Place des Terreaux, public square located in the centre of Lyon, France

Place des Terreaux is a broad paved square in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, enclosed on the east by the Hôtel de Ville and on the south by the Palais Saint-Pierre, home of the Musée des Beaux-Arts. The Hôtel de Ville has a light stone facade with a steep dark mansard roof and dormer windows. In the north-centre stands Bartholdi's fountain, a curved stone basin with a dark sculptural group, and a line of water jets runs down the open pavement.

The site was a moat called Terralia nova outside Lyon's 13th-century walls, filled in 1578. The square took shape in the 17th century: Simon Maupin built the Hôtel de Ville between 1646 and 1651, and the Marquis of Cinq-Mars was beheaded here on 12 September 1642. In 1792 it was renamed Place de la Liberté, and 79 people were guillotined after the siege of Lyon.

The name Terreaux comes from the Latin Terralia, meaning ditch, referring to the moat that ran here until the 16th century. In 1792 the square was renamed place de la Liberté before reverting to its original name. The 1994 redesign by Christian Drevet and Daniel Buren added 69 water jets and 14 pillars.

The square is easily accessible and well connected by public transport, with several bus stops nearby. The ground is flat and straightforward to walk across, with seating areas scattered throughout and easy access to cafes and restaurants surrounding it.

The Bartholdi fountain was made for Bordeaux and shown at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, then bought by Lyon mayor Antoine Gailleton in 1890 after Bordeaux found it too costly. Its sculpted group, the Char triomphant de la Garonne, shows the Garonne and four tributaries as a woman driving a quadriga. It was moved to the axis of the Palais Saint-Pierre when the underground car park was built.