[2] The museum is located in the Hôtel Gadagne, a building constructed in the early sixteenth century by the brothers Pierrevive (from 1511–1527).

[3] On 19 January 1998, the city council decided to close the museum to undertake major expansion and a controversial renovation.

[4] After ten years of closure and a major campaign of archaeological excavations, the museum opened its doors again in 2009.

It traces the cultural history of Lyon since the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century, giving archaeological remains, sculptures, paintings, furniture, and pottery.

Beyond the ramp, there is a large, majestic courtyard which is decorated with a sink, flanked at the bottom by a gallery of passages which allows traffic between both buildings on each floor.