoted to L2
A thunderclap for the soccer world. The DNCG’s announcement on Wednesday June 24 will have a bitter taste for all OL fans. Despite finishing a very respectable 6th in L1 this year, the club has been rapped on the knuckles by the league’s financial watchdog for mismanagement of its accounts. To be continued…