Place Colbert, Public square on slopes of Croix-Rousse district in Lyon, France.
Place Colbert is a public square on the slopes of Croix-Rousse with stone steps and large plane trees providing shade. The space spans multiple levels and connects various streets while preserving historic architectural passages.
Place Colbert was opened within the Clos Casati, and a municipal council deliberation of 18 June 1829 gave it its name. It honours Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683), who studied in Lyon's Change district in 1634 with the Mascrani bankers and, as controller general of finances, promoted the city's silk industry. In 2018 the square was partly renovated and several diseased plane trees were felled.
The name honours Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683), who studied in Lyon's Change district in 1634 with the Mascrani bankers and, as controller general of finances, backed the city's silk industry. The square opened in the Clos Casati and received its name by a municipal council decision of 18 June 1829. A Bayard fountain post still supplies drinking water.
The square is accessible by multiple roads and can be reached on foot or by car from surrounding neighborhoods. The sloped terrain and stone steps require comfortable footwear and some physical effort when ascending.
The square is the main entry point to the traboule of the cour des Voraces, a covered passage through the Croix-Rousse buildings. A Bayard boundary fountain on the square supplies drinking water. The square was laid out in the Clos Casati, and in 2018 it was partly renovated, with several diseased plane trees cut down.
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