20 Attractions to Explore Near Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin

The Scarpe-Escaut Regional Natural Park, created in 1968, is the very first of the Regional Natural Parks in France, and one of the four parks of the Hauts-de-France region, sheltering important elements of the industrial and mining heritage of the region, including a few slag heaps that are now protected and developed for biodiversity and various recreational activities. It is the smallest but also the most densely inhabited and urbanized of the 51 areas labeled Regional Natural Parks by the Mi

The Bavay Ancient Forum is an archaeological museum located in Bavay in the Nord department, France. The site Bagacum Nerviorum gradually discovered during archaeological excavations in the xix th and xx th centuries. The current museum was opened in 1976 and has a good number of collections from other places, from other regions. Some of these collections have gone to enrich the funds of other organizations. A must-see place in this area which shows light to history.

The Mormal forest is the largest forest in the Nord department. It is the only one sheltering a population of deer, having for origin, like wild boars and roe deer, a reintroduction, because the large mammals had completely disappeared there, following intensive hunting after the French Revolution. This is massive for the North of France an essential part of Natura 2000, the Pan-European Ecological Network, and the green belt region.

A beautiful museum which was dedicated to modern art in the Hauts-de-France region. The museum was renowned for its iconic building and also the collections of 20th and 21st century in4000 sq m exhibition space. It also has a library, workshops, education rooms, a cafe, and a remarkable sculpture park too. It gives an overview in modern and contemporary art, including drawings, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books and so more.

A beautiful castle which was located in Croix, in the Nord department. It was commissioned by Paul Cavrois, a Roubaix textile industrialist, to the Parisian architect Robert Mallet-Stevens. Its beautiful shape and sand-colored brick cladding made it a unique and modern villa. . The villa was used as a barracks by the German occupiers during World War II. It is listed as a historical monument since 1990.

The Barbieux park is located in the town of Roubaix , part of Lille Métropole . It is a remarkable park for the presence of more than 60 species of trees. It stretches over 1.5 kilometers with an area of ​​34 hectares. This park divides the town of Croix into two parts . The surroundings of the park of Barbieux constitute the richest zone of the city of Roubaix, with many luxurious houses.

The Maubeuge zoo is a zoological park located in Maubeuge, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. Today, the zoo is known for its particular setting, in the very heart of the ramparts of Vauban, and the hundreds of animals present there: giraffes, hippos, white tigers, etc. Today it covers an area of ​​7 hectares on which are distributed 350 animals of 56 species.

La Piscine Museum is a museum of Roubaix that this composite collection of applied arts and fine arts made from the xix th century including fabrics, parts decorative arts, sculptures, paintings, and drawings. It is housed in an old Art Deco- style swimming pool, built between 1927 and 1932 1 by the Lille architect Albert Baert, hence its nickname "La Piscine". It also offers numerous conferences, activities to discover the five senses, courses at the École du Louvre; there is also a dedicated

The Lille Natural History Museum is a French natural history museum located rue de Bruxelles, in the historic university district of Lille. Inaugurated in 1822 in the former Hôtel de Ville in Lille, it has been located in rue de Bruxelles since 1896. First built around a first zoological collection, he joined in the early xx th century a double set of geological collections, and in 1990 two new funds thus consist aujourd 'hui four main themes: naturalist, geological, ethnographic, and industrial

The City Hall Lille is located place Roger Salengro in the neighborhood Saint-Sauveur. It was classified as a historic monument in May 2002 and its belfry, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. This site is served by the Mairie de Lille metro station. Its belfry should not be confused with that of the Chamber of Commerce, also emblematic of the city of Lille. It is the tallest belfry in Europe.

One of the beautiful and richest french museums having collections of European paintings, drawings, a sculpture gallery, 17th-century ceramics and so more. The museum opened in 1809 and was initially housed in a church confiscated from the Récollets before being transferred to the city's town hall. It has collections of famous artists and also this place gives you a way to have a look at the ancient history of the french art.

The striking Église Saint-Maurice, situated in the historic center of Lille, has been subject to a number of makeovers from its genesis in the Middle Ages to the last extension of the city in 1868. The interior houses a number of 17th and 18th-century paintings by artists from the city. The central chapel is dedicated to Sainte-Barbe, patroness of the Lille artillerymen whose story visitors can discover in the museum nearby. The construction of the actual church took more than 400 years.

The Rue de Bethune is a street of the town of Lille in northern France, located in the city center , regulated pedestrian area. It is the main shopping street in the city. It connects the rue du Sec-Arembault, which it extends, to the place de Béthune.

La Vieille Bourse is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious monuments in the city. Located between the Grand'Place and the Place du Théâtre, it is one of the witnesses of the intense economic activity that took place in Lille during the Grand Siècle. It was classified as a historical monument in 1921 and 1923. The quadrangular building is in fact an interlocking of 24 identical residences that contain what is called the inner courtyard, a place where booksellers, florists, chess players, stroll

The Rihour Place is an urban public space of the city of Lille in the French department of Nord. This is all that remains of a palace built in the xv th century by the Dukes of Valois-Burgundy, rulers because of the state bourguignon. The building's guard room houses the town's tourist office. It was classified as a historical monument in 1875.

A beautiful and majestic Gothic cathedral which was built in the 19th century was located in the Vieux-Lille district, on the site of a former castle mound. The church was built in honor of the Virgin Mary and takes its name from a 12th-century statue of the saint that has miraculous properties ascribed to it. It was one of the architectural wonders in this area and also it is one of the main pilgrimage centres in this area.

Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse is an institution founded in 1237 by Johanna of Constantinople in Lille. The hospice was subsequently used as a home for the elderly, a function it retained until 1939. After serving as a depot, it was set up as a museum from 1962, with an emphasis on the history of the city and the hospital itself. The hospice is home to a museum and also a venue for exhibitions and concerts.

The Avesnois Regional Natural Park is a regional natural park created in March 1998, which extends over nearly 125,000 hectares in the south of the Nord department. It is one of the richest areas in biodiversity in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, playing an important role of “reservoir” for the regional green network. The many meadows and the rich calcareous lawns also contribute to its biodiversity. One of the nice locations for a trek and also a good place for a nature walk.

A huge museum which displays the paintings by Henri Matisse was located at Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France. It was established by Matisse himself on 8 November 1952. After the death of Matisse, the collection of the museum was enlarged by the gift of 65 paintings by Auguste Herbin. It displays more than 170 Matisse works, as well as 65 paintings by Auguste Herbin. Now, this museum has the third-largest collection of Matisse works in France.

Zoo Lille or Parc Zoologique de Lille is a zoo in the North - French city of Lille. The 3.5- hectare park opened in 1950 and is home to more than 300 different animals, spread over more than 80 species. What is special is that for many years access to the park was free, which has made it one of the greatest tourist attractions in the entire region. The park has 6 different parts including a tropical building, an African and an American part, and a monkey building.