Citadelle

Lille

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At the northwestern end of bd de la Liberté, this massive, star-shaped fortress was designed by renowned 17th-century French military architect Vauban after France captured Lille in 1667, and completed in 1670. Made of some 60 million bricks, it now serves as the headquarters of the 12-nation, NATO-certified Rapid Reaction Corps – France. The only way to visit is by guided tour.

Outside the 2.2km-long ramparts is central Lille's largest public park, the Parc de la Citadelle, spanning 60 hectares.

Children will love the park's small zoo with 400 animals (10am to 5pm Wednesday to Monday late February to late November; free) and amusement park, Cita-Parc (www.cita-parc.fr).

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Nearby Lille attractions

1. Maison Natale de Charles de Gaulle

0.66 MILES

The upper-middle-class house in which Charles de Gaulle was born in 1890 is now a museum presenting the French general and president in the context of his…

3. Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse

0.73 MILES

Within a red-brick 15th- and 17th-century poorhouse, this absorbing museum features ceramics, earthenware wall tiles, religious art, 17th- and 18th…

4. Chambre de Commerce

0.81 MILES

Designed by architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier and built between 1910 and 1921 in neo-Flemish style, Lille's landmark Chamber of Commerce building is…

5. Vieille Bourse

0.82 MILES

Ornamented with caryatids and cornucopia, this Flemish Renaissance extravaganza was completed in 1653. It consists of 24 separate houses set around a…

6. Opéra

0.85 MILES

Lille's Louis XVI-style opera house was built between 1907 and 1913 by French architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier, who was responsible for many of northern…

7. Palais des Beaux Arts

0.98 MILES

Inaugurated in 1892, Lille's illustrious Fine Arts Museum claims France's second-largest collection after Paris' Musée du Louvre. Its cache of sublime…

8. Wazemmes

1.1 MILES

For an authentic taste of grassroots Lille, head to the ethnically diverse, family-friendly quartier populaire (working-class quarter) of Wazemmes, 1.3km…