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Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Saint-Exupéry TGV Terminal

Saturday, 17th June 2006 by Alex

Following up on a comment in Alex’s TGV post back in October, I present Saint-Exupéry International Airport in Lyon and more specifically the TGV terminal . The airport was built in 1975 but the TGV terminal with its stunning roof was an addition in 1994. The terminal was designed by AIA 2005 Gold Medal winner Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. From ground level shots it almost looks like an organic form that has grown out of the ground.

The airport is named after Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Antione was a pilot who flew in the early days of flight and became a highly decorated pilot in WW2. In 1943 he wrote the now world famous children’s book The Little Prince which is still a best seller today, especially for young children learning French. Aged 44 Antoinne flew his last mission to collect information on German troop movements over the Rhone valley. He took off the night of July 31st 1944, and was never seen again.

Saint-Exupéry TGV Terminal in Lyon

Thanks: Eric C. Ubersax, Konstantin, Markus, Brice Favre, zmaster (the original comment poster) & Jonathan Rawle (who then submitted it)

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Locations: France / Categories: ,

4 Responses to 'Saint-Exupéry TGV Terminal'

  1. 1. Jonathan says: June 18th, 2006 at 12:02 am

    The wreckage of Saint-Exupéry’s plane was finally recovered just a couple of years ago.

    The company operating airpost shuttle buses uses the shape of the station as its logo. Painted on the side of the buses, it looks like three abstract shapes, but then as you drive round the airport access road, there’s one position where suddenly the roof looks the same as the logo. http://www.satobus.com/

    The inside of the station is amazing too. It’s a pity we can’t have anything like it in the UK:
    http://jonathan.rawle.org/gallery/esrf/station_in/
    It’s also great fun to walk the wrong way down the moving walkway to the airport (which can be seen in the picture - now I know each strectch is nearly 100 metres long)…

  2. 2. zmaster says: June 20th, 2006 at 8:55 am

    Thanks for the props. I thought I recognized this when it came up! Cool structure.

  3. 3. Tim says: June 20th, 2006 at 4:05 pm

    Wow- I was here once, but as I was only passing through, going from Avignon to Paris, I didn’t see anything. Dang!

  4. 4. horacio says: December 15th, 2006 at 9:35 am

    please, Antoine is Antoine, not Antione, not Antoinne, just Antoine. thank you.

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