Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Parc de la Tête d'Or originated in a marshy estate called Grange Lambert, owned by the Lambert family as early as 1530, then from the Hôtel-Dieu in 1662. His name would come from a legend evoking a treasure buried by barbarians or crusaders, including a head of Christ in gold. This floodable territory, made up of lônes and broteaux, remained in a wild state until the 19th century, despite planning projects in 1812.

The creation of the park was launched in 1845 by architect Christophe Crépet, who proposes to transform these grounds into a green space inspired by the Bois de Boulogne. The prefect Claude-Marius Vaïsse, mayor of Lyon from 1853 to 1864, realized this project in order to "give nature to those who do not". The works, led by Swiss landscapers Denis and Eugene Bühler and the engineer Gustave Bonnet, began in 1856. The park opened in 1857, although not completed, at the same time as Central Park in New York.

The English-style park spans 117 hectares and includes a 16-hectare lake, a botanical garden (created from the collection of roses by Josephine de Beauharnais in 1805), a zoo inaugurated in 1858, and monumental greenhouses built in 1880. His landmarks include the Children of the Rhone Gate, the Velodrome (1894), and the Île du Souvenir, a memorial dedicated to soldiers killed in combat, designed by Tony Garnier and Jean-Baptiste Larrivé between 1914 and 1930.

The park also played a pioneering role in automobile history: in 1891, it introduced the first registration system in the world to identify vehicles operating in its driveways. Today, it houses more than 8,800 trees, three rose groves, and cultural spaces such as the theatre of Guignol. Managed by the city of Lyon, there is still a green lung and a major leisure space, accessible free of charge, with the exception of mini golf and certain activities.

The zoological garden, in collaboration with the veterinary school in Lyon, participates in conservation programmes. In 2006, an African plain was inaugurated, followed in 2021 by a biotope dedicated to the forests of Asia, welcoming endangered species. The bikedrome, renovated in 1934 and 1989, hosted world cycling championships, with figures like Jeannie Longo. The park, ranked among the largest in France, combines natural, scientific and historical heritage.

The park's greenhouses, covering 6 500 m2, house about 6,000 varieties of plants, making the botanical garden one of the richest in Europe. The lake, fed by the Rhône table, consists of two islands: Tamaris Island and Remembrance Island, accessible by an underground corridor. The park, bordered by the boulevard des Belges and its cossue villas, remains a symbol of the Lyon urban planning of the 19th century, mixing innovation and preservation of biodiversity.

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