Page 20 - ExploreFrance

Pre-Match The genius of Le Corbusier

A ‘city within a city’, this is the mad brainchild of the visionary architect
Le Corbusier. A stone’s throw from Saint-Étienne, the Le Corbusier site in the
middle of Firminy-vert has some treats in store for both connoisseurs and the
curious : a Housing Unit with multicoloured streets, an unusual cone-shaped
church, a UNESCO-listed concave House of Culture, an amphitheatre-
style stadium and a swimming pool. The diversity of Le Corbusier in all
its grandeur : here, there’s an anecdote to be told on every corner.
For instance, this site is his second-biggest creation in the world!
More astonishing still : the windows of the House of Culture are musical.
Come and take a look around for a lesson in creativity.
Once you’re back in Saint-Étienne, make sure you go on a tour of the city,
taking in the Mining Museum, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary
Art, the Art & Industry Museum or the Museum of ‘Les Verts’ inside the
Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium.
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Design workshops for all

Saint-Étienne is best explored through workshop experiences : head for the
Design Cabin in the heart of the Design City, open to children and adults alike who
want to have a go themselves. For those with a real appetite, head to the Weiss
Workshops, the place to get Haut Chocolat® since 1882. At these workshops, eve-
ryone can become a master chocolatier by designing their own bar of design
chocolate. And on the refreshment front, Benjamin and Pierre-Luc, two friends Saint-Étienne
with a passion for making beer, have created the Brasserie Stéphanoise. Base Camp
There you’ll discover high-quality products, short distribution cycles and local
partners : a fine blend of values. To top off your trip and understand the stéphanois for Australia
mindset, spend some time with one of the city’s ‘greeters’ during a stroll around
the city or out in the country - a fun time awaits you. Saint-Étienne, a city with sport coursing through its veins,
is delighted to be meeting the champions: Australia!
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