DESTINATION:
Lille and Ypres
The city of Lille was founded in the 11th century: the first reference to the town was made in 1066 when Baudouin V, the Count of Flanders, endowed Lille with St Peter's Collegiate Church. Over the years, Lille has been ruled by the Counts of Flanders and King of France, the Dukes of Burgundy, the Habsburgs, the Kings of Spain (from Charles V to Philip IV), a period during which Lille experienced a "Golden Age", and finally in 1667 Lille became French. Today, Lille is a powerful city and university town with a wealth of artistic and architectural heritage from both French and Flemish cultures.
Ypres, which is located at the base of the Ypres Salient, was subject to some of the fiercest fighting of the 1914-1918 war and was sadly reduced to ruins. The town has now been rebuilt to its former plan and the Cloth Hall and Cathedrals are replicas of the originals. The Menin Gate, one of the main entries into the town, is today dedicated as a memorial to the armies of the British Empire and to those of their dead, who have no known grave.
Recommended duration – 4 nights/5 days
Lille can also be visited on its own as a short break in 3 nights/4 days. Both Lille and Ypres can also be combined with a visit to Flanders.
KEY VISITS (Recommended)
- OLD LILLE – the historic centre with its cobbled squares and narrow streets is based around the Place du Général de Gaulle, which is bordered by the impressive façades of the Art Deco Voix du Nord newspaper offices, and the 17th century Vieille Bourse (old exchange).
- MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS – one of the leading French museums, it houses an exceptionally rich collection of paintings, amongst them a number of Flemish works, including Rubens and van Dyck, as well as famous works by Goya, Delacroix, Van Goyen and Impressionist paintings.
- SEPTENTRION FOUNDATION – set up in an old farm building in 1975 by Anne and Albert Prouvost it stages temporary and permanent exhibitions.
- LILLE MÉTROPOLE MUSÉE D’ART MODERNE – a magnificent collection of contemporary art, presenting popular artistic trends in France from the beginning of the 20th century up until the present day to include works by Braque, Calder, Miró, Modigliani and Picasso.
- ANDRE DILIGENT MUSEUM OF ART AND INDUSTRY(Roubaix) – in the exceptional surroundings of what used to be Albert Baert’s 1932 Art deco swimming baths, the Museum of Art and Industry offers its visitors an original setting for its collections of applied and fine arts to include drawings, textiles and ceramics, and paintings and sculpture from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Visits in YPRES include the following:
- IN FLANDERS FIELD MUSEUM – located in the Cloth Hall, it presents the story of WW1 from the angle of human experience. Hundreds of authentic objects and images are presented in an innovative manner.
- TOUR OF THE CEMETERIES – visits will include the Essex Farm, Yorkshire Trench and Dug Out (this is a new site where you can walk in a fully renovated trench and see the entrances of the canal system that were used in the First World War), Cement House Cemetery, German Military Cemetery, Canadian Forces Memorial, New Zealand Forces Memorial, Tyne Cot Cemetery (Passchendale), Hill 62, Mont Surrel and Hell Fire Corner.
- MENIN GATE – the gate stands on the approach to the Salient battlefields and has listed on its walls the names of 55,000 men who fell within the Salient and were listed as missing.
ALTERNATIVE VISITS
- CHÂTEAU DU VERT BOIS – an elegant 18th century manor house displaying period furniture, tapestries, porcelain and 17th and 18th century paintings. Also on display are family souvenirs from Napoleon and Lucien Bonaparte.
- MUSÉE DE L’HOSPICE COMTESSE – an ancient hospital founded in 1237 by Jeanne de Constantinople. Now a museum, it houses Flemish, Dutch and Northern French paintings from the 15th to the 18th century.
- LOUVRE-LENS MUSEUM – located in the former mining town of Lens, the Museum was intended to bring culture to the poorer, more industrial areas of the country. The large low level building, designed by Japanese architects, is an impressive combination of glass and stainless steel and acts as an outreach of the Musée du Louvre in Paris, accommodating up to 600 major works which are exhibited in a cross-disciplinary display covering varying periods and cultures.
FURTHER AFIELD
- GHENT – capital of the province of East Flanders, it was of enormous importance in the 16th century, and today boasts a lively, historic centre with a network of waterways which traverse the inner town. Ghent also possesses one of the great masterpieces of Flemish painting, van Eyck’s Adoration of the Mystic Lamb in the Cathedral of St Bavo.