Visits, monuments... in Lille Metropolis
LILLE and its surrounding metropolis
Lille and its surrounding metropolis are a veritable melting-pot. Whether you are a lover of country walks, a window-shopping addict, an admirer of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Treille or a die-hard sports fan, Lille Metropolis has something to offer. During the day, cobbled streets and ‘’grands’ places’’ house every different kind of museum, from traditional to modern, industrial or scientific. At night, the entire metropolis is lit up: the shows on offer – ballets, operas, theatre plays, comedy, variety shows – play to packed houses.
Worth seeing
Vieux Lille
Wander through the streets of Vieux Lille, from the Rue de la Grande-Chaussée via Place Louise de Bettignies, named after a heroine from the 1914-1918 war (historic Flemish Baroque façades) and Rue de la Monnaie. Return to the centre via Rue Esquermoise.
Tourcoing Fine Arts Museum - Tourcoing
This spectacular private mansion dating from the 1930s provides an original setting for the display of collections of works from the 16th to the 20th Century, whose juxtaposition creates a bold dialogue between historical and contemporary art.
03 20 28 91 60
Palais des Beaux-Arts - Lille
A vast panorama of art in Europe from the 15th to the 20th Century containing prestigious collections of paintings (Rubens, Goya, Delacroix), drawings, 19th Century sculptures (Carpeaux, Bourdelle, Rodin), ceramics and plan-reliefs of town in the North of France and Belgium.
http://www.musenor.com/gm/gmlillea.htm
La Piscine, The André Diligent Art and History Museum - Roubaix
An original and fun way to discover the Applied Arts (textile drawings, ceramics, rugs, etc.) and Fine Arts (paintings and sculptures from the 19th and 20th Centuries) in the exceptional setting offered by the Art Deco former swimming pool built in 1932 by Albert Baert.
http://www.roubaix-lapiscine.com
Lille Metropolis Museum of Modern Art- Villeneuve d'Ascq
The MAM is currently closed for extension and modernisation. This project, from the architect Manuelle Gautrand, is designed to enable the museum to display from 2008 onwards the display of art brut donated in 1999 by the L’Aracine association. http://www.mamlm.fr
Hospice Comtesse Museum - Lille
A former hospital founded in 1237, this rare example of a building constructed in Lille between the 15th and the 18th Centuries combines the intimate setting of a Flemish-style house with the monumental scale, laden with memories and emotions, of the ward for the sick. Evocations of Lille’s past and collections of Flemish, Dutch and Northern French works accentuate the local character of the museum.
Town Hall Belfry - Lille
Standing at a height of 104 metres, the town hall belfry, which has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, will reopen to the public on 15 July 2006.
Lille Opera House - Lille
Designed by the architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier, this Neoclassical building with its imposing façade was inaugurated in 1923. Two allegorical motifs, "Music" and "Tragedy", are capped by a pediment featuring Apollo surrounded by his Muses.
http://www.opera-lille.fr/home.php
Euralille - Lille
In this proudly modern quarter built on previously unoccupied land in 1994, the finest architects of the late 20th Century used the space between the two railway stations to inject the touch of futuristic elegance that Lille was missing.
City Tour
Every day (except 1 January, 1 May, 2 and 3 September and 25 December).
http://www.lilletourism.com/
Oudenaarde
The Town Hall in the centre of town is well worth a look. This jewel of a building takes pride of place in the town’s main square, the Grote Markt. Like the town halls of Brussels and Louvain, it is an excellent example of Brabant Gothic.
You can see a magnificent collection of silverware from Oudenaarde in the "Zilverkamer"
Tapestries at Lakenhalle
From the 16th until the end of the 18è century, Oudenaarde was was one of themost important producers of tapestries in Europe. The town show the most impressive collection.
Church of our Lady of Pamele
A unique and massive construction of the 13th century. Still has its authentic truss, a forest of beams and rafters.
KORTRIJK
Kortrijk currently has around 70 listed monuments, two of which are even considered part of world heritage. It additionally has around a hundred façades of interest, not to mention a great number of statues, monuments, mills and (of course) stunning views. Below is a short description of the main sites and areas of interest on offer.
Worth seeing
Town Hall
Built in a transitional style between Late Gothic and Renaissance. The façade is decorated with statues of the Counts of Flanders. The Hall itself contains a superb Deputy Mayor’s chamber and a cabinet room decorated with 16th-Century sculpted chimneys.
Belfry (UNESCO world heritage site)
The last remaining vestige of the Halle-aux-Draps of the Middle Ages. On top of the tower sits Mercury, the god of commerce. The famous Manten and Kalle chimes ring in the hours. Since May 1994, the belfry tower has housed a carillon of 48 bells.
Beguine Convent (Begijnhof) (UNESCO world heritage site)
This very intimate Beguine convent is an oasis of calm at the heart of the town centre. It contains around forty Baroque maisonettes from the 17th Century, situated alongside the Chapel of St. Mattheus (1464), the St. Anna Room with its spiral staircase tower and the house of the ‘grootjuffrouw’ (literally the ‘Great Maiden’), now transformed into a museum.
‘Broel’ (Broeltorens)
These towers from the Middle Ages are the last remaining vestiges of the town’s old fortifications. The south tower, the ‘Speyetoren’ (13th Century), formed part of the fortified exterior of the Château des Comtes. The north tower, the ‘Ingelborchtoren’ (15th Century), was built to provide basic artillery defence.
The Roseraie
The International Rose Garden in Kortrijk, located near the Château ‘t Hooghe, Doorniksesteenweg, was fully renovated in 2003 by the Province of West Flanders.
Broel Broelkaai 6 Museum,
The museum has an unexpectedly rich collection of paintings and sculptures from artists who lived or worked in Kortrijk.
Tel.: 00 32 (0)56 27 77 80
Groeninge Abbey (Groeningeabdij), Houtmarkt
The restored buildings of the former cloister bring the history of Kortrijk to life, from prehistoric times to the eve of the First World War.
Tel.: 00 32 (0)56 27 77 80