The Latin name of Lyon, Lugdunum shows the Roman heritage in the city.
Roman vestiges such as the Roman theater, the Temple of Cybele and the Odeum are part of this very Roman past.
Two hillsides and two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, divide Lyon into two parts. One represents the religious heritage whereas the other stands for the working-class past of the city. The basilica of Fourvière is situated in the Fourvière hillside and the weaving looms of the Canuts silk workers are located in the Croix-Rousse hillside.
The Saône River
On the other side of the Rhone, Haussmanian buildings compose the left bank area. Worker neighborhoods, which developed to the east during the industrial revolution, are located in quarters such as Mermoz and the Etats-Unis by Tony Garnier, the Cité Jardin in Gerland.
Renaissance architecture dominates Vieux Lyon (Saint Jean, Saint Georges and Saint Paul quarters) on the other river of Lyon, the Saône.
Between the two rivers, the Presqu’île peninsula concentrates all forms of architecture, from the very religious Middle Ages (Saint Martin d’Ainay Abbey, Saint Nizier Church) to the 19th century big avenues such as Rue de la République and Rue Edouard Herriot.
Today, modern architecture of Lyon is exemplified by a Cité Internationale of red brick close to the bright green of the Tête d’Or Park and the Lycée international in Gerland quarter where pedestrians or mountain bikers 
can go on the new river bank, Berges du Rhône.
