Stage town for the first time
Town in the Nord department (59)
Population: 1,600 (Lauwinois, Lauwinoises)
Personalities: Christian Poiret (former mayor and chairman of the Nord departmental council), Louis de Boulogne (Lord of Lauwin in the 18th century).
Specialities: potjevleesch (pieces of chicken, pork and veal in jelly), Flemish carbonade (meat simmered in beer), waterzooï (simmered chicken or fish soup), flamiche with Maroilles, sugar tart, waffles filled with vergeoise (sugar), chicons (endives), vieux Lille (cheese), beers.
Sport: Cyclo Club Cuincy Lauwin, Wolf Kenpo Karate Academy
Economy: Amazon distribution centre, LIL8 sorting centre.
Events: Village en Fête, Balade musicale, Fêtes de Gayant in Douai (annual parade of the town's giants), Festival Plein Air in Douai (electronic music), Garlic Fair in Arleux.
Label: village in bloom, 1 flower.
Websites: www.lauwin-planque.com / www.douaisis-agglo-tourisme.com / www.douaisis-agglo.com / lenord.fr / hautsdefrance.fr
LAUWIN-PLANQUE AND CYCLING
Although the Nord is a great cycling area, the Douai region has not been particularly well served by the Tour de France, even though the race has passed through on several occasions. Douai, less than 5km from Lauwin-Planque, has nevertheless hosted the Four Days of Dunkirk on several occasions, most notably in 2011 when Marcel Kittel won the stage to Iwuy. The only memorable finish in the town dates back to 1993, when Jan Kirsipuu won a stage of the northern stage race. The closest stage town to Lauwin-Planque in the history of the Tour is Orchies (21km), which was also the starting point for a stage to Boulogne-sur-Mer in 2012. Peter Sagan won there.
SIGHTS
Historic mining centre of Lewarde
Located in the Delloye pit in Lewarde, France's largest mining museum invites visitors to descend into the heart of the mine and discover the history of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coalfield. Wearing a helmet, visitors take the footbridge dedicated to the miners, enter the "cage" and descend into the heart of the mine with a guide. Here they can learn about the working conditions of the miners, the different techniques used to extract coal, and how these evolved from 1720 to 1990.
https://www.chm-lewarde.com/fr/
Saint-Ranulphe Church
Foundation: 10th century. Built in 1884.
History: the original church was dedicated to St. Amand. From 1791 to 1802, worship was banned, the parish priest was arrested and the church and presbytery were confiscated and sold. In 1837, the sergeant of Heudecourt had a church built, dedicated to St. Ranulf, which he donated to the commune of Lauwin-Planque. A new church was built in 1884, partly by local workers. It was renovated in 2000 and stained-glass windows were installed in 2003.
Archaeological Museum-Park
A museum retracing 200,000 years of history, and an archaeological park that transports visitors to the heart of the year 1000. On the borders of Douai and Râches, these two extraordinary spaces form a whole: an exciting cultural site, where the history of a territory is told to you.
http://www.arkeos.fr/
Marsh Regional Nature Reserve
Listed in 2007, it covers an area of 20 hectares and protects a wetland near the centre of Douai. The reserve has three main ecological "sectors": aquatic environments and wetlands (a pond, a number of ponds and ditches, a mudflat and a sphagnum peat bog), woodlands, which are well represented in the northern and western parts of the reserve (acidiphilous willow grove, scrubland, former woodland park and poplar plantations) and open environments with their herbaceous vegetation (restored hygrophilous meadow and grassy fallow land on the hill). Some 140 animal species inhabit or frequent the site.
Belfry of Douai
Built: 1380.
Style: Gothic.
History: the belfry was built as a watchtower. A Gothic building was also erected on the west side of the tower, along with a chapel on the south side. Construction of the belfry was completed in 1410. In the 19th century, major restoration work was undertaken and a new building, identical to the 15th-century one, was added to give the town hall its current symmetrical appearance.
Characteristics: Its sublime spire, featuring the great lion of Flanders and 54 golden suns, is a real architectural gem.
Special features: the carillon was installed in 1390 and now comprises 62 bells, covering five octaves.
Trivia: moved by the beauty of the belfry, Victor Hugo drew a picture of it in 1837, which is kept in his museum on the Place des Vosges in Paris.
Listed as: historical monument in 1862. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 (Belfries of Belgium and France).
Chartreuse Museum in Douai
Built: 1559
Museum opening: 1951
History: built by the d'Abancourt family, this mansion was sold to the Carthusian monks in 1662. It subsequently became a cartridge factory, then a munitions and war material depot until 1940. Damaged by the bombardments of 11 August 1944, the building was bought by the town of Douai in 1951, which installed the collections of the former museum, which had been completely destroyed.
Characteristics: the building is notable for the beauty of its facades and the wing dominated by the high square tower, built by the de Montmorency family. Built in the Flemish Renaissance style, they are a subtle blend of stone and brick. You can also admire the mullioned windows topped with pediments. A small and a large cloister, a refectory, a chapter house and a classical-style chapel - completed in 1722 - were also built with the arrival of the Carthusian order.
Collections: the museum houses works by renowned artists. Paintings by Van Scorel, Bellegambe, Rubens, Veronese, Ruisdael, Renoir and Pissarro. Sculptures by Carpeaux, Rodin and Bra. The collections also include photos from the Augustin Boutique-Grard photo library and a relief map of 18th-century Douai.
Listed as: historical monument in 1930.
Website: http://www.museedelachartreuse.fr/
Planetarium
Orionis, the planetarium in the Douai region, offers 360° immersion in space. It offers a selection of ten sessions on different themes, with exceptional image resolution (10K) to give a virtual reality sensation. The immersive auditorium can accommodate up to 130 spectators. Orionis is also equipped with an observatory featuring a 430 mm telescope. The observatory is open to the public from time to time for events.
Website: https://www.planetarium-orionis.com/
TO EAT
Douai Gayantine
This little oval sweet is a Douai speciality that pays tribute to the town's giant, Gayant. For more than 100 years, the town's inhabitants have been going to the chocolaterie aux délices next to the Belfry to taste this little sweet.
