Lyon, France : Passage Thiaffait
Passage Thiaffait is one of the most famous and yet hard-to-find passages of Lyon. It is located on Croix-Rousse Hill, near Rue René Leynaud, in the middle of Croix-Rousse street maze.
It’s one of the most recent traboules in Lyon, and bears the name of M. Thiaffait, a Lyonnais dignitary who had it built in 1827.
In the 80’s, it is said that the place had become filthy and unsafe. Indeed, prostitutes, non-conformists, drug dealers and other criminals made it one of the most notorious crime hotspots of Lyon, and shop-owners deserted the place due to its reputation of being a cut-throat area.
However, in the late 90’s, the city council decided to clean the place and give it back to the population. Unfortunately, the bad reputation of the place couldn’t go, and no shop agreed to settle down in the passage even after the renovations. Consequently, the city council offered the place to craftsmen and “creators”.
Today, it is one of my favourite passages in Lyon, though I quite often experience some difficulties finding it. If you ever visit Lyon and Croix-Rousse, make sure to visit the place too : the monumental arch on one end of the passage and the impressive stairway on the other end make it a remarkable place of Lyon.
Lyon, France : Passage Thiaffait from Rue René Leynaud
Lyon, France : Stairway to Passage Thiaffait
