Ever notice how a street’s name can hint at its past? Welcome to Rue de la Sauvagère. Its story is interwoven with Lyon’s industrial heritage and community development.
Rue de la Sauvagère begins on Quai Sédallian. Find it nestled between buildings 15 and 16. The street ends as a dead end for cars. Pedestrians can still climb the stairs of Montée de la Sauvagère to reach the upper district.
This street is flat until it reaches the Saint-Rambert hill. It widens past two small buildings. Here you’ll see the sports fields of Square Mouriquand and the Lycée de la Sauvagère grounds. On the south side a small white building stands at the end.
The name “Sauvagère” comes from the Sauvagère area itself. You can see the roofs and bell tower of the Sauvagère behind the low-rise Lycée building.
Once upon a time in 1817 a silk factory was built here. Later in the 19th century the Sauvagère housed a shawl factory. It then became a barracks. By 1870 Sauvagère was a large estate. Its gardens and paths followed the Saône’s edge south of Saint Rambert.
Around 1950 the area was redeveloped. The first building block was laid in 1951. Priority was given to those who lost their homes in the May 26 1944 bombings.
The HLM low-income housing was built in 1954. Other facilities were also built around the same time. In 1832 Rochecardon Vacques Dargoire and Sauvagère were separated from Saint-Cyr. They then joined Saint-Rambert. Later in 1962 Saint-Rambert merged with Lyon.
Today Rue de la Sauvagère might seem like a simple street. But remember its layers of history. From silk factories to housing estates this street reflects Lyon’s evolution.