La Croix-Rousse - The working hill
Par Anastasia, vendredi 9 avril 2010 à 14:14 :: Les cours de français

In the 18th century, Lyon was the centre of silk manufacture in Europe. Throughout the century, many weavers settled on the hill The Croix-Rousse (The red cross). It is called The Croix-Rousse because of the reddish-brown cross of stone that the Christians put there in the 1500s.
At first the weavers were located in the old part of the city, but they lacked of space and light. From 1812, people started building at the Croix Rousse area, with very caracteristic blocks. These buildings were constructed especially for the silk weaving business; with many big windows to bring in as much light as possible, and high ceilings (up to 4m), to house the large weaving looms invented by the frenchman Joseph-Marie Jacquard.
At the end of the 19th century, the silk trade represented 3/4 of the economic activity of the city, whereas the textile industry was 25 % of the national wealth. You can see an authentic silk worker's atelier at the Soierie Vivante.
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