Clos Jouve, Urban park in Croix-Rousse district, Lyon, France
Clos Jouve is a park located between Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse and Rue Pierre-Dupont, with compacted earth paths connecting various street entries and flower beds planted with young trees. The space was transformed from a boules court in 2020 and features wooden benches and tables throughout.
The site originally housed the Chartreuse du Lys Saint-Esprit monastery founded in 1585, before becoming military grounds. It later served as Lyon's largest boules court before its current transformation.
The park holds a sculpture called Fanny from 1987, tied to a local tradition where boules players who lost without scoring would kiss the statue. This figure remains central to the social rituals that visitors can witness today.
The park is accessible from multiple sides via street entries and provides plenty of seating with benches and tables spread throughout. The compacted earth paths make it easy to navigate between different areas of the space.
Young trees in the park display burnt inscriptions on protective slats identifying species such as Burgundy Oak, Japanese Pagoda, Hornbeam, and Chinese Soapberry. These markings allow visitors to learn about the different tree types while walking through the grounds.
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