Place du Général-de-Gaulle is énéan urban public space in the commune of Lille, in the French department of Nord in the Hauts-de-France region. The square is of the grand-place type, whose appearance is typical of many cities in the former Netherlands. It is the town's historic main square.
Considered until the 21st century to be part of the Forum mentioned in 1066 in the foundation act of the collegiate church of Saint-Pierre, the square is thought to have originated in the 14th century when the town's aldermen decided to turn it into a market. The Deûle was canalized, the ground gradually raised by embankments, then paved to create a market square. In the 17th century, the construction of the Vieille Bourse divided the square into Grand-Place and Petite-Place (now Place du Théâtre). After the liberation of Lille during World War II, the square was renamed in honor of Charles de Gaulle. The square is known locally as "Grand'Place" or, more rarely, "Place de la Déesse".
The place du Général-de-Gaulle has retained its role as a grand-place: it's still a place for festivities and exchanges, including commercial ones, and for events of all kinds. It's still the heart of Lille's braderie. The book trade, with the Furet du Nord bookshop and numerous secondhand booksellers, is also important.
The square is surrounded by a number of buildings, eight of which are listed as historical monuments, including the Théâtre du Nord (formerly the Grande Garde) and the Vieille Bourse (formerly the Bourse de Commerce). At the center of the square stands the Column of the Goddess. Built in 1845, it represents the heroism of the people of Lille during the siege of 1792.
Location and access
The Place du Général-de-Gaulle is located in the heart of Lille, between the pedestrian zone and Vieux-Lille. Almost rectangular in shape, it is 155 meters long and 72 meters wide. Three sides form right angles to each other, while the last is convex with Rue Esquermoise. Place du Général-de-Gaulle is paved in checkerboard Lanhélin blue granite and Clarté pink granite.
Since August 1, 2016, for motorized vehicles, Place du Général-de-Gaulle is accessible exclusively from Rue des Manneliers. The passage for cars is now a one-way street. Vehicles can exit via Rue Esquermoise to the north-west and via Rue Nationale to the south-west. For pedestrians, the main square is also accessible via these streets, but also via Rue Neuve and Place Rihour to the south, via Rue des Sept-Agaches, Rue du Petit-Paon, and Rue de la Bourse to the east, and via Rue des Débris-Saint-Étienne to the north. Since 2011, the Place du Général-de-Gaulle has been a "zone de rencontre": motorized vehicles must give way to pedestrians, and their speed is limited to 20 km/h.
The square is accessible by metro, via the first line from Rihour station. It is also accessible from Lille-Flandres station, 400 meters away via Rue Faidherbe. The underground parking lot beneath the Grand Place has 342 spaces. According to a survey carried out in 2007 on a population sample of 100, 48% of people arriving at Place du Général-de-Gaulle came on foot, 32% by public transport, 14% by car, and 6% by bicycle. In 2007, the same study counted 9,000 pedestrians and between 400 and 500 vehicles per day in each direction during rush hour, of which 10-15% used the underground parking lot. With the arrival of the metro, buses have been discontinued; previously, the square served as a nodal point where several tramway lines converged. Since June 2012, the Vieux-Lille shuttle, a minibus serving Vieux-Lille, has crossed the Place du Général-de-Gaulle.
Name origins
In September 1944, after the liberation of Lille, the square was renamed in honor of Charles de Gaulle, who was born in the commune in 1890, and became known as "Place du Général-de-Gaulle".
From the middle of the 14th century onwards, the square was known as "Place du Marché", then "Grand'Place" and even "Grande-Place" since the erection of the Bourse du Commerce in 1652, names still attributed to the square. In the past, the square was known as "Place d'Armes" (no date given). The square is also commonly known as "Place de la Déesse".