Rocking Out in a 2,000-Year-Old Roman Theatre—How Cool Is That

In 1998, the Roman Theatre ruins atop Lyon’s Fourvière Hill, together with Vieux Lyon (Old Town), were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It’s a must-visit for tourists—but there’s something even more thrilling than a casual tour: catching a concert in this ancient venue. 🎸👍 Built around 15 BCE, the theatre originally held 5,000 people, expanding to 10,000 by the 2nd century CE. Yet time took its toll: it was abandoned, crumbled, and forgotten, buried under vines and soil until archaeologists uncovered it in 1933, when it lay hidden as part of Fourvière’s vineyards.😁 Restored and reopened in 1946, it wasn’t just turned into a museum. The city made a bold choice: reviving its original purpose. That year, it staged Aeschylus’ The Persians, a classic Greek tragedy—kickstarting a legacy of live performances in this millennia-old space.😊 Since the 1990s, the “Nuits de Fourvière” (Fourvière Nights) music festival has taken over each summer, filling the ancient stone seats with laughter, cheers, and music.😁 As the theatre’s information panel aptly puts it: “This is a World Heritage Site that lives in the present.” Balancing preservation and public access is a global challenge, but Lyon’s approach is brilliant. By restoring the theatre’s original function,👍 it lets visitors not just admire the ruins, but share the space with its ancient inhabitants—feeling the same buzz of a crowd, the same thrill of a live show, across 2,000 years. Sure, opening it to the public risks wear and tear, but isn’t this better than locking it away as a static relic? (Admittedly, its stone construction helps—it’s tough enough to handle the crowds.)❤️ Mark your calendars: On July 10, 2025, British rock band The Libertines will play here. (Pro tip: Stream Don’t Look Back into the Sun to get hyped.)👌 Beyond the theatre, the on-site museum—built in 1975—is a gem. Designed by French architect Bernard Zehrfuss (who also created UNESCO’s Paris headquarters), it’s a striking example of brutalist architecture, showcasing raw concrete’s texture and (natural color) with unapologetic boldness. Nearby, the smaller Odéon antique de Lyon—another Roman theatre, seating 3,000—offers more glimpses into Lyon’s ancient past.😁 #WorldHeritage #Lyon #France #Architecture #CulturalInnovation #ArchitecturalDesign