Place Bellecour, Central square in Lyon, France
Place Bellecour stretches 300 meters across the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon with a red surface and broad pedestrian paths. The space links major streets and neighborhoods while sitting between the city's two rivers.
An equestrian statue from 1825 honors King Louis XIV and was created by sculptor François-Frédéric Lemot. This plaza marks the reference point from which all distances in Lyon are measured.
The square's name comes from bella curtis, the archbishop of Lyon's vineyard recorded in the 12th century. A statue of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry seated before the Little Prince was erected in 2000 for the centenary of the aviator's birth, at the square's west end.
The plaza has tourist information pavilions, play areas for children, and outdoor dining options throughout. Walking paths connect easily to major shopping streets and neighborhoods around it.
The pedestal of Lemot's 1825 Louis XIV statue is made of stone from Le Perréon, a village in the Beaujolais. The bronze was hauled from Paris to Lyon in twelve days on a carriage drawn by twenty-four horses, and its arrival in the city drew a large crowd.
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