Grande Place (Main Square), Lille (must see)

Lille’s Main Square forms the historic and social center of the city. The square developed on marshy ground that was gradually drained and prepared for use as a grain market during the Middle Ages. It acquired its present official name in 1944 in honor of statesman Charles de Gaulle, who was born in Lille.

The square is framed by an varied collection of Flemish and French façades, with stepped gables, warm brickwork, carved stone details, and steep slate roofs. Its best-known building is the Old Stock Exchange on the north side of the square. At the center of the square stands the Column of the Goddess, inaugurated in 1845 to commemorate Lille’s resistance during the Austrian siege of 1792. The female figure, sculpted by Théophile Bra, holds a firing linstock and symbolizes the city’s determination to defend itself.

Other prominent landmarks include the North Theater, housed in the former Grand Guard building on the southeastern side of the square, and the adjoining “The Voice of the North” building, immediately to the theater’s left as you face them. The newspaper building’s monumental stepped gable is crowned by three gilded female figures representing Flanders, Artois, and Hainaut. Created by sculptor Raymond Couvègnes, the figures are collectively known as the Three Graces.

Today, the Main Square remains one of Lille’s principal meeting places. Café terraces, shops, and restaurants line its edges, while seasonal decorations and public events regularly transform the open space. Visitors should also pass through one of the entrances of the Old Stock Exchange to see its quieter courtyard, whose elaborate façades provide a close-up view of the ornamentation associated with Lille’s 17th-century commercial prosperity.