Let me tell you about an off the beaten path City of the north of my belle France , of many family visits and not enough pictures, There is my dear late wife bro nearby and always took advantage of the proximity to do my further road warrior trips in the area, I like to put an older picture of my Dad and Wife, with new text and links for you and me on Roubaix, The City is in the dept no 59 of the Nord in the region of Hauts de France of my belle France. It is only 11 km from Lille, 17 km from Tournai, 17 km from Courtrai, 117 km from Brussels, 93 km from Caudry, 251 km from Versailles, and 707 km from my current home, Therefore, let me tell you about this is Roubaix !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Grand Boulevard is a set of lanes from the European metropolis of Lille which forms a three-pointed network in “Y”, connecting Lille to Roubaix and Tourcoing, radiating around the crossroads of the Crusader-Laroche to Marcq-en-Barœul, located at the heart of the agglomeration. From Lille we have come on the N356/M656 roads ,and from Caudry we have come on the A2/A23 by Valenciennes, N222 around Lille to A22 to M656 to Roubaix.
Roubaix is a city of art and history since 2001,and is notable for its architectural heritage and for the economic boom it knew during the industrial revolution in the 19C, thanks to the textile industry, of which it was one of the global capitals at the beginning of the 20C. It was still in Roubaix that the main French correspondence houses were founded (La Redoute, the 3 Swiss). Textile workshops developed a lot in the 17-18C. It is created for real dynasties of Roubaisian merchant-fabricants, which is today Schlumberger of NCS in the neighborhoods close with Tourcoing. Many clothing reference companies are still based on Roubaix and sell ,such as La Redoute (Pollet family), Camaïeu, Okaïdi, Happychic or Damart. If production is now carried out abroad, however, the design of the products remains carried out in Roubaix.
What prompted us to come here was my wife’s bro wife who told us of factory outlet of good brands at lower prices that we have known from Troyes (Aube dept no, 10), so my wife jump on it and I follow as usual,,,, There are factory outlets in Roubaix , the Usines we have been with the family and they are pretty good if you know what you are looking for and prices. The Usine of Roubaix is the first outlet center in France, opened in 1984. It is located on the site ofthe Motte-Bossut factory dating from 1903, Today, the Roubaix factory (usine) welcomes 200 major French and foreign brands. The stores of the Outlet undertake to offer you a reduction of at least 30% on all of their products. The most beautiful female, male and child ready-to-wear brands are represented, but also big shoe brands, leather goods and accessories for a trendy wardrobe at prices reduced… without forgetting the shops dedicated to the house (table art, linen, small household appliances, etc.) The brands offer you special offers throughout the year, many
promotions, private and before sales.
Also, McArthurGlen factory outlet that my boys enjoyed when came here, that I have a picture with Dad Elio,and my Martine below!) Opened in 1999 in the heart of the city, with direct access by metro and tram, McArthurglen is an outlet village of 75 shops, and 130 brands. Find in this open pedestrian street open and high -end brands! You will also find an on -site catering offer or to take away in McArthurglen, or just opposite in the city center. The center shops offer products from previous collections or seasons. Therefore, you benefit from Outlet prices, significantly lower than the average prices to which they were sold in the usual distribution circuit. There is no doubt that you will find your favorite brands at Outlet prices throughout the year.
Some of the things to see here with more time are the Church Saint-Martin, the oldest in the city, whose origin could go back to around 881-887. The Church Notre-Dame , consecrated in 1846, erected in a parish in 1849. Deconsecrated in 1983, the Church Saint-François, completed in 1860 , the Church Sainte-Élisabeth dit du Tilleul, completed in 1863 in neo-Roman style, the Church Saint-Joseph neo-Gothic completed in 1878, restored in 2016. The Church Saint-Jean-Baptiste, built in 1887-1890 , The gare de Roubaix train station in service from 1842 ; current building, opened in 1888, the Piscine or swimming pool, or art and industry museum André-Diligent, which presents composite collections of applied arts and fine arts made up from the 19C including fabrics, decorative art parts, sculptures, paintings, ceramics and drawings it is installed in an old Art Deco style swimming pool, built between 1927 and 1932 hence its nickname “La Piscine”. The City/town hall, the work of the architect Victor Laloux, inaugurated in 1911. Hymn to the glory of the textile industry, The parc Barbieux with an area of 34 hectares, set up between 1879 and 1905, following the failure of the drill of the Roubaix Canal by the south of the city. It presents 60 different species. It is the largest remarkable garden classified park in Hauts-de-France. The Roubaix canal, formerly built to provide for the logistical needs of factories. Rehabilitated in 2009 and reopened to river navigation, it now becomes a structuring axis of greenery and biodiversity in the city. Many people use the route of the Roubaix Canal to practice sport. We meet a cyclist, runner, etc, The Manufacture des Flandres or Jacquard Museum on history of weaving and the Jacquard technique from 1804 to the present day, with around fifteen professions to be forged in operation. This equipment, which is already an important textile museum of the European Metropolis of Lille, Also, inaugurated in 1993 under the name of the Centre des archives du monde du travail or center of the Archives of the World of Labor, the national archives of the world of labor are housed in the old spinning factore of Motte-Bossut, built between 1862 and 1891.
A bit of history I like tell us that the city of Roubaix was mentioned in 897 and appears for the first time on 9C maps. It is part of Romanesque Flanders and depends on the diocese of Tournai. In 1202, Otbert de Roubaix participated in the fourth crusade. Its name appears in the second crusades room of the Palace of Versailles. The city goes from the status of a simple town to that of the city under the reign of the Lord Pierre de Roubaix in the 15C. On March 1, 1579, the land and lordship of Roubaix was erected as a marquisate, by letters given to Madrid, for Robert de Melun (Maison de Melun), viscount of Gand, lord of Roubaix, Roubaix became French at the Treaty of Aix-La -Chapelle of 1668 (the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is a peace treaty signed in Aix-la-Chapelle, on May 2, 1668, between the Marquis de Croissy, Charles Colbert, representing the King of France and Navarre Louis XIV, and the Count of Bergeyck, delegate of the Marquis de Castel Rodrigo, Francisco de Moura Cortereal, representing the King of the Spain Charles II). In 1793, as part of the Battle of Hondschoote, a fight opposed in Roubaix, the French struggling with the allies in France on August 16, 1793. The French took and then lost Roubaix in the same day. In the 19C, until ‘In the middle of the 20C, Roubaix was a world capital of textiles, even housing the wool stock market. Today, few of these vestiges remain, but the last still standing chimneys are all protected.
Roubaix is part of the area occupied by the Germans ; from April 5 to May 16, 1916, the German military police and gendarmerie made roundups in Roubaix, Tourcoing and the surrounding area. The city was taken on May 24, 1940 by the Nazis during the Battle of France at the start of WWII. On September 2, 1944, Roubaix was liberated by Allied troops ,and FFI ( Forces françaises de l’intérieur )after more than four years of nazis occupation. The inner French force (FFI) made many arrests and the nazis soldiers who remained in the City is retreating. After many shots fired between the two camps, it was at the beginning of the afternoon that Victor Provo hoists the tricolor flag on the City/town hall.
The Usines (old factories district converted to outlet stores): https://www.usineroubaix.fr/fr/roubaix-nos-boutiques
The McArthur Glen (new complex for a chain of outlet stores) : https://www.mcarthurglen.com/en/outlets/fr/designer-outlet-roubaix/
The Roubaix tourist office on its heritage : https://www.roubaixtourisme.com/en/a_voir_cat/unavoidable/
The City of Roubaix on its heritage : https://www.ville-roubaix.fr/sortir-a-roubaix/
There you go folks,another wonderful off the beaten path City of my belle France. It is worth more time especially the shopping and we will be back, eventually. Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Roubaix !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 