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Lille

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography

                               Ville de Lille

   Flag of Lille
                                   Coat of arms of Lille
    New city flag                 Traditional coat of arms
   Motto: –
                                  Location

   Image:Paris_plan_pointer_b_jms.gif
   Map highlighting the commune of Lille
   Coordinates      50°37′57″N, 03°03′30″E
   Time Zone        CET (GMT +1)
                               Administration
   Country          France
   Région           Nord-Pas de Calais
   Département      Nord (59)
   Intercommunality Urban Community of
                    Lille Métropole
   Mayor            Martine Aubry  ( PS)
                    (since 2001)
                              City Statistics
   Land area¹       39.51 km²
   Population²      10th in France
    - 2004 estimate 226,800
    - Density       5,740/km² (2004)
                                Urban Spread
   Urban Area       450 km² (1999)
    - Population    1,000,900 (1999)
   Metro Area       975 km² (1999)
    - Population    1,143,125 (1999)
   ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1
   km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
   ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of
   multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
                                  France

   Lille (Dutch: Rijsel, Ryssel in old texts) is the main city of France's
   fourth largest metropolitan area (consisting of Lille, Roubaix,
   Tourcoing and their suburbs). It is located to the country's north, on
   the Deûle River. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais région. It
   is also the préfecture (capital) of the Nord département. It lies near
   the border with Belgium and its Dutch name is Rijsel.

   The city of Lille absorbed Lomme on February 27, 2000. Their combined
   population at the 1999 census was 212,597 inhabitants. The whole
   metropolitan area of Lille, both on French and Belgian territory (
   Kortrijk, Tournai) was estimated in 2000 at around 1,730,000
   inhabitants, ranking as one of the major metropolitan areas of Europe.

History

   In the 19th century Lille became the centre of French industry due to
   the large nearby coal deposits. It thus became a central part of the
   country's rail network.

Ancient history

   The legend of " Lyderic and Phinaert" puts the foundation of the city
   of "L'Isle" at 640. Although the first mention of the town appears in
   archives from the year 1066, some archeological digs seem to show the
   area as inhabited by as early as 2000 BCE, most notably in the
   modern-day quartiers of Fives, Wazemmes, and Old Lille.

   The name Lille comes from insula or l'Isla, since the area was at one
   time marshy. This name was used for the Count of Flanders' castle (
   Château du Buc), built on dry land in the middle of the marsh.

   The Count of Flanders controlled a number of old Roman cities (
   Boulogne, Arras, Cambrai) as well as some founded by the Carolingians (
   Valenciennes, Saint-Omer, Gand, Brugge, Anvers). The County of Flanders
   thus extended to the left bank of the River Escaut, one of the richest
   and most properous regions of Europe. The original inhabitants of this
   region were the Celts, who were followed by the Menapiens, the Morins,
   the Atrébates, and the Verviens, Germanic tribes. From 830 until around
   910, the Vikings invaded Flanders. After the destruction caused by
   Norman and Hungarian invasion, the eastern part of the region fell
   under the eyes of the area princes. It is in this context that the city
   was created.

Middle ages

   From the 12th century, the fame of the Lille cloth fair began to grow.
   In 1144 Saint Sauveur parish was formed, which would give its name to
   the modern-day quartier Saint-Sauveur.

   The counts of Flanders, Boulogne, and Hainaut came together with
   England and the Holy Roman Empire of Germany and declared war on France
   and King Philippe Auguste, a war that ended with the French victory at
   Bouvines in 1214. Count Ferrand of Portugal was imprisoned and the
   county fell into dispute: it would be his wife, Jeanne, Countess of
   Flanders and Constantinople, who ruled the city. They say she was
   well-loved by the residents of Lille, who by that time numbered 10,000.

   In 1224, the monk Bertrand of Rains, doubtlessly encouraged by local
   lords, tried to pass himself off as Baldwin I of Constantinople (the
   father of Jeanne of Flanders), who had disappeared at the battle of
   Adrianople. He pushed the kingdoms of Flanders and Hainaut towards
   sedition against Jeanne in order to recover his land. She called her
   cousin, Louis VIII ("The Lion"). He unmasked the imposter, who Countess
   Jeanne quickly had hanged. In 1226 the King agreed to free Ferrand of
   Portugal. Count Ferrand died in 1233, and his daughter Marie soon
   after. In 1235, Jeanne granted a city charter by which city governors
   would be chosen each All Saint's Day by four commissioners chosen by
   the ruler. On February 6th, 1236, she founded the Countess's Hospital (
   L'hospice de la comtesse), which remains one of the most beautiful
   buildings in Old Lille. It was in her honour that the hospital of the
   Regional Medical University of Lille was named "Jeanne of Flanders
   Hospital" in the 20th century.

   The Countess died in 1244 in the Abbey of Marquette, leaving no heirs.
   The rule of Flanders and Hainaut thus fell to her sister, Marguerite of
   Flanders, then to Marguerite's brother, Guy de Dampierre. Lille fell
   under the rule of France from 1304 to 1369, after the battle of
   Mons-en-Pévèle.

   The county of Flanders fell to the Duchy of Burgundy next, after the
   1369 marriage of Marguerite de Male, Countess of Flanders, and Philippe
   II le Hardi, Duke of Burgundy. Lille thus became one of the three
   capitals of said Duchy, along with Brussels and Dijon. By 1445, Lille
   counted some 25,000 residents. Philippe le Bon, Duke of Burgundy, was
   even more powerful than the King of France, and made Lille an
   administrative and financial capital.

   On February 17, 1454, one year after the taking of Constantinople by
   the Turks, Philippe le Bon organised a Patagruelian banquet at his
   Lille palace, the still-celebrated " Feast of the Pheasant". There the
   Duke and his court undertook an oath to Christianity.

   In 1477, at the death of the last duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold,
   Mary of Burgundy married a Hapsburg, Maximilian of Austria, who thus
   became Count of Flanders. At the end of the reign of the Holy Roman
   Emperor Charles V, Spanish Flanders fell to his eldest son, and thus
   under the rule of Philip II of Spain, King of Spain. The city remained
   under Spanish rule until the reign of Philip IV of Spain.

The modern era

   The façade of the 'Vieille Bourse' on the 'Grand Place
   Enlarge
   The façade of the 'Vieille Bourse' on the 'Grand Place
   Place du Général de Gaulle, also known as 'Grand Place'
   Enlarge
   Place du Général de Gaulle, also known as 'Grand Place'

   The 16th century was marked, above all, by the outbreak of the Plague,
   a boom in the regional textile industry, and the Protestant revolts.

   The first Calvinists appeared in the area in 1542; by 1555 there was
   anti-Protestant repression taking place. In 1578, the Hurlus, a group
   of Protestant rebels, stormed the castle of the Counts of Mouscron.
   They were removed four months later by a Catholic Wallon regiment,
   after which they tried several times between 1581 and 1582 to take the
   city of Lille, all in vain. The Hurlus were notably held back by the
   legendary Jeanne Maillotte. At the same time (1581), at the call of
   England's Queen Elizabeth I , the north of the Spanish Netherlands,
   having gained a Protestant majority, successfully revolted and formed
   the United Provinces.

   In 1667, King Louis XIV (the Sun-King) successfully laid siege to
   Lille, resulting in it becoming French in 1668 under the Treaty of
   Aix-la-Chapelle, provoking discontent among the citizens of the
   prosperous city. A number of important public works undertaken between
   1667 and 1670, such as the Citadel (erected by Vauban), or the creation
   of the quartiers of Saint-André and la Madeleine, enabled the King to
   gain the confidence of his Flemish subjects.
   Entrance to the 'Vauban Citadel' (17th century)
   Enlarge
   Entrance to the 'Vauban Citadel' (17th century)

   During five years, from 1708 to 1713, the city was occupied by the
   Dutch, during the War of the Spanish Succession. Throughout the 18th
   century, Lille remained profoundly Catholic, which explains why the
   city did not really take part in the French Revolution, though there
   were riots and the destruction of churches. In 1790, the city held
   their first municipal elections.

After the French Revolution

   In 1792, in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Austrians, then
   in the United Provinces, laid siege to Lille. The " Column of the
   Goddess", erected in 1842 in the "Grand-Place" (officially named La
   Place du Général de Gaulle), is a tribute to the city's resistance, led
   by Mayor François André. Although Austrian artillery destroyed many
   houses and the main church of the city, the city did not surrender and
   the Austrian army left after eight days.
   Those black dots around the windows (not the decorative cartouches) are
   Austrian cannonballs lodged in the façade.
   Enlarge
   Those black dots around the windows (not the decorative cartouches) are
   Austrian cannonballs lodged in the façade.

   The city continued to grow, and by 1800 held some 53,000 residents,
   leading to Lille becoming the county seat of the Nord départment in
   1804. In 1846, a rail line connecting Paris and Lille was built.

   At the beginning of the 19th century, Napoleon I's continental blockade
   against the United Kingdom led to Lille's textile industry developing
   itself even more fully. The city was known for its cotton, and the
   nearby towns of Roubaix and Tourcoing worked wool.

   In 1853, Alexandre Desrousseaux composed his famous lullaby Dors mon
   p'tit quinquin. In 1858, an imperial decree led to the annexation of
   the adjacent towns of Fives, Wazemmes, and Moulins. Lille's population
   was 158,000 in 1872, growing to over 200,000 by 1891. In 1896 Lille
   became the first city in France to be led by a socialist, Gustave
   Delory.

   By 1912, Lille's population was at 217,000: the city profited from the
   Industrial Revolution, particularly via coal and the steam engine. The
   entire region had grown wealthy thanks to the mines and to the textile
   industry.

World War I

   From October 4th to 13th, 1914, the troops in Lille were able to trick
   the enemy by convincing them that Lille possessed more artillery than
   was the case; in reality, the city had only a single cannon. Despite
   the deception, the German bombardments destroyed over 2,200 buildings
   and homes. When the Germans realized they had been tricked, they burned
   down an entire section of town, subsequently occupying the city. Lille
   was liberated by the British on October 17th 1918, when General Sir
   William Birdwood and his troops were welcomed by joyous crowds. The
   general was made an honorary citizen of Lille on October 28th of that
   year.

The Années Folles, the Great Depression, and the Popular Front

   In July 1921, at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, Albert Calmette and
   Camille Guérin discovered the first antituberculosis vaccine, known as
   BCG ("Bacille de Calmette et Guérin").

   From 1931 Lille felt the repurcussions of the Great Depression, and by
   1935 a third of the city's population lived in poverty. In 1936, the
   city's mayor, Roger Salengro, became Minister of the Interior of the
   Popular Front, eventually killing himself after right-wing groups led a
   slanderous campaign against him.

World War II

   Lille was taken by the Germans in May 1940, after brief resistance by a
   Moroccan Infantry division. When Belgium was invaded, the citizens of
   Lille, still marked by the events of World War I, began to flee the
   city in large numbers. Although Lille was part of the zone under
   control of the German commander in Brussels, the city was never
   controlled by the Vichy government. The départments of Nord and
   Pas-de-Calais (with the exception of the coast, notably Dunkerque)
   were, for the most part, liberated in five days, from the 1st to 5th
   September 1944 by British, American, Canadian, and Polish troops. On
   September 3rd, the German troops began to leave Lille, fearing the
   British, who were on their way from Brussels. Following this, the Lille
   resistance managed to retake part of the city before the British tanks
   arrived. Rationing came to an end in 1947, and by 1948, some normality
   had returned to Lille.

Post-war to the present

   In 1967, the Chambers of Commerce of Lille, Roubaix, and Tourcoing were
   joined, and in 1969, the Communauté urbaine de Lille (Lille urban
   community) was created, linking 87 communes with Lille.

   Throughout the 1960s and 70s, the region was faced with some problems
   after the decline of the coal, mining and textile industries. From the
   start of the 1980s, the city began to turn itself more towards the
   service sector.

   In 1983, the VAL, the world's first automated rapid transit underground
   network, was opened. In 1993, a high-speed TGV train line was opened,
   connecting Paris with Lille in one hour. This, followed by the opening
   of the Channel Tunnel in 1994 and the arrival of the Eurostar train,
   puts Lille in the centre of a triangle connecting Paris, London, and
   Brussels.

   Work on Euralille, an urban remodelling project, began in 1991. The
   Euralille Centre was opened in 1994, and the remodeled district is now
   full of parks and modern buildings containing offices, shops, and
   apartments. In 1994 the "Grand Palais" was also opened.

   Lille tried an unsuccessful bid for the organization of the Games of
   the XXVIIIth Olympiad in 2004.

Economy

   A former major textile manufacturing centre, Lille forms the heart of a
   larger conurbation, regrouping Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing and Villeneuve
   d'Ascq, which is France's 4th-largest urban conglomeration with a 1999
   population of over 1.1 million.

Transport

   Inside of VAL metro car.
   Enlarge
   Inside of VAL metro car.

   Lille is an important crossroads in the European high-speed rail
   network: it lies on the Eurostar line to London and the French TGV
   network to Paris, Brussels and other major centres in France such as
   Marseille, Lyon ,Toulouse. It has two train stations, which stand next
   door to one another: Lille-Europe station (Gare Lille-Europe), which
   primarily serves high-speed trains and international services (
   Eurostar), and Lille-Flandres station (Gare Lille-Flandres), which
   primarily serves lower speed trains.

   The Lille Metro's VAL system (véhicule automatique léger = light
   automated vehicle) is a driverless metro. Line 2 is 32 km long with 43
   stations, the first automatic metro line in the world, which opened on
   May 16, 1983. It was the longest in the world until August 31, 2002,
   when it was surpassed by the Vancouver SkyTrain. Trains are only 26 m
   long (two linked cars) and are rubber-tired. There are 60 stations
   which go as far as the Belgian border.

Highways

   Five autoroutes pass by Lille, the densest confluence of highways in
   France after Paris:
     * Autoroute A27 : Lille - Tournai - Brussels / Liège - England
     * Autoroute A23 : Lille - Valenciennes
     * Autoroute A1  : Lille - Arras - Paris / Reims - Lyon
     * Autoroute A25 : Lille - Dunkirk - Calais - England
     * Autoroute A22 : Lille - Antwerp - Netherlands

   A sixth one — the proposed A24 — will link Amiens to Lille if built,
   but there is opposition to its route.

Air traffic

   Lille Lesquin ( http://www.lille.aeroport.fr/) International Airport is
   15 minutes from the city centre. It is the 12th most frequented French
   airport in number of passengers:
     * around 970,000 passengers in 2001
     * almost 873,000 passengers in 2003

   In terms of shipping, it ranks fourth, with almost 38,000 tonnes of
   freight which pass through each year.

Waterways

   Lille is the 3rd largest French river port after Paris and Strasbourg.
   The river Deûle is connected to regional waterways with over 680 km of
   navigatable waters. The Deûle connects to Northern Europe via the River
   Scarpe and the River Escaut (towards Belgium and the Netherlands), and
   internationally via the Lys (to Dunkerque and Calais).

Shipping statistics

          Year         1997   2000   2003
   Millions of tonnes 5.56   6.68   7.30
   By River or Sea    8.00%  8.25%  13.33%
   By Rail            6.28%  4.13%  2.89%
   By Road            85.72% 87.62% 83.78%

Education

   With over 144 000 students, the metropolitan area of Lille is one of
   the first student cities in France. The Catholic University was founded
   in 1875. Today it has law, economics, medicine, physics faculties and
   schools. Among the most famous is EDHEC Business School founded in
   1906, the ESC Lille Graduate School of Business founded in 1892, the
   IESEG currently ranked within the top 5, 10 and 15 business schools in
   France, respectively. In 1924 ESJ - a leading journalism school - was
   established, in 1970 three public universities (Lille I, II and III)
   were created, and in 1992 the Institut d'études politiques de Lille.
   Also, in Lille is located the Ecole Centrale de Lille, one of the five
   great schools of engineering in France.

Twin cities

     * Germany - Cologne and Erfurt, Germany
     * Luxembourg - Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
     * Ukraine - Kharkiv, Ukraine
     * United Kingdom - Leeds, England, United Kingdom
     * Belgium - Liège, Belgium
     * Palestinian National Authority - Nablus, Palestinian Authority
     * Netherlands - Rotterdam, Netherlands
     * Israel - Safed, Israel
     * Senegal - Saint-Louis, Senegal
     * Italy - Turin, Italy
     * Spain - Valladolid, Spain
     * United States - Buffalo,United States

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lille"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
