Renovated with love, the old town has rediscovered its 17 and 18C facades not long ago covered in disgraceful render. This has led to evidence of the «Lille style» with facades where bricks and sculpted stones are mixed. You'll discover many examples..

Built between 1887 and 1892, this summer palace was extended in the 1990s by the architects Jean-Marc Ibos et Myrto Vitart to include a narrow 70m x 6.50m building, the glass façade of which reflects the image of the back of the main building. The ga..

This was built in 1652-1653 by Julien Destrée at the request of the Lille businessmen who wanted a Stock Exchange to rival that of Holland. It's made out of 24 dormer windowed houses set out around a rectangular courtyard which acted as a centre for ..

Dominated by the old Stock Exchange, the Grand'Garde - the building with the ornamented pediment containing the daily newspaper quotidian La Voix du Nord - this is the lively centre of the town. In the centre Goddess's column symbolises the heroic re..

This is a beautiful example of a church-hall, on which building started in the 15C. It has five naves, five roofs and five gables. Inside you will see a Christ of pity «Jesus scourged», often covered up with a velvet robe. In the area surrounding the..

Antique dealers and decorators have put a lot into this street which used to play host to a Mint. The left hand side is made up of 18C houses with decorated façades (mortar and alembic and in an old apothecary featuring dolphins, wheat sheaf, palm tr..

These magnificent buildings dating from the 15C to the 18C began life as a hospital, and went on to be used as a hospice and then an orphanage. Once through the monumental sandstone doorway, you come to the Salle des Malades (1470) with its superb ..

This wholesale greengrocer's house, built in 1636 is a superb example of Flemish Baroque style. Its lavish decoration contains corner irons and jutting pediments. The house used to contain a gateway onto the River Basse-Deûle which was knocked down i..

Having taken Lille, Louis XIV, quickly built a citadel. Vauban handled the plans. 2000 men were given shovels and pickaxes. The site comprises five semi-circular strongholds which are still occupied by the army. The royal gateway leads to the Weapon ..

This portal by Simon Vollant, put up between 1685 and 1692, served as the town gateway (it was part of the ramparts) and arc de triomphe. The arc de triomphe was built in honour of Louis XIV , secured by his Victory at the summit.

Charles de Gaulle was born here on the 22nd of November 1890 in this house where his maternal grandfather had a lace workshop. The studio and the house have been transformed into a museum between them possessing a vast amount of documents and memento..

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Standing tall near the theatre this building surmounted by pediments (1717) used to be home to the king's guard.

The facades bordering this street, decorated with chubby-faced angels and masks on the first storey are a good example of 18C housing.

Opposite the New Exchange building, this is a superb line-up of houses, their pilasters surmounted by elegant cartouches typifying the «rows» of Lille urbanism.

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Opposite the imposing new stock exchange in the neo-Flemish style and the Louis XVI style opera-house (both by the architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier) There are attractive line of houses called the «Beauregard line».

The metro stations in Lille are decorated with modern artwork. You will see sculptures of Debeve (République station), the hand of Cesar (Porte de Valenciennes), frescoes of Degand (Fives), and a bronze by Mme Léger (Pont-de-Bois).

This Gothic style building (1473), today houses the Tourist Office. There is an ogive vaulted guardhouse, a first floor chapel also called the Conclave room, and a ducal oratory served by a stone shaft staircase.

The gresseries (sandstone archways) are a characteristic of 17C Lille architecture. They have now been renovated and today shelter luxury boutiques. The wrought iron balconies and finely decorated windows are also worth examining.