Lille

Location:

The Nord-Pas de Calais region.

Lille is the main city of the Lille metropole's fourth largest metropolitan area (consisting of Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing and their suburbs). It is located to the country's north, on the Deûle River. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais region. It is also the prefecture (capital) of the Nord department. It lies near the border with and its Dutch name is Rijsel.

Economy:

A former major textile manufacturing centre, Lille forms the heart of a larger conurbation, regrouping Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing and Villeneuve d'Ascq, which is 's 4th-largest urban conglomeration with a 1999 population of over 1.1 million. With diverse industries, the city is hugely economically successful.

Property in Lille is steadily increasing in value. The Eurostar Service, running into the city from the UK has greatly helped in opening up the delights of Lille to foreign visitors, be they investors, property seekers or simply tourists.

Transport:

Lille is an important crossroads in the European high-speed rail network: it lies on the Eurostar line to London and the French TGV network to Paris, Brussels and other major centres in France such as Marseille, Lyon, and Toulouse. It has two train stations: Lille-Europe station (Gare Lille-Europe), which primarily serves high-speed trains and international services (Eurostar), and Lille-Flandres station (Gare Lille-Flandres), which primarily serves lower speed trains.

The Lille Metro's VAL system (véhicule automatique léger = light automated vehicle) is a driverless metro. It opened on May 16, 1983, becoming the first automatic metro line in the world. There are 60 stations which go as far as the Belgian border.

Other Important Facts:

Lille has one of 's largest university student population with, depending on the information source, from 95,000 to 149,533 students in 2002-2003. The urban area is one of the biggest in with more than 1 million inhabitants.

The Euralille urban development project, centred around the new TGV station has fostered a long debate among Lille's citizens. The project has finally been completed with modern architecture and disruption to the ancient city centre.

Lille was elected European Capital of Culture in 2004, along with the Italian city of Genoa

Lille's football club the Lille Olympique Sporting Club is one of the major teams in the French football league, has won 8 major national trophies and now reagularly features in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup.

Lille's Fine Arts Museum (Musée des beaux-arts) is the second largest in , after the Louvre.

The European Railway Agency (http://www.era.eu.int/) has offices in Lille and Valenciennes.