Ever wonder where Lyon stored its explosive powders? Rue de la Poudrière holds the answer. I will tell you its story now.
Rue de la Poudrière sits at the very edge of the arrondissement and the Croix Rousse plateau. It links the Montée des Esses to the Cours Général Giraud and the Montée de la Butte. The street splits into two forks pointing south.
The upper section allows traffic from Cours Giraud to Montée des Esses. The lower part allows traffic in both directions. Paths connect the two sections and lead to Boulevard de la Croix Rousse.
On the upper part of Rue de la Poudrière, buildings only stand on one side. Two early 20th-century buildings frame a newer one. Number 1 is taller. It features eight stories with a prominent bulge. Number 5 has decorated balconies. Flowers and portraits adorn it. Some apartments in the middle building have glass columns above open space. Across the street, a sloping green triangle filled with trees remains.
The triangle formed by the street’s two sections is also green with grass and flowers. Here stands the Ballofy house dating from the 1920s. It is quite unique. Three curious effigies of the Ballofy family adorn it. They were clogs makers. Hence the clogs around their faces.
The lower section of Rue de la Poudrière is asymmetrical. On the west side a high stone wall reveals parts of Fort Saint Jean. You can also see the Fourvière hill. There are slits in the walls.
The east side is overlooked by the backs of buildings from the upper section. Further down stands a fortified house. Is it the heir to the Poudrière itself? Two small houses with two and three stories are hidden in greenery. The first modern one has three lovely balconies. The second older one has two large glass roofs.
The name Poudrière refers to a store for explosive powders once located here. Before 1870, after the ramparts were demolished, the street was named Rue Bellevue.
In 1699 workers found Roman silver coins while digging the Poudrière’s foundations. Romans probably did not venture this far up. So the coins were likely closer to the Saône River. In 1827 the city bought land to store its powder.
Fort Saint Jean borders the street. It was the western bastion of fortifications around the Croix Rousse. This area remained military land until its destruction in the mid-19th century. Emperor Napoléon passed through here. He came to direct the changing of the guard at Fort Saint Jean.
During the Canut revolt the Poudrière was attacked. Fifteen people died on November 21, 22 and 23 in 1831. Soldiers closed the Poudrière. They threw the powder into the water.
The clog makers’ house has a short rich history. After carving clogs people invoked spirits there. Now Hungarians from Lyon gather there. They are part of Amitiés France Hongrie and the Camille Ballofy association. Camille Ballofy an attorney built the house in 1937. She lived there and supported her associations until her death in 1981. The clogs are a decoration evoking her native Auvergne region.
You can find art and associations meet in the house. Rue de la Poudrière has no shops or services.
Welcome to the house on Rue de la Poudrière. This house nicknamed the clog maker’s house has a history dating back to March 1935. Camille Ballofy bought this land. She decided to build his own home there. This house houses Camille Ballofy’s study. It also houses the headquarters of his association. The bas-reliefs that adorn the house were sculpted by the Lyon artist Alice Ronjat-Sapet. They depict characters in traditional Auvergne costumes. They are surrounded by a frieze of clogs. These sculptures evoke the origins of Camille Ballofy.
Visiting this house you walk in the footsteps of a person. Her dedication has left a mark on history. Rue de la Poudrière tells a tale of powder. It tells a tale of people. It tells a tale of Lyon itself.