Just 15km northeast of Lille, right up against the Belgian border, ROUBAIX is another great Flemish city whose erstwhile wealth was founded on the wool industry. Nowadays it's best known in France as the destination of the gruelling 250-km Paris-Roubaix cycle race, held in mid-April every year, but in the nineteenth century the Industrial Revolution turned Roubaix into one of France's most prosperous cities. The population multiplied fifteen-fold between 1800 and World War I, and the city's prosperity was reflected in great textiles mills, Art Nouveau houses, parks, hospitals, a sophisticated social welfare system and a flamboyant Hôtel de Ville whose architect was also responsible for Gare d'Orsay in Paris. Coincidentally, the main attraction of present-day Roubaix is a disused Art Deco swimming pool, converted into an outstanding museum of fine art and industry by the same architect responsible for the conversion of the Paris station into the Musée d'Orsay. Another worthwhile museum is housed in a working textile factory, and a couple of manufacturer outlets in town offer a chance to snap up bargain-priced clothing.
Pages in section ‘Roubaix’: The Town.
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