It has certainly stirred up a lot of talk! But this time, it’s official: the Saint-Sauveur park is a reality. Since Saturday, June 20, the people of Lille can finally stroll through this brand new 4.8-hectare park that transforms an old railway site into a true green oasis right in the heart of the city.
An old freight station transformed into a large urban park
It's hard to imagine that this spot once saw trains loaded with coal, grains, or livestock. Opened in 1865, the Saint-Sauveur station was long one of Lille's logistical lungs before permanently closing in 2003. For over twenty years, this vast expanse of concrete and tracks lay dormant. Today, it has given way to a new face: a large park designed to reconnect the neighborhoods of Lille-Centre, Moulins, Wazemmes, and Fives. And the transformation is pretty spectacular!
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Zip lines, games, and big lawns for the whole family
Spanning nearly five hectares, the Saint-Sauveur park has been designed as a huge play and relaxation area. You'll find vast lawns perfect for soaking up the sun, walking paths, dedicated biodiversity zones, sports equipment to get your energy out, and several playgrounds for children, including zip lines that are sure to become the little ones' favorite attraction in no time. The idea? To provide a breathing space right in the city center, where concrete has dominated the landscape for decades. And judging by the crowd present for the inauguration this weekend despite the heat, it seems the people of Lille were eagerly awaiting this new green spot.
The future "second green lung" of Lille
For the city, this park is just the first step in a much larger project surrounding the Saint-Sauveur wasteland. ...g>À terme, the area will also welcome new housing, new facilities, and a shiny new gym over 2,000 m² currently under construction. But for now, the stars of the place are undoubtedly the trees, the lawns, and the walking paths. More than ten years after the first discussions about the site, Lille is finally gaining a new large urban park that could very well become, over time, one of the favorite spots for families, joggers, and anyone looking for a bit of calm without leaving the city. And we can never say no to a few extra hectares of nature right in the heart of Lille.
Address: 579 Av. du Président Hoover, 59800 Lille