Tête d'Or Lake, Artificial lake in Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon, France

Tête d'Or Lake is an artificial lake of about 17 hectares created in 1857 within the Parc de la Tête d'Or in Lyon. It holds four artificial islands: the Grande Île, circled by the Allée de Belle Vue and holding the Georges-Préveral velodrome; the Île du Souvenir, reached by a tunnel; the Île des Tamaris, accessible by boat; and the Île Gandhi. A low stone embankment edges the far shore.

The lake was laid out with the park in 1857 following a plan by brothers Denis and Eugène Bühler, submitted to the city administration in 1856. That plan already fixed the positions of the Grande Île, the Île des Cygnes (now Île du Souvenir), the Île des Tamaris and the boat landing. In 1911 L. Eynard of the Société linnéenne de Lyon inventoried its Cladocera and Ceratophyllum.

The lake serves as a meeting place where locals walk, jog, and sit by the water, especially during warm months when the park fills with people enjoying outdoor time. This central spot gives the city its heart and becomes the focus of celebrations and festivals throughout the year.

The lake covers about 17 hectares, and the Allée de Belle Vue runs around the Grande Île. The Île du Souvenir, formerly the Île aux Cygnes, is reached through a tunnel, while the Île des Tamaris is reached by boat. The Île Gandhi is the fourth of the four artificial islands.

The Île du Souvenir, once called Île aux Cygnes, holds Tony Garnier's war memorial and is reached by a tunnel rather than a bridge. The lake's other three islands are the Grande Île, ringed by the Allée de Belle Vue and carrying the Georges-Préveral velodrome, the boat-accessible Île des Tamaris and the Île Gandhi.