Carrousel Villeurbanne gratte ciel

Location de Manège – Carrousel 1900

## Carrousel Villeurbanne Gratte-Ciel: a traditional carousel in the Art Deco heart of Villeurbanne

Carrousel Villeurbanne Gratte-Ciel (often referred to locally as the Carrousel 1900 de Villeurbanne) is a traditional merry-go-round set on Place du Docteur-Lazare-Goujon, directly in front of Villeurbanne’s Hôtel de Ville, in the Gratte-Ciel district just northeast of Lyon, France. Us

It stands in the middle of a 1930s Art Deco ensemble that functions as Villeurbanne’s historic town centre, surrounded by high-rise social housing towers, the town hall and the former Palais du Travail. This combination of early-20th-century architecture and a classically styled carousel makes it a straightforward stop to add to a family-focused day around Lyon and Villeurbanne.

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## Location and setting

– Commune: Villeurbanne, in the Métropole de Lyon (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, eastern France)
– Exact area: Place du Docteur-Lazare-Goujon, the square behind the town hall, in the Gratte-Ciel district Us
– Approximate GPS coordinates: 45.7667° N, 4.8798° E Us

Gratte-Ciel is Villeurbanne’s purpose-built centre-ville, an Art Deco complex constructed between 1927 and 1934 with apartment towers, the Hôtel de Ville and public facilities designed as a modern workers’ city. It is recognised as the first skyscraper-style social-housing complex in France.

The square itself has been remodelled in the 2000s with fountains, seating and an underground car park, turning it into a pedestrian-friendly space framed by the white façades and colonnades of the town hall and surrounding buildings. The carousel is installed on this paved plaza, in front of the main municipal building. Us

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## Design and features of the carousel

According to a detailed technical description, the ride here is the Carrousel 1900 de Villeurbanne, a traditional-style merry-go-round with the following characteristics: Us

– Ride vehicles:
– Carved wooden horses in the classic carousel style
– A fire engine / fire truck
– A tramway car
– Layout: circular platform with a diameter of about 7.5 metres
– Capacity: up to 38 passengers per ride
– Construction: built in 1998, but deliberately styled with early-20th-century (“1900”) design cues
– Decor:
– Painted panels referencing the Casino de Paris
– Details inspired by French literature
– Visual nods to historic Terrot motorcycles
– Pastel blue tones and decorative trim typical of traditional French fairground rides
– Technology: powered by a 380-volt electric system while retaining period-style aesthetics

This mix of relatively recent construction and historical styling means it is not an antique carousel in the strict sense, but a modern installation that borrows heavily from Belle-Époque fairground iconography. Us

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## Who operates it? The Fella family

The carousel on Place du Docteur-Lazare-Goujon is part of a group of rides operated by the Fella family, who have run traditional carousels in the Lyon area for several generations. Manege Fella

Key verifiable points:

– The Fella family has supplied carousels in Lyon and its suburbs, including the Gratte-Ciel district in Villeurbanne, for over 50 years. Manege Fella
– Local press has repeatedly identified Guy Fella and later Sébastien Fella as owners/operators of the “Carrousel 1900” installed on the square in front of Villeurbanne’s town hall. Progrès

On their presentation site, the Fella family emphasises careful restoration work and hand-painted decoration following techniques transmitted from the family’s earlier generations of carousel makers. Manege Fella That context lines up with the detailed decorative program documented for the Carrousel 1900 de Villeurbanne. Us

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## Opening hours, contact details and data freshness

### Current documented information

A 2025 entry dedicated to the Carrousel 1900 de Villeurbanne lists the following practical details: Us

– Address: Place du Docteur-Lazare-Goujon, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
– Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 19:00 (Monday–Sunday)
– Telephone: +33 6 58 42 09 79

Because this information comes from a web listing updated in April 2025, it is relatively recent but still subject to change. Us

### Historical context (older but useful to know)

Local newspaper articles from 2012 and 2015 reported that: Progrès

– The Carrousel 1900 was regularly installed in front of Villeurbanne’s town hall.
– In 2015, the operator had permission to run almost continuously from late June until late April, including the Christmas market period.

Another article from October 2023 announced that “Le Carrousel est de retour”, confirming that a carousel was once again installed in front of the Villeurbanne mairie in autumn 2023. Progrès

### Outdated-data warning

– The 2012 and 2015 articles are more than a decade old, and their operating-season details should be treated as historical rather than current. Progrès
– The April 2025 opening-hours listing provides more up-to-date guidance, but hours, prices and even the presence of the ride on the square can change with municipal events, construction or policy. Us

For an actual visit, it is prudent to verify the latest schedule via:

– The Villeurbanne municipal website (for information about events and installations on Place du Docteur-Lazare-Goujon).
– The Fella family’s channels (World Manège Fella) or the phone number above. Manege Fella

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## Getting there from Lyon

Villeurbanne directly adjoins Lyon to the northeast and forms part of the same urban area.

For visitors staying in Lyon, the simplest access is by public transport:

– Metro: Take line A of the Lyon metro to Gratte-Ciel station, located on Cours Émile-Zola.
– From the station, the walk to Place du Docteur-Lazare-Goujon and the carousel is through the Gratte-Ciel Art Deco ensemble along avenue Henri-Barbusse, the main shopping and pedestrian axis of the district.

The metro station Gratte-Ciel is documented as having elevator access (“ascenseurs”), which is relevant for travellers using wheelchairs, strollers or with reduced mobility.

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## Pairing the carousel with a walk through Gratte-Ciel

Because the carousel stands in the symbolic centre of Villeurbanne, it combines naturally with a short architectural and urban-history walk:

– Art Deco skyline: The Gratte-Ciel towers and associated housing blocks, built between 1927 and 1934, were designed as a modernist workers’ city with about 1,400–1,500 social-housing flats plus civic buildings such as the town hall and the Palais du Travail.
– Avenue Henri-Barbusse: This avenue forms the central spine of the district, lined with shops and services and directly facing the Hôtel de Ville.
– Esplanade Geneviève-Anthonioz-de-Gaulle (Parc du Centre): A few minutes’ walk north extends the perspective of the Gratte-Ciel into a landscaped urban park with a preserved industrial chimney turned art installation (“Vue de la Cheminée”) that recalls Villeurbanne’s industrial past.

These elements are all documented parts of the same urban ensemble, so combining a carousel stop with an architectural stroll, playground time or a short park break remains a straightforward, fact-based itinerary.

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## Accessibility and inclusivity notes

Available sources do not provide a full technical accessibility audit for Carrousel Villeurbanne Gratte-Ciel itself (for example, step heights, boarding platforms, or specific policies for wheelchair users). However, a few concrete points are known:

– Step-free access to the area:
– Gratte-Ciel metro station is equipped with elevators.
– Place du Docteur-Lazare-Goujon has been redeveloped with level paved surfaces and seating, in line with its role as a central public square.
– Ride design: like many traditional carousels, this one uses a raised rotating platform with fixed vehicles (horses, tram, fire truck). Us The available description does not specify boarding aids or dedicated accessible carriages, so travellers with limited mobility or sensory sensitivities may wish to assess the ride in person before deciding.

Because policies and adaptations can evolve, particularly as cities in the Lyon metro area roll out climate-adaptation and urban-comfort projects, travellers who have specific needs should verify the latest information with local staff on site or via the operator’s phone contact. Monde.fr

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## Summary

Based on current, citable information:

– Carrousel Villeurbanne Gratte-Ciel is a traditional-style “Carrousel 1900” on Place du Docteur-Lazare-Goujon in front of Villeurbanne’s Art Deco town hall. Us
– It features wooden horses, a fire truck and a tram, a diameter of about 7.5 m, and space for up to 38 riders. Us
– The ride is operated by the Fella family, who have managed carousels around Lyon, including at Gratte-Ciel, for several decades. Manege Fella
– A 2025 listing gives daily opening hours from 10:00 to 19:00 and a contact number (+33 6 58 42 09 79), but both may change and should be checked shortly before visiting. Us
– Access is simple from Lyon line-A metro, station Gratte-Ciel, with elevator access and a short walk through the historic Art Deco district.

All points above are grounded in the cited sources; where dates are older (especially 2012–2015 press articles), the information should be treated as historical background rather than a guarantee of current operating conditions.