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Successful on the soccer field but massively in debt, so OL were relegated in 2025 to Ligue 2, the second tier. The stadium (capacity 59,000) is in the suburb of Décines 15 km east of city centre. The women's team is also badly in debt but continues to play in their top tier.
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The neighbouring city of Villeurbanne can be seen as the 10th arrondissement because the urban continuity with Lyon is obvious. It has, however, a strong identity of its own. As an industrial town, Villeurbanne has always had a very strong left-wing political inclination. It was governed by the Communist party for the first decades of the 20th century. A strong testimony of this era remains in the form of massive Soviet-style buildings erected in the 1930s. The Gratte-Ciel ("skyscrapers") ensemble comprises the city hall, the National Popular Theatre and housing buildings, including the skyscrapers themselves. These are 19 stories high. They are not skyscrapers to American eyes, and were not even in the 1930s, but they were considered huge by European standards at that time.
This museum in the Lumière brothers' house presents an interesting history of cinema through various items and film excerpts. Also worth seeing for the lovely architecture.
This neighbourhood was built by the famous local architect Tony Garnier in the 1920s to house industry workers. Along with Edouard Herriot hospital, it is one of the masterpieces of this visionary architect. The main axis of the neighbourhood, boulevard des États-Unis, was named to honour the United States, which had just entered World War I when the street was opened in 1917. 25 wall paintings made in the 1980s and 1990s show examples of Garnier's work and his "ideal city projects"; see also "Musée urbain Tony Garnier" in the museums section.
This museum was created during the renovation of the États-Unis neighbourhood in the 1980s and 1990s, and the inhabitants were strongly involved in the project. The museum comprises a recreated apartment of the 1930s, which shows how life was like in these very modern housing units, and the 25 wall paintings depicting Garnier's work and ideals. You can also see the walls on your own but you will miss the interesting comments on the history of the area and the social project behind it.