Things to Do in Lille

Between March 17, 1943, and May 1, 1944, 68 antagonists were shot by Nazis at the Bondues Fort. It’s on the ruins (the fort was destroyed by the Germans before they evacuated the area in 1944) of this very fort that stands Bondues' Museum of the Resistance (Musée de la Résistance). The museum is a symbol of strength if there ever was one, honoring the memory of these gallant dead. Dedicated to the resistance movement in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region during World War II, the museum features exclusive artifacts, reconstitutions and knick-knacks related to Wold War II, organized in a noteworthy scenography throughout five different rooms named Memories, Refusal, Courage, Engagement and Sacrifice. A memorial to the memory of the 68 victims was erected in 1997.

The Le Fresnoy National Studio for Contemporary Arts (Le Fresnoy Studio National des Arts Contemporains) located in the Lille suburbia acts as both a teaching establishment and a museum; its goal being to give northern France residents and visitors easy access to the arts of all forms (cinema, photography, applied arts, musique, living arts, etc.) in a state-of-the-art building. Its genesis is to integrate audiovisual techniques to its productions, making Le Fresnoy an exclusive place for locals to experiment with various practices – the museum creates over 50 pieces every year. In a nutshell, Le Fresnoy is kind of like “dance studio meets movie set”; every movement, every pain stroke is subject to technological embellishments. Because of its unique mission, the museum has welcomed several world-class art exhibitions over the years, and continues to be acclaimed by other museums around the world. The museum also houses a cinema and regular exhibitions aimed at children.

The Maison Folie Hospice d'Havré, a historic monastery, is not only remarkable because of its history, but also because of its current vocation. Founded in the 12th century by the daughter of a local count, the monastery remained in use until the late 1990s – its chapel, the cloisters and the refectory façade were recently added to the list of historic monuments of France. Throughout its history the monastery was used as a hospital and school for young girls. But what used to be a place of worship is now a place for cultural exchanges under the theme of art. The hospice welcomes an eclectic mix of activities pertaining to the arts, like dancing, painting, cinema, theatre and music shows on a regular basis. The hospice is also noteworthy for its beautiful garden, which is filled with medicinal herbs.

A great museum for those interested in Lille’s military history, the Museum of the Gunners in Lille (Musée des Canonniers Sédentaires de Lille) explains the story of the Sainte Barbe Brotherhood (one of the oldest artillery units in Europe) and their implication in the defense of the city over the centuries. Indeed, Lille, because of its strategic and thus precarious position, required an effective militia as well as walled fortifications in order to survive – something that would later on be proved necessary, seeing as the city went from being Flemish, Bourguignone, Imperial and Spanish before becoming French, all in the matter of a few centuries. The museum’s exhibitions, presented in the former Urbanist convent, holds over 3,000 objects of various genres like artifacts, weapons like firearms and cannons (including the famous Gribeauval cannons that Napoleon Bonaparte offered to the canoneers himself), documents and equipment related to the city’s defense.

Opened in 1822, Lille's Natural History Museum (Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille) is one of Lille’s oldest and is the only of its kind in Nord / Pas-de-Calais. The fact that the museum still stands to this day is nothing short of a miracle, seeing as it overcame two World Wars and yet continued adding items to its ever-expanding collections – that now comprises of over 200,000 specimens. It now focuses on two main themes, mineralogical and zoological. The former has tens of thousands of minerals and paleontological items, some of which date back 400 million years. The latter, on the other hand, contains 1,500 mammals, 1,000 reptiles and 100,000 insects to name a few, including several now-extinct species from around the world like the Iguanodon dinosaur, the Tasmanian Tiger and the Passenger Pigeon. Throughout its exhibitions the museum present the history of earth and life with various interactive displays and informative posters, encouraging visitors to care for the rapidly disappearing species and preserve the planet’s precious legacy.

The Science Forum (commonly known as Forum départemental des sciences de Villeneuve-d'Ascq by locals) is a museum dedicated to broadcasting the scientific and technical culture located in eastern Lille. It has a very specific, hands-on approach that strongly encourages visitors to make their own scientific experiments in order to fully grasp the power and extent of science in the most whimsical ways possible. The newest exhibition, which will be hosted until March 2016, focuses on nighttime; what happens after nightfall, as far as biology, astronomy, neurology and anthropology are concerned? What does a naturally dark sky looks like, away from the city’s bright lights? How does sleep actually work? On the other side of the museum is Enigma, a vast room where visitors get to become a detective for a couple of hours, questioning the scientific aspect of various situations, and ultimately coming up with several plausible answers. How does a magician escape jail? How could we live in a world without fuel? And although the museum’s exhibitions are clearly directed at children, they will also be very interesting for parents eager to learn about the world’s greatest scientific discoveries.

The modernist masterpiece of Parisian architect Robert Mallet-Stevens, Villa Cavrois is a National Historic Monument in the Lille suburb of Croix. Built in 1932 for its namesake, the industrialist Paul Cavrois, the architectural landmark has been painstakingly restored and stands as the foremost example of Mallet-Stevens’ work.

Situated in the seaside resort town of Le Touquet, Aqualud is one of northern France’s largest water parks and a popular destination for families. Founded in 1985, and situated just steps from the beach, the park offers an array of water slides, pools, Jacuzzis, and other attractions in both indoor and outdoor areas.