| The city of Lille, which was built on the | | | | day. The biggest is at Wazemmes but there's |
| Deule River, and was first founded in 1066, | | | | another one in Old Lille, at the end of the |
| during the Medieval ages. In the 19th | | | | rue de la Monnaie, where the locals say the |
| Century, the city Lille became a large | | | | fruit is better quality. |
| industrial city, and the population tripled | | | | |
| in a short time. | | | | The city has over 100,000 students to keep |
| | | | the night life vibrant, although one of the |
| Lille was taken by the Germans in May 1940, | | | | nice things about Lille night life is that |
| after brief resistance by a Moroccan Infantry | | | | different age groups mix. Beer is the drink |
| division. On September 3rd 1944 the German | | | | of choice, and almost every beer has a glass |
| troops began to leave Lille, fearing the | | | | to match. The student hang-outs lining the |
| British, who were on their way from Brussels. | | | | rues Massena and Solferino. If you want a |
| Following this, the Lille resistance managed | | | | quite night the best night spots are in cosy |
| to retake part of the city before the British | | | | bars in Vieux Lille. |
| tanks arrived. | | | | |
| | | | The Hospice Comtesse Museum is located in the |
| Lille was once known as "the Manchester of | | | | heart of Lille's old town. Founded in 1237 by |
| France" but the old textile mills and dirty | | | | Joan of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders |
| heavy industry have now gone, driven out of | | | | for the ailing inhabitants of Lille, the |
| business in the second half of the 20th | | | | rambling edifice is a maze of rooms where old |
| century by lower cost foreign producers. | | | | wards follow on to a chapel and a nunnery. |
| | | | |
| The city is a haven for shoppers. Euralille | | | | On the out skirts the Museum of Modern Art |
| Avenue Le Courbusier was opened with the | | | | houses an extensive and varied collection of |
| channel tunnel in 1994, this impressive | | | | 20th-century and modern art originating from |
| business and leisure development houses over | | | | various donations, including the Aracine and |
| 140 shops, hotel and apartments on street | | | | Masurel collections. The museum has also |
| level, a Carrefour hypermarket, a roller | | | | developed a strong collection of contemporary |
| blading venue in the basement and in one of | | | | art focusing on Lyrical Abstraction and |
| the tower blocks is Aeronef, music venue and | | | | Narrative Figuration, with works by Daniel |
| a nightclub. | | | | Buren, Martin Barre, Jean-Pierre Bertrand, |
| | | | Gerard Gasiorowski and Claude Rutault. In |
| High-street brands line the pedestrians | | | | 1995 the museum received a substantial |
| streets in Central Lille. Sunday is market | | | | donation of art brut from L'Aracine. |