The Nord-Pas de Calais region

The Nord-Pas de Calais region occupies a privileged position in Europe. It is located in the north of France bordering the Benelux countries and is close to both England and Germany. The northern European capitals of Paris, London, and Brussels are only two hours away.

The region is a rich tapestry of colors and cultures assimilated in the course of its tumultuous history. Foreign cultures have contributed significantly to the region's rich past and diverse heritage.

The Nord-Pas de Calais region boasts a varied landscape due to its architectural, industrial, and natural heritage. Across the region-from the Opale coast, bordered by cliffs and dunes, to the green plains and hills dotted with rivers and villages-there are medieval and modern belfries, old churches, beautiful squares, fortifications, and Flemish houses. Cities such as Cambrai, Douai, Dunkerque, Lille, and Valenciennes in the Nord département, and Arras, Béthune, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais, and Saint-Omer in the Pas-de-Calais offer many such attractions. The industrial past is reflected in the former textile factories and buildings relating to the mining era. The landscape of the Nord-Pas de Calais region also bears the mark of past tragedies: commemorative monuments and numerous military cemeteries recall the dark days of World War I.

The region is especially appealing for its friendliness and simplicity. The people of the Nord are known for their love of festivities; the famous Dunkerque carnival, the giant flea market in Lille, and the Parade of the Giants attract millions of visitors every year.

Belfries on the World Heritage List

On July 16, 2005, UNESCO inscribed 23 belfries in the Nord-Pas de Calais and Somme regions on the World Heritage List, as a result of a joint application submitted by twenty-two towns. Following the example of Belgian belfries (in 2002), these French belfries are now considered to have "outstanding universal value"-international recognition for a local heritage of which northerners are justly proud!

Website of Nord-Pas de Calais and Belgium's belfries

Museums in the Nord-Pas de Calais region

Of all the French regions, the Nord-Pas de Calais is second only to the Ile-de-France in terms of density of museums. Over forty institutions devoted to fine arts, industry, natural or local history, and archaeology await your visit. The Louvre-Lens will be a new thread in this rich cultural fabric.

The Nord-Pas de Calais coalfield: a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

The year 2002 saw the founding of the Bassin Minier UNESCO association (BMU), created to back the application of the coalfield of the Nord-Pas de Calais region for World Heritage listing as a "continuing cultural landscape." The ultimate goal is to earn recognition for the (tangible and intangible) mining heritage as the cultural foundation of the region, and to transform the image of the coalfield in a positive way.

The application was presented to the French State in October 2005 with the serious hope of seeing the project take shape.

Art and history in the Lens-Liévin urban area

The Lens-Liévin urban area comprises 36 municipalities and stretches from the verdant Artois hills (west of the major towns of Lens and Liévin) to mining towns lying east of these two urban centers. This is an area marked by history-particularly that of the last century. The frontline of World War I split the region in two; today, cemeteries and memorials are a testament to the lives that were lost in battle. Reconstruction resulted in some splendid art deco or neo-Flemish style façades.

The mining era also left its mark, with slag heaps (the highest in Europe at Loos-en-Gohelle), pitheads (preserved in Liévin), and mining towns.

The Pays d'Art et d'Histoire label (currently requested by the Artois Gohelle tourist office) would mark the first official recognition of the cultural and heritage riches of the Lens urban area.

Lens, heart of the Nord-Pas de Calais coalfield

The city of Lens lies at the heart of the coalfield, between Arras (county town of the Pas-de-Calais region) and regional capital Lille. The city had its golden age during the intensive coal mining period in the 19th and 20th centuries. At the turn of the 1960s, the pits closed down one after another, sparking an unprecedented crisis.

Lens is best known today for its football team, the Racing Club de Lens, with its fervent local supporters. The infrastructure of the Bollaert stadium enabled Lens to accommodate the World Football Cup in 1998, and the city will play host to the World Rugby Cup in 2007.

At the dawn of the 21st century, the city is pinning its hopes on the reconversion of its mining heritage and the development of new activities. The arrival of the Louvre-Lens opens new perspectives. A symbolic site-a former mine yard-has been chosen for the construction of a new and modern museum which will provide a springboard for development and spark a cultural boom.

Website of the Racing club of Lens