Stage town: 19th time
Status: Prefecture of Nord (59)
Population: 1,200,000 (95 communes)
Famous people: Charles de Gaulle (born 1890), Pierre Mauroy, Louis Faidherbe, Martine Aubry, Nicolas Hulot, Jean Perrin (Nobel Prize), Alain Decaux, Philippe Noiret, Anaïs Demoustier, Juliette Armanet, Didier Six, Raphaël Varane
Specialities: Potjevleesch (meats in jelly), carbonade (beef in beer), waterzooï, sugar pie, vergeoise-filled waffles, chicons (endives), Vieux Lille cheese, local beers
Sport: VC Roubaix Lille Métropole (cycling), LOSC (football – 4 Ligue 1 titles, last in 2021), ESBVA (women's basketball)
Facilities: Pierre Mauroy Stadium, Stadium
Main events: Paris-Roubaix, Rugby World Cup 2023 (5 matches), 2024 Olympics (handball tournaments)
Economy: Euralille business district, administration, finance, research, universities
Festivals: Braderie de Lille (Sept), Christmas market, Circus Festival (Nov), Foire aux manèges (Sept), Paradis Artificiels (June)
Label: City of Art and History (Lille and Roubaix)
Website: www.lilletourism.com
LILLE-MÉTROPOLE AND CYCLING
On the menu of the Grande Boucle since 1906, Lille has only hosted the race as a stage town on eighteen occasions, even though teams and followers often stay here when the Tour passes through the Nord. In fact, the peloton had not stopped here since 1994, when the finish of stage 4 of the 2014 Tour was won by Marcel Kittel.
In 1994, the capital of Flanders pulled out all the stops, hosting the Grand Départ for a prologue won by Chris Boardman, followed by a stage to Armentières won in a sprint by Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, while Laurent Jalabert was hit by a policeman and suffered an accident that would change the course of his career.
Among the many prestigious stage winners in town were Tour winners such as Georges Speicher (1934), Ferdi Kübler (1947) and Louison Bobet (1954).
Many cyclists are linked to the town and have taken part in the Tour de France, including Maurice Leturgie (1912, 1913), Philippe Poissonnier (1985) and Laurent Desbiens (1993 to 2001). If you extend the list to the metropolitan area, which includes such cycling hotspots as Roubaix, the list is even longer, with the addition of Jean Alavoine, winner of 17 stages of the Tour between 1909 and 1923, Constant Nindergang (1912 and 1913) and Alain Bondue (1984 to 1986).
Several towns in the metropolitan area, including Roubaix of course, but also Wasquehal, have hosted a stage of the Grande Boucle on five occasions.
For the sake of completeness, we should point out that the Cofidis team, which has been in the pelotons since 1996, has its headquarters in Bondues, also in the metropolitan area, as does the Roubaix-Lille Métropole team, which was launched in 2007.
SIGHTS
Palace of Fine Arts
Foundation: inaugurated in the 18th century (1792) and reopened in 1892.
Style: belle époque, with references to the Italian Renaissance.
Surface area: 22,000 m² including 12,000 m² of exhibition space.
Capacity: One of the largest museums in France and the largest in the provinces in terms of the number of works on display (collection of around 70,000 works, with almost 2,000 on display: sculptures, paintings, drawings, ceramics, etc.).
History: Founded by painter Louis Joseph Watteau (1732-1798) from works confiscated from the local clergy, it subsequently benefited from Napoleon's project to popularise art - the Chaptal decree (1801) designated 15 towns, including Lille, to receive works taken from the collections of the Louvre and Versailles that the Paris museums could not accommodate. Renovated between 1991 and 1997.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 1975.
Website: https://pba.lille.fr/
Town hall and belfry
Foundation: built in the 19th-20th centuries (1924-1932).
Style: Art Deco, Flemish neo-Renaissance (architect: Émile Dubuisson).
Features: the 104 m high belfry is made of red brick and concrete in a "sculpted stone" style. The interior features a large hall 107-metres long, punctuated by two rows of pillars with floral motifs. An exceptional collection of contemporary art adorns the staircases, corridors and municipal rooms. The most spectacular fresco is by Icelandic artist Erro, which tells the story of the city in comic strip form.
History: The Hôtel-de-Ville belfry was preceded by the Halle échevinale de Lille belfry, demolished in 1601, and by the former Mairie de Lille belfry in the Rihour Palace, built in 1826 and demolished in 1856.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 2002.
Vieille Bourse (Old Stock-Exchange)
Foundation: built in the 17th century (1652).
Style: Flemish Renaissance (architect: Julien Destrée).
History: a quadrangular building, it is made up of 24 identical interlocking mansions enclosing an inner courtyard. This is a place where you can find second-hand booksellers, chess players, etc.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 1921 and 1923.
Birthplace of Charles de Gaulle - Lille
Completely restored in 2020, Maison Natale de Charles de Gaulle (Charles de Gaulle's birthplace) is a historic monument designed to help visitors discover the childhood and genesis of the man who became France's most illustrious leader. The house recreates the atmosphere of an interior typical of the industrial bourgeoisie of the North at the end of the 19th century.
Website: https://www.maisondegaulle.fr
Le LaM, Villeneuve d'Ascq
Set in a green setting, the LaM's collections focus on modern art, contemporary art and art brut (the largest collection in France). Artists such as Modigliani, Braque and Picasso, Fernand Léger and Joan Miro are all represented here.
Website: https://www.musee-lam.fr/fr
Villa Cavrois, Croix
Created by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens at the request of Roubaix industrialist Paul Cavrois, this prestigious residence from the 1930s has a fascinating history. A modern manifesto, the villa is a symbol of twentieth-century design.
Website: https://www.villa-cavrois.fr/
La Piscine, Barbieux Park, Roubaix
Roubaix is home to one of France's most astonishing museums, housed in a former Art Deco swimming pool. Expanded in 2018, the museum is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and its success continues to be confirmed by the richness of its collections (Fantin-Latour, Ingres, Kees van Dongen...) and its inventive programming.
Also worth a visit is Parc Barbieux, a "remarkable garden" featuring over sixty species of tree.
Website: https://www.roubaix-lapiscine.com/
TO EAT
Vieux Lille
Vieux-Lille is a maroilles cheese that is matured for several months by repeated washing in salt water. After five to six months, its paste becomes greyish and sticky, while its flavour develops strongly. This cow's milk cheese then has a distinct taste of fermentation and salt. Its most classic format is a large block weighing around 750 grams. It has been awarded the regional 'Reconnu Saveur en Or' label. It is consumed almost exclusively in the Hauts de France region. It used to be known as "puant macéré", or "macerated stinker", and that's saying a lot!
