Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Métro for the right direction for T2 tram). You can also take Métro line B to Jean Macé,
exit toward the elevated train line, and transfer to the T2 tramway (going right).
Visiting the Museum:
Though these days it's dedicated to the history of the Resist-
ance, the center actually served as a Nazi torture chamber and Gestapo headquarters under
Klaus Barbie (who was finally tried and convicted in 1987 here in Lyon after extradition
from Bolivia). More than 11,000 people were killed or deported to concentration camps
during his reign.
This interesting museum gives visitors a thorough understanding of how Lyon be-
cameanimportantcityintheResistance,whatlifewaslikeforitsmembers,andtheclever
strategies they employed to fight the Germans. You'll also learn about the fate of the Jews
in Lyon during the war. The museum uses interviews with people involved in the fight,
reconstructed rooms, and numerous photos and exhibits to tell the inspiring story of the
French Resistance.
Sadly, the museum is difficult to follow. Visitors choose between an iPad and printed
explanations tomake sense oftheexhibits; there isnopostedinformation inEnglish. Both
offer the same explanations word for word. I found the paper handouts easier to read than
the iPad, which was clumsy and hard to navigate—though neither solution is particularly
satisfying.
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Lumière Museum (Musée Lumière)
Antoine Lumière and his two sons Louis and Auguste—the Eastman-Kodaks of
France—ran a huge factory with 260 workers in the 1880s, producing four million glass
photographic plates a day. Then, in 1895, they made the first
cinématographe,
or movie.
In 1903, they pioneered the “autochrome” process of painting frames to make “color pho-
tos.” This museum tells their story.
Cost and Hours:
€6.50,essentialaudioguide-€3,Tue-Sun10:00-18:30,closedMon,
tel. 04 78 78 18 95,
www.institut-lumiere.org
.
Getting There:
Take Métro line D to the Monplaisir-Lumière stop. The museum is
in the large mansion with the tiled roof on the square, kitty-corner from the Métro stop at
25 Rue du Premier-Film.
Visiting the Museum:
The museum fills Villa Lumière, the family's belle époque
mansion, built in 1902. The museum does a great job of explaining the history of film-
making, thanks to many interesting displays and the essential audioguide. After leaving
thisplace,wherethelaboriousyetfascinating processofcreatingmovingimagesisdriven
home, you'll never again take the quality of today's movies for granted.
Before your visit, pick up the useful and informative museum plan. The museum's
highlightsarethemanyantiquecamerasandthescreensplayingtheearliest“movies”(loc-
