It looks like a mix of British and Dutch architecture... I'm not sure
Lille, France: architecturally a Northern European city or not?
Lille, France: architecturally a Northern European city or not?
See related thread for comparison:
Nice, France: architecturally a Southern European city?
Located only ~13 km from Belgium, ~95 km from the English Channel and ~60 km from the North Sea, Lille is the main city of France’s northernmost region. Considering the type of windows, roofs, use of red and brown brick, as well as the preference for 2 or 3-story rowhouses (instead of apartment buildings), is Lille a Northern European city at least in architecture?
Images are from Google Maps Street View. A few images are of adjacent municipalities in the continuous Lille urbanized area. Images here thus far focus on the architecture particular to Lille and the Nord-Pas de Calais region. They also exclude most contemporary architecture as well as Haussmann Paris-inspired façades of the mid 1800’s that spread to other French cities, including Lille.
Nord-Pas de Calais region of which Lille is the capital and main city
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See related thread for comparison:
Nice, France: architecturally a Southern European city?
Located only ~13 km from Belgium, ~95 km from the English Channel and ~60 km from the North Sea, Lille is the main city of France’s northernmost region. Considering the type of windows, roofs, use of red and brown brick, as well as the preference for 2 or 3-story rowhouses (instead of apartment buildings), is Lille a Northern European city at least in architecture?
Images are from Google Maps Street View. A few images are of adjacent municipalities in the continuous Lille urbanized area. Images here thus far focus on the architecture particular to Lille and the Nord-Pas de Calais region. They also exclude most contemporary architecture as well as Haussmann Paris-inspired façades of the mid 1800’s that spread to other French cities, including Lille.
Nord-Pas de Calais region of which Lille is the capital and main city
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1 - 16 of 16 Posts
Well, the surrounding municipalities that are attached to Lille tend to look more British to me, maybe because rowhouses are more visible there than in Lille-proper. Lille-proper (minus the more-recent annexed municipalities of Lomme and Hellemmes) is probably a bit more Belgian/Flemish with many parts also looking more "standard" French, if one can say that.
But again, many of the contiguous municipalities surrounding Lille and also attaching to Roubaix and Tourcoing maybe look more British probably because of the brick rowhouses very common just outside Lille-proper. Even post-WWII housing construction was often done as rowhouses. And just like in the UK, rowhouses throughout Greater Lille can be anything from lavish and ornate to simple or even rundown.
But I wanted to show several pics to help illustrate that it isn't just a small part of Greater Lille that has a "northern European" look but rather a big part which is why I've shown many sections of Lille and Greater Lille.
Here are some other areas of Greater Lille not shown earlier.
This is Avenue de la République, a main road passing through La Madeleine. Even main roads having apartment buildings instead of rowhouses can look rather British like the first image below but then another part of that same avenue will not, like the image just below it. But more often than not, the more British and Belgian look can alternate with the more standard French look along the same street.
Av. de la République 1
Av. de la République 2
Av. de la République 3
A more suburban setting of Greater Lille
This street here is called Avenue de la Petite Hollande. How appropriate!
Avenue de la Petite Holland (2)
i think the architecture luks both southern n northern european...
Oh wow...southern too? Interesting. I would have expected "continental" in general but not Southern European specifically. Now I know there is no Pope-established line that splits Europe into north vs. south but I would not have thought southern. Maybe the use of iron balconies in some houses give it a more Southern European look. But I noticed that Lille still lacks balconies compared Paris and cities further south. Only few houses seem to have them.i think the architecture luks both southern n northern european...
To me it looks definitely belgian, and less British, but yes, these are the two that come to mind first.
It doesn't look southern at all. For instance, I don't see iron balconies, clearer/pastel colours, wooden shutters, plus that red/brown brick looks very northern to me.
It doesn't look southern at all. For instance, I don't see iron balconies, clearer/pastel colours, wooden shutters, plus that red/brown brick looks very northern to me.
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
