About Lyon

Lyon is the 2nd largest city in France. Lyon was previously known as Lugdunum (meaning "the hill of light" or "the hill of crows") and it began under the Romans, in the first century B.C. when the city was proclaimed capital of the three Gauls. It remained the capital for three centuries until the fall of the Roman Empire. By the end of the 15th century, Lyon was an important center of trade with its fairs and a well-developed banking system which attracted commercial interests from all over Europe. Soon, the social, intellectual and artistic elite settled here. Development continued through the 17th and 18th centuries with the Lyon silk industry dressing the rich the world over and decorating their interiors. The city continued to gain in size and equipped itself with hospitals, public squares and impressive edifices. The French Revolution in 1789 brought a brutal halt to expansion but development was re-vitalized under the Napoleonic empire. Today, Lyon is an international center of commerce. Adapted from:

http://www.world66.com/europe/france/alpes/lyon/history