Traboule des Droits de l'Homme (Human Rights Passageway), Lyon

The Human Rights Passageway (Traboule des Droits de l’Homme) is one of the most symbolically charged passageways in Lyon’s network of traboules. Although not originally built with this name, the designation reflects its complex history as both a practical passage and a site tied to the ideals of freedom and resistance. Like other traboules across the Red Cross and Old Lyon districts, this narrow passage-made up of a courtyard and a covered staircase within an 18th-century building-was once used by silk workers to carry delicate bolts of fabric from their workshops down to the river without exposing them to rain or wind.

Its importance, however, grew during the 20th century. During World War II, Lyon’s traboules became crucial escape routes and safe havens for the French Resistance. Fighters and couriers used these hidden paths to slip away from Nazi patrols, deliver messages, and transport weapons. The Human Rights Passageway is remembered today as part of that larger network of clandestine lifelines, embodying the city’s resilience in a dark chapter of history.

The passageway’s more recent history gave it its striking nickname. In October 1999, Chinese dissident Wei Jingshen famously addressed the visiting Chinese president from one of the balconies above the traboule, turning this quiet courtyard into a stage for human rights advocacy. Since then, it has carried the symbolic title “Human Rights Passageway,” blending Lyon’s centuries-old architectural heritage with a modern story of political courage. For visitors, stepping through this passage is both a glimpse into the city’s silk-weaving and wartime past and a reminder of its enduring role as a place of expression and freedom.