Urban Exploration - Secret Lyon underground
We received photos from a traveler and compiled them into a historical summary.
This is a documentary about the underground tunnels of Lyon. We aren't talking about the Arêtes de Poisson (the "Fishbone" tunnels)—though my time for those will come, or so I hope! At first, as a novice, I thought Lyon only had the Fishbones and that was it. Just a few minutes of research is enough to realize it is far more than that.
Most of these tunnels have the same look: like sewers, but without the "crap." A goldmine... of absolutely nothing. But why? It’s unsettling. Here are a few simple explanations.
Drainage and Disasters
In Fourvière and Croix Rousse, the steep slopes hide very poor-quality ground. It is waterlogged. This leads to problems—like in Loyasse, where the bodies in the cemetery don't decompose properly. But if it were only that... Immense pockets of water form, making the land unstable. This led to the "Fourvière Catastrophe," a massive landslide where entire buildings were swept away. Images from the time show a truly catastrophic situation.
Consequently, these tunnels are dewatering galleries—drainage tunnels. They collect the water and stabilize the ground. All of them? Almost. The "Fishbones" might have had a military purpose, but that is a subject all on its own. It's a tough one, really—the kind of story for archaeologists.
Today, we are visiting a drainage gallery located under the Croix Rousse hill.
An Underground World
A cataphile (underground explorer) once confessed to me that there are thirty of them—maybe dozens. It’s a whole world of its own. Here is what I have cataloged:
The Arêtes de Poisson (Fishbones), also known as the Réseau des Fantasques.
The Adamoli Gallery.
The Montée du Boulevard Gallery.
The Montée Bonafous Tunnel.
The Place Bertone Gallery.
The Cours d’Herbouville Gallery.
The Saint-Eucher Gallery.
The La Tourette Gallery.
The Chartreux Gallery.
The Jardin des Plantes Gallery.
The Burdeau Gallery.
The Imbert-Colomès Network.
The Neyret Gallery.
The Carmélites Gallery.
Parc Chazière.
The Diderot-Vaucansson Network.
The Montée du Chemin Neuf Tunnel.
The Saint-Irénée Gallery.
The Rosaire Tunnel.
The Montée Saint-Barthélémy Gallery.
Recorded entrances on: Rue du Bœuf, Rue Juiverie, Rue Saint-Jean, Rue Saint-Georges, Montée du Gourguillon, Montée du Greillon, and Chemin de Montauban.
The Génovéfains Gallery.
The Jardin des Pères Maristes Gallery.
Two very detailed books exist on the subject: Recueil du Lyon souterrain by Eric Fuster, and Les souterrains de Lyon by Christian Barbier.
A Chance Encounter
So, let’s head underground. I couldn't linger, as I was supposed to meet Seb around 7:00 PM. This labyrinthine tunnel spans three levels, capturing springs in a serious maze. Is it easy to get lost? No—just follow the slope, and you’ll find the exit. I was in "exit mode" when I heard voices. Oh, must be people at the manhole cover, I thought. But...
No, no—it was people coming in. "Is anyone there??" they called out. "Yeah!" I shouted back. "Police!" one of them replied. I couldn't see them yet, and I thought to myself: this is going to be a distraction, and it's going to make me late—I hate being late. As it turned out, it was just a super cool group of young cataphiles, lovely as could be. P.S.: You guys didn't reply to my little note by the door; I’m still open to sharing some good times!
Well, after those very personal stories (yes, yes, I'm taking advantage of the space, anyway), let’s head underground now!
