Porte de Paris

In the 13th century the new fortified walls of Lille, designed after the expansion of the city stood here on this round place. Inittally though the place was not round. You have to imagine that at the time, each addition of a neighborhood and its parish to the city center, meant that the city walls had to be somehow pushed back to include them. Anyhow, this is where you could find the gate of the sick, as it led to a leprosarium exclusive to the bourgeoisie of Lille and located outside the city. This triumphal arch was built at the end of the 17th century to celebrate the victory and conquest of the city by Louis XIV. It is a massive military gate with a drawbridge, but it was deliberately decorated in a very elegant style to glorify the king. It is considered a masterpiece of military art, as a matter of fact, most defensive buildings usually don’t get all that sort of frills let alone decors. On the left you will find Hercules, the symbol of strength, and on the right Mars, the god of war. Not pompous at all right? At the top, the angels trumpet the victory of the Sun King to the rest of the world. In 1667, Louis XIV passed through this gate to receive the keys to the city from the magistrate of Lille. A rather excessive symbol for a city that had just lost the battle. I’d also like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to Boulevard Denis Papin, which opens up on the right. This is the shortest boulevard in France, if not the world, with just 100 metres. The record is unofficial, but well known to the people of Lille. And if you want to discover not the shortest but the narrowest street in Lille, go to the passage des 3 anguilles, linking rue Voltaire and rue Négrier by a curious shortcut of a 100 metres long and barely 1.20 metres wide. A well-hidden curiosity of Lille which is full of mystery.