Lille in the past... an island
Florian Stormacq - Unsplash
It's surely the first of the anecdotes to know about our beautiful Capital of Flanders. It is named "Lille" because in the past the city was surrounded by the Deûle. The word for "island" was "Isle" in Old French and "rijsel" in Dutch, both meaning island. That's why the cellars in Lille are so often flooded.
The pigeon monument at the Citadel
At the entrance of the park, you have surely noticed this kind of monument to the dead. Except here, we are not commemorating soldiers but carrier pigeons. During World War I, they served as a means of communication between allied units. It is also the only The Napoleon Bridge: Destroyed and Rebuilt Several Times
While strolling around the Citadelle Park, you surely noticed the impressive Napoleon Bridge. Originally built in wood in 1812 as a tribute to the Emperor's conquests, it was destroyed in 1918 by German troops. It was rebuilt few years later for the international exhibition. However, it was once again destroyed by German troops during World War II. It was rebuilt to its original state in 2014. And there you have it, a monument to pigeons in France!
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A Cursed Palace in Rihour
No, it's not a story about witches or ghosts but rather about flames. The Rihour Palace, which now houses the Lille Tourist Office, fell victim to a first fire in 1700 during a theater performance with fireworks. A few years later, another fire destroyed another wing of the palace. The building, rebuilt in 1849 to serve as a city hall, was once again engulfed by flames during the German occupation in 1916. Talk about bad luck!
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An Old Water Mill on Rue de la Monnaie
Here's another peculiarity in Old Lille. Look, a wall with openings like windows, without a roof or any other walls. It's not a contemporary piece of art but rather an old water mill from the 13th century. Powered by the Saint-Pierre canal that crossed Rue de la Monnaie (told you Lille is an island), it was donated by Countess Jeanne de Flandre to the Hospice Comtesse in 1237.
The World's First Automatic Metro
Sure, we only have two lines. Sure, the ticket price is high. Sure, the trains are not always clean. But the Lille metro is still a wonder because it's the world's first.Driverless metro system in the world. It was inaugurated with great fanfare by President François Mitterand and his Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy. Classy in Dallas!
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Lille has the smallest boulevard in the world
Well, it's an unofficial record, but still! We have the smallest boulevard in the world, the Boulevard Papin with its 110 meters long. It also seems that we have the smallest avenue in the world, with the 45 meters long Avenue Dorchies...
An epee fencing track in a crypt?
Nathanaël Desmeules - Unsplash
C'est le seul endroit en France où cela existe, et c'est à Lille, dans la crypte de l'Église Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul initialement destinée à accueillir des sépultures ou des reliques, abrite aujourd'hui une tout autre activité : celle des épéistes, fleurettistes, sabreurs et autres escrimeurs sportifs, handisports ou artistiques.
On a failli jamais connaître la déesse de la Grand Place !
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MisterStock - Shutterstock
La déesse au Boutefeu est carrément l'emblème de Lille, mais on a failli ne jamais la connaître. L'idée était d'orner l'Arc de Triomphe avec des statues représentant les principales villes de France. Mais lorsque ce plan a été abandonné en 1837, le sculpteur Théodore Bra a généreusement offert sa création à la ville de Lille. Mais ce n'est pas terminé, parce qu'elle était au départ destinée à un monument commémoratif sur la place Rihour, mais elle a finalement trouvé sa place sur la Grand'Place de Lille.
Les gaufres de Méert, les préférées de De Gaulle
La Grand Place porte également le nom de Place Charles de Gaulle car le président de la République est né à Lille. Ça, normalement.You knew it (there's even a house in Old Lille where he was born).But you may not have known that little Charles was a fan of waffles from Meert. Every time he passed by, his dad would buy him one. What if we adopted the same ritual?
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