Fresque des Lyonnais

The Fresque des Lyonnais is a large trompe-l'oeil mural at 49 Quai Saint-Vincent, at the corner of Rue de la Martinière in Lyon's 1st arrondissement, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. Painted in 1994 and 1995 by the CitéCréation collective, it covers the side of a building facing the Saône and is one of the best known of Lyon's many painted walls. The design imitates the facades and balconies of a Lyon building, with figures leaning from windows and balconies, shown in painted perspective. About 30 famous people connected to the city appear, from the Lumière brothers, inventors of cinema, to the chef Paul Bocuse and the writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, along with other figures from history, science, literature and gastronomy. Visitors can look for each person, and some visitors use printed or online keys that identify the characters. The mural is visible at all times and is free. A stop takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The best vantage point is from the opposite side of the street or the quay, which gives the perspective needed for the illusion to work, and the Saône riverside makes for a pleasant walk. Photographers do best in daytime light, when the colours show clearly and the figures are readable. There are no crowds to speak of, though tour groups sometimes stop in front of it. Metro A or C to Hôtel de Ville-Louis Pradel, followed by about 12 minutes on foot along the Saône quays, reaches the mural. It combines well with a walk toward Vieux Lyon or the Croix-Rousse slopes, where other murals such as the Mur des Canuts can also be seen.