Once referred to as the “Athens of the North”, Valenciennes lies on the Scheldt River in the Hauts-de-France region. It was traversed by the German-built Hindenburg Line during World War I, which led to significant destruction during the conflict. Today, Valenciennes has a relatively modern townscape after being rebuilt in the wake of World War II.
Things to do in Valenciennes
In the heart of Valenciennes is the Place d’Armes, a monumental square watched over by the Valenciennes Town Hall. It was constructed in the early 17th century and features an ornately decorated facade crafted in 1867 by Henri Lemaire. At the northern end of the square is the 45-metre-high Litanie, which marks the site of a belfry that collapsed in 1840.
Art enthusiasts can visit Musee des Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes, which occupies an early-20th-century building designed by Paul Dusart. It holds a significant collection of Flemish and Dutch paintings that date from the Middle Ages, including works by Antony van Dyck, Jan Provoost and Frans Pourbus the Elder. Among the French artists represented in the collection are Sebastien Bourdon and the locally-born painter, Antoine Watteau.
One of Valenciennes’ most prominent landmarks is the Fosse Dutemple, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed headframe erected atop a coal-mining shaft in the 1920s. Built from reinforced concrete, it is one of several coal-mining remnants that dot the town and stands as an impressive legacy of the area’s industrial past.
Getting around Valenciennes
Valenciennes is around 40 minutes’ drive from Lille and Lille Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe and North Africa. Regular trains connect to the Valenciennes railway station while both trams and buses travel throughout the commune. The centre of Valenciennes can easily be explored on foot.