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The History of Lille.
The city of Lille appeared in the Middle Ages. The first document - the Great Charter - dates from 1066. The name Lille comes from Insula , and then Isle , as the city was built on the river Deûle.
The County of Flanders, which first appeared in the 9 th century, was formed after the Treaties of Verdun (843), with Lille becoming one of its capitals. Charlemagne's grandson, Charles the Bald, inherited the city from his grandfather; he in turn bequeathed it to his daughter, Gisèle. Thus, through a cunning matrimonial policy, the city of Lille experienced the rise in power of the Counts of Flanders until the middle of the 14 th century. Louis de Male, the last Count of Flanders, had only one daughter, Marguerite, who married Philippe le Hardi, the first Duke of Burgundy, in 1369. Together with Dijon and Brussels, the city became one of the capitals of the Burgundy states, which, at the peak of their glory, stretched from Holland to the Mâconnais and the Franche-Comté. The tragic death of Charles the Reckless (the last Duke of Burgundy) in 1477 put a sudden end to the splendours of the court. His daughter Marie married Maximilian of Hapsburg. Their grandson was Charles Quint. Lille was thus to share the destiny of the Spanish Low Countries for more than 150 years, becoming part of an empire on which the sun never set. Louis XIV had to use all his power and determination to annex Lille to France in 1667, during the war of devolution. During the French Revolution, the city was besieged by the Austrians (1792) who were on the way to Paris to free the king. Thanks to its gunners, the city succeeded in fighting off the enemy. The Goddess, erected on her pedestal in the middle of the Grand Place, bears testimony to this heroic siege.
In the 19 th century, Lille became a major industrial capital; the city expanded rapidly by annexing five towns (Wazemmes, Esquermes, Moulins, Fives and Fbg. Saint Maurice). The surface area of Lille tripled and the number of its inhabitants doubled to 120,000. One century later (in the 1950s), the decline of the textile industry posed serious economic problems for the city, which decided to turn resolutely towards the tertiary sector (banking, insurance, universities, leading schools and administrations). The brand new district of the city, Euralille, which was inaugurated in 1994, is the living example of a highly successful conversion. High speed trains now leave for Brussels, London and Paris - placing Lille at the centre of north western Europe.
Today, with 220,000 inhabitants, Lille is part of an urban community of 87 towns, with more than 1 million inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city in France. Its huge cultural diversity and its dynamism have contributed to the city's nomination of the 2004 "European Capital of Culture".
extract from the Lille tourism office website (www.lilletourism.com)
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