In Lyon, France, you don"t just walk through the city—you glide through it. The traboules, a network of hidden passageways threading between courtyards and buildings, turn a simple stroll into a treasure hunt. They were the original shortcuts, allowing residents to dodge rain, carry goods or move discreetly through the medieval quarters. Today, they"re less about practicality and more about discovery. These passages date back to the fourth century but became essential during the Renaissance, when silk traders used them to shuttle delicate fabrics safely from workshops to the river without braving the weather. Later, during World War II, Resistance fighters used the traboules as escape routes.
A traboule in Lyon, France
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
American Red Cross pioneers
-
The lungs of Earth
-
Happy winter solstice!
-
Take the trail more travelled by
-
Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
-
Lands End, Cornwall, England
-
It’s puffling season!
-
Penguin Awareness Day
-
Externsteine in the Teutoburg Forest, Germany
-
Rolling hills of the Palouse, Washington, United States
-
Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan
-
Postcard from Italy
-
‘Moravian Tuscany’
-
Singing the blues
-
Back to the future
-
Colours of spring
-
Sand dunes in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan
-
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas, USA
-
Who’s snoozing?
-
Blue hues and ceramic scenes of Porto
-
A church atop a hill
-
Nature’s art installation
-
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA
-
Mount Hamilton, San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
-
A very public display of affection
-
Red deer, Canada
-
Common raven
-
Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
-
A grove glows green
-
Edinburgh Castle, Scotland, United Kingdom
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

