Old Town (Vieille Ville de Valenciennes)
About Old Town (Vieille Ville de Valenciennes)
The Old Town of Valenciennes centers around the Béguinage quarter, one of the oldest in northern France, established in 1239. The area features 13 restored 18th-century stone and brick houses accessible through a vaulted passageway, the 14th-century Tour Dodenne medieval water gate, and the Gothic Église Saint-Géry. The half-timbered Maison Espagnole from the Spanish Habsburg period now serves as the tourist office. A catastrophic 14-day fire in May 1940 destroyed 967 buildings, and Valenciennes became a model reconstruction project mixing original structures with post-war architecture. Follow the 1.6 km Heritage & Culture Circuit marked by 8 information totems to discover cobblestone streets, hidden squares, and painted house numbers. The city earned its nickname 'Athens of the North' by having nearly 85 outdoor statues and producing 21 winners of the Prix de Rome.
Interesting Facts
Valenciennes was the birthplace of Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), the famous Rococo painter who created the 'fêtes galantes' genre depicting elegant outdoor parties. His statue stands in Square Watteau, and the city's Fine Arts Museum houses one of the largest collections of his drawings outside Paris.
The city gave its name to 'Valenciennes lace' (dentelle de Valenciennes), one of the most prized bobbin laces in Europe from the 17th-19th centuries. This delicate handmade lace was so valuable that Louis XIV of France famously wore Valenciennes lace cravats, and the craft employed thousands of local women.