Bet you didn’t expect such a short street to hold so much history. Welcome to Rue Vaïsse a small street with a big story in Lyon. It is a short section of three houses on each side.
Rue Vaïsse begins at Place d’Helvétie. It ends a few meters east at Avenue Foch. This street is named after Claude Marius Vaïsse. He was Prefect of the Rhone and mayor of Lyon. He held both positions from 1853 to 1864.
Now you might ask why such a small street? Well this honors a man who opened large roads in Lyon. He also earned the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. We owe him the Rue de la République project. We also owe him the Parc de la Tête d’Or project.
The choice of this minuscule street is ironic. It honors a man known for grand urban planning. A bridge was initially named after him. It was near this street. However it was demolished to make way for the Pont de Lattre de Tassigny. Large projects were still favored a century after Vaïsse. But they were named after war heroes instead of urban planners.
Claude Marius Vaïsse was born in Marseille in 1799. He was known as a tireless worker. It is said that he died at his desk in Lyon’s City Hall. His bust now resides in Parc de la Tête d’Or. It sits on a mound south of the velodrome. A plaque with his portrait marks the location of the former Pont Vaïsse. It faces Place d’Helvetie.
Interestingly his standing statue met a different fate. Guillaume Bonnet sculpted it for the Fontaine des Jacobins. After years of turmoil the statue was melted down. The family lacked funds to transport it.
Rue Vaïsse itself was opened in the mid-19th century. It was well-constructed and has remained intact since then. Number 2 Rue Vaïsse is a concrete building. It dates from the early 20th century. It features a beautiful rounded door. It also has a corbeled corner.
The other buildings are slightly older. They are quite upscale. They feature heavy capitals on the windows. The last building has two floors. It is the side of the Tunisian consulate. Cameras keep it under surveillance.
Look closely at the corner of the first building on the north side. You will see eight portraits. These include Suchet Laplace Delalande and Jourdan. They are best viewed with binoculars. These portraits were removed from the consulate building’s facade. That building is in Place d’Helvétie.
As of 2024 a surgeon’s office is located here. The Consulate General of Tunisia is on Avenue Foch. It directs visitors to Rue Vaïsse. Thus this short street connects significant places and people in Lyon’s story.
So Rue Vaïsse may be small. It stands as a testament to Claude Marius Vaïsse’s impact on Lyon. He shaped much of the city we see today.