Place Bellecour is the largest square in central Lyon and one of the largest squares of europe (62,000 m²). Here we see its westside with an equestrian statue of King Louis XIV (by François-Frédéric Lemot) in front, which is placed in the middle of the square. Place Bellecour is located on the central Presqu’ile (peninsula) between the Saône and Rhône rivers and here the central shopping streets Rue Victor Hugo and Rue de la Republique meet. The area was once an alluvial island and was made a public square in the 17th century. It was named Place Louis-le-Grand, Place de la Fédération, Place de l’Égalité, Place Bonaparte and Place Napoléon before it finally received its current name under the French Third Republic.
While the city is spreading over the flat area between and east of the rivers, west of the Saône it is shaped by the Fourviere hill, which we can see in the background. The hill is dominated by the beautiful catholic Basilica of Fourviere, the main sight of Lyon, as well as the La Tour Métallique which was built to rival the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The other major building we see on the left in the background is the school Lycée de Saint Just.
