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Place Aux Oignons
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In this picturesque square, often considered the prettiest in the city, was not a huge Onion Point of Sale, but a dungeon, whose Latin name “dominium” turned into a “dominion” and then finally into onions.
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The narrow yellow facade you see is mistakenly considered to be the smallest house in Lille. It is actually a passage that allows to go to the Golden Lion Square on the other side, and this since the Middle Ages.
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So, yes, I admit, it’s not the kind of cathedral you’re used to seeing sitting proudly in the city centre. But you should know that it does not look at all like what was planned!
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Before 1750, Lille had 2 shores arranged on the Deûle, small ports for the exchange of goods. The present wharf of the Wault was called Petit Rivage on the Haute Deûle, and the other, Grand Rivage on the Basse Deûle on the other side of the city.
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Le P'tit Jacques
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This beautiful statue, so white of a woman carrying a child, is a tribute to the song of P’tit Quinquin, which is probably the first Lille hit in History. If the name vaguely rings a bell, but no more, know that it is a lullaby written in Chiti in 1853 by the Lille poet Alexandre Desrousseaux.
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Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille
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This square, much larger than Grand Place in the end, was built after medieval times, when the town managed by Vauban was enlarged. It is the center of the new perimeter of Lille.
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Porte de Paris
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On this round square, which was not originally round, were in the 13th century, the new ramparts of Lille, designed after the expansion of the city. Imagine that in those days, every time you added a district and its parish downtown, you had to sort of push back the ramparts.
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Beffroi de l'Hotel de Ville
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The Belfry, in the heart of the Saint-Sauveur district, was built in the early 20th century as an icing on the cake for the City Inn completed just before. It represents the industrial age of a booming city.
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This arch, classified as a historic monument, like the Inn it hides behind it, seems a little lost in this rather modern part of the city center. It is a piece of history that resists.
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Come on, it’s time for the creepy anecdote. This small dead end with a medieval look is an old passage to the Brigittine convent built in 1604. It was the scene of horrible and frankly bizarre events.
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Eglise Saint Maurice
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The Church of Saint-Maurice could have been the cathedral of Lille. Its construction began in the 14th century, but it is only as you see it today since the 19th century.
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Palais Rihour
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This Rihour palace on this place of the same name is the only vestige of the Burgundy era of the city. Lille has indeed passed through several dominations, changing hands roughly every 2 centuries.
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The splendid gilded frontage you pass now is that of the house Méert. Much more than just confectionery, this Lille institution is one of the oldest pastry shops still in activity in the world.
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Grand Place is where the heart of the city of Lille beats. It was already so in the Middle Ages when it represented its geographical centre, but also economic, social and administrative.
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I let you admire in front of you, the imposing building of the “Voice of the North”, intractable in the center of the square, with its beautiful gabled facade. It is the headquarters of the famous newspaper, born underground in 1941, and driving a wave of resistance in occupied France.
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Old Stock Exchange
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Now let's cross the old stock exchange. Considered one of the most beautiful structures in Lille, it was built in the 17th century for the union of merchants of the city.
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Then take your time entering this elegant square, marking the border between the old Lille and the central districts. Grab a cup of coffee and settle down quietly as there are so many things to see and details to look at in the structures around you.
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Place du Lion d'Or
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The charming little place of the Golden Lion is the ideal place to admire the beautiful typical Lille architecture. It housed a former Inn that also served as a post office and that is what gave it its name, which came from the distortion of the phrase “in bed on sleep”, like all the hotels of the golden lion of France by the way.
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You are now on the beautiful Place Louise de Bettignie. A word about Louise first because we don’t talk enough about the characters behind the names of the seats. She was an extraordinary woman who was a spy during the war, delivering vital information to the English secret service.
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The only slightly sloping street in this rather flat city, Rue de Ghent is a very lively street in the city lined with many bars and restaurants. You will find several buildings classified as historical monuments.
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This pretty garden framed by buildings with colorful bricks is named Countess Island for Joan, the Countess of Flanders. In 1237, she had a hospital built in her own palace without skimping on the quality or wealth of supplies. She even gave all her mills to the hospital.
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The Coin Street, which you now walk up, is the oldest in town. In the 11th century, it was the main paved road that connected the two gates of the city. It takes its current name with the arrival of Louis XIV who built the Inn of the Mint.
