Gare de Lyon, Paris

Charlotte Louise Ho, on June 27, 2007, said:

Built to replace the old landing stage of Lyon, the present Gare de Lyon was built between 1895-1902 by architect Marius Toudoire. Its construction was timed with the Universal Exhibiton of 1900 in mind.

Toudoire, along with 30 artists, decorated the famous “Le Train Bleu”, the restaurant presiding above the main entry and listed as a historic monument since 1972 for its Belle Epoque interior. Left unchanged since it opened in 1901, the restaurant (photographed on this page) has 40 paintings illustrating the cities served by the company.

At ground level, Navigation, Steam, Electricity and the science of Mechanics are allegorically represented between the arcades by nudes glorifying technological progress. On the exterior, one cannot avoid noticing the hideous square tower and its four clocks. Statues representing the cities of Paris and Marseille, together with low reliefs personifying Fishing and Hunting decorate the main building.

A tragedy occurred here on 27 June 1988 when a runaway train crashed into a stationary rush-hour train, killing 56 people and injuring a further 55.

Perhaps because Gare de Lyon welcomes travelers from Geneva and Nice to other equally chic cities it is, by far, the best kept and most elegant of the six Paris termini.