Prefecture du Rhône

This regional administrative building was constructed by A. Louvier (1879-90) along the lines of the Hôtel de ville de Lyon and the Palais du Commerce. The building had to fulfil the administrative requirements of the Prefecture (regional administration centre) as well as look after its citizens. In some ways, it is a kind of institutional art ... and that is how the city of Lyons is represented on the central pediment, leaning against the Monts du Lyonnais. On the ground floor, four medal shaped panels depict the local economy and the three major rivers in the area (Rhône, Saône, Azergues). The inside layout is similar to the Palais du Commerce - the entrance gives on to an atrium whose impressive double spiralled staircase is worthy of some of the greatest theatres, such as that in Bordeaux or the Opera Garnier in Paris. The painted decor depicts agriculture and local industries - the Gloires du Lyonnais et du Beaujolais by E. Fournier (1904) in the main hall will remind us of the paintings in the Hôtel de ville de Lyon.