Place de la République, Square and pedestrian zone in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, France
The place de la République is a rectangular open square in the Presqu'île neighborhood of Lyon's 2nd arrondissement, surrounded by buildings and shops dating from the 19th century. At its center stands a shallow basin that once functioned as a fountain with small water jets, flanked by two old metal Morris columns.
The square was created in the 1860s as part of a broad urban redesign of Lyon led by prefect Claude-Marius Vaïsse, and was first called place Impériale, then place de Lyon, before taking its current name in 1878. A monument to president Sadi Carnot, who was assassinated in Lyon in 1894, was later erected here but moved away during the construction of the metro in the 1970s.
The place de la République sits along the rue de la République, a pedestrian street connecting place Bellecour to place de la Comédie. Every November, the square hosts the "Soupe en scène" festival, where people gather to share warm dishes and watch street performances.
The square is easy to reach on foot from several metro stations, including Bellecour and Cordeliers, and sits directly along the pedestrian street. It can be visited at any time of day, and the area tends to be especially lively in the evening and during the December light festival.
The basin at the center of the square was originally a fountain with small water jets, but today the water is sometimes green or absent altogether, which has drawn complaints from nearby residents. Each July, a temporary garden with plants and decorative objects also appears on the square, briefly changing its look.
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