As you may have guessed, the Manufacture des Tabacs is a former tobacco factory in the 8th arrondissement, which was converted into a campus in the early 1990s. The imposing building, clearly identifiable thanks to its different coloured bricks, was built in 1899. The factory was commissioned in 1927 and produced tobacco for sixty years: 30 million cigarettes were shipped every day via the underlying railway line! In 1990, the City of Lyon acquired the site for the Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University. The first academic year at "La Manu" began three years later. Today, students can enjoy 56,000 m2 of space, including a four-story library.
The site's history with the Fête des Lumières began in 2007, when the building was the subject of an animation. This installation has never been dismantled and remains visible after dark.
