Pausing here on Avenue Paul Krüger one might wonder who this man was. Paul Krüger was born in South Africa in 1825. He died in Switzerland in 1904. Krüger played a key role in Transvaal’s history. He helped establish it as a republic in 1856. Later he commanded its armies.
Avenue Paul Krüger owes its name to this president. He was the president of the Transvaal Republic. This was before he was defeated by the British. The defeat happened during the Boer War and forced him into exile in Europe.
Interestingly Paul Krüger made a stop in Lyon. He arrived at Gare de Perrache on December 1 1900. The people of Lyon welcomed him with enthusiasm.
Avenue Paul Krüger itself has a history dating back to 1920. At that time the area was a new district. The southern part of the avenue was industrial. Factories including a wire drawing factory occupied this section. In the 1990s it was opened onto Rue Bataille.
The avenue starts at Rue Cézard. It runs east to Rue Bataille. It faces number 142 at the junction with Rue Blanchet. The first section features houses of one floor. They are not aligned in a uniform way. The avenue crosses Place du Transvaal.
Looking at the north side you will see old houses. There is also a strip of garages. A long building from the 2000s curves around Rue Pinton. On the south side houses sit within gardens. Some of these are scheduled to be replaced by a building. An office building and a recessed workshop complete this section.
Past Rue Pinton you see the Decitre workshop. It has a cutaway corner and a small space with three shrubs. Next to it is a taller section. Its large facade overlooks a garden. The garden features benches and a lawn. This is located at the junction of Rue Bataille. On the north side are four small single story facades. They are in a style reminiscent of the year 2000. They are arranged around a long alley. This alley reveals similar houses in a row. The avenue ends at a long factory side. This factory opens onto Rue Blanchet.
Keep an eye out for a portal with a sign. The sign reads “Rucher Observatoire” which means observation beehive. This dates back to a decree from 1984. Also nearby is the medical district. So the avenue is sometimes mistakenly called Professeur Krüger. Paul Krüger is also remembered in other places. There is a street in Villeurbanne near Route de Genas. There is also Krüger Park in South Africa.
Avenue Paul Krüger has undergone changes over the years. In 1902 there was a project to classify private roads. These were Rue Paul Kruger Boulevard Christian de Wet and Rue Persoz. By 1903 it was classified as an ordinary local road. Over the years there were discussions about establishing a railway line on the avenue. There were also issues of waste removal. The avenue was extended in 1920. Later in 1922 a 14 meter wide street was opened. It extended Avenue Paul Krüger between Chemin Cyprian and former military fortifications. Further extensions and acquisitions of land occurred in the 1930s.