Valenciennes

A privileged situation:

Valenciennes, sub-prefecture of the department of North, capital of the province of Hainaut French, is located in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, 3rd economic region of France.
At two hours from the main capitals of Northern Europe, Valenciennes is particularly favored by its geographical location. In the heart of Europe, the city is in close proximity to five European countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and the United Kingdom.
High-performance urban transport networks, high-quality motorways, direct TGV connections to Paris, nearby international airports, guarantee easy, fast and safe travel.
Valenciennes is the central city of the 3rd conurbation of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, the Valenciennois, which includes the Valenciennes metropolitan communities, the Porte du Hainaut and the community of communes in the Vallée de la Scarpe. The district counts 81 communes rich in diversity: a multitude of landscapes, equipment and leisure are offered to the inhabitants. Its population, of which more than 30% is under 20, is an exceptional pool of skills.
High-performing economic clusters, human-scale housing, shops of all sizes, the presence of major administrations, modern leisure facilities, crèches, hospitals, cultural and sporting events, Large agglomerations while avoiding their inconveniences.

Transport infrastructure:

A road network interconnected to the European network: A2 Paris-Bruxelles - A23 Valenciennes-Lille - Mining rope Valenciennes-Douai.
Access to the major ports of the North Sea via the large-scale Scheldt canal: Dunkirk-Valenciennes-Belgium canal and the port of Valenciennes, the third river port after Dunkirk and Lille.
Five international airports within two hours of Valenciennes: Lille-Lesquin (25 mn) - Paris / Roissy Charles de Gaulle (1h45 mn) - Brussels-Zaventem (1h) - Beauvais (1h45) - Charleroi (1h).
A business aerodrome equipped all weather at 5mn from Valenciennes.
Direct connections by TGV to Paris.

An efficient urban transport network:

A tramway line connecting the university and the Dutemple district to the city center, with an extension to Denain.
A second planned line to the Pays de Condé with an extension to Belgium.
A bus network of 638 km, 31 lines, 750 stops.

Twinning and multiple cooperation: This openness to Europe and the world is also reflected in numerous twinning and cooperation since 1955. These exchanges are a source of mutual enrichment:

Medway (England).
Yichang (China).
Düren (Germany).
Moscow (Russia).
Agrigento (Italy).
Nacka (Sweden).
Gliwice (Poland).
Miskolc (Hungary).

An eventful history:

Located in the border zone and at the crossroads of many communication routes, Valenciennes has had a turbulent history, often rich and flamboyant but sometimes very dramatic.
The first mention of the city dates from the end of the 7th century. However, the creation and development of the town on the banks of the Scheldt date back to earlier times in connection with the Roman settlements of Famars and Bavay.
Valenciennes, which has become a real strategic post with its keep, its fortified enclosure, its county palace, its town hall, its belfry, its convents and monasteries, has always been coveted. Originally Frankish, Valenciennes passed successively under the authority of the houses of Lorraine, Flanders, Bavaria, Burgundy, Austria, and Spain to become definitely French in 1677.
The commercial and industrial influence of the capital of Hainaut has never ceased over the centuries. The coal, discovered in 1723, then, in the eighteenth century, the lace and earthenware industry allowed it to reach its apogee. In 1860, Valenciennes was nicknamed "Athens of the North" thanks to the many famous local artists (including 21 first prizes of Rome: Harpignies, Carpeaux, etc.) or passing through the city and the sumptuous festivals there.
A past marked by wars: Valenciennes suffered many battles, sieges, invasions that left wounds in the body of the city. More recently, the fighting of the reconquest in 1918 and the burning downtown of 1940 caused considerable damage modifying the urban fabric. The Tower of the Dodenne, built in 1449 to reinforce the defenses of the city and to control the entrance of the river in the city, is the last testimony of this fortified city with the warlike past.
Valenciennes, today: The city is completely metamorphosed and again plays its role as metropolis of regional balance. A spectacular urban redevelopment makes it possible to offer to the Valenciennois a framework of life of the most pleasant and the best conditions to flourish. Valenciennes has regained its former glory and the long-awaited attractiveness of a city center.

The miracle of the Saint-Cordon:

Known beyond its borders, the oldest tradition of Valenciennes goes back to the sources of its history. In 1008, during an epidemic of plague, the Virgin Mary appeared to a pious hermit named Bertholin. She then deployed around the city a cordon of protection which instantly stopped the contagion of this scourge and healed the sick. Each year, the Brotherhood of the Kingdoms of Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon, created at this time, ensures and surrounds with great solemnity the commemoration of this miracle in order to pay tribute to the Queen of the City.
In 2008, around the basilica of Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon, "the millennium of Saint-Cordon".
Numerous cultural and religious activities: concerts, symposiums, exhibitions, conferences, historical parade... not to mention the 14 September 2008 procession marked by an exceptional character.

In the country of the holidays:

Reception, leisure and celebration are deeply embedded in the tradition and history of the city.
Carnivals, ducasses, braderies, the people here have a strong sense of conviviality and celebration. Like many northern cities, Valenciennes has retained the tradition of giants, colorful characters who have been at the heart of the popular jitters for centuries. Every year, during the patronal festivals of September, Binbin trains the young and the old in a magnificent carnival and folkloric procession.

The lace of Valenciennes:

Very rare, the lace of Valenciennes is one of the most precious in the world. The art of the "Valenciennes" experienced a dazzling development thanks to a Valenciennoise, Françoise Badar, who founded a women's congregation in the eighteenth century to transmit its know-how. What used to be a flourishing industry occupying some 4,000 workmen and which made all sorts of corporations survive until the revolution, has now become a recreation in the ranks of the Fine Arts.
In the hall of the city hall and the multimedia library, discover an exhibition of magnificent works. The Lace School of Valenciennes offers demonstrations of this beautiful tradition. The "Valenciennes" is available in several outlets in the city.

Gastronomy :

Gastronomy is also very present at Valenciennes. The members of the association Home and Gastronomy, which brings together restaurateurs, hoteliers and tourism professionals, will introduce you to rich and varied cuisine, not to mention the tasty Northern cuisine and local specialties such as the Lucullus language.
The Pâtissiers du Hainaut are not to be outdone and will delight your taste buds with the famous pastries "Le Carpeaux", "Sottises" and many other delicacies such as the "Germinal" biscuit...

Culture :

Merchant and industrial city in essence, Valenciennes has always left an important place to the arts and artists thanks to which its influence now exceeds the borders.
Culture accessible to all: Driven by the conviction that culture is a vehicle for discovery, education, integration and openness, Valenciennes is committed to designing and implementing a particularly voluntarist and ambitious cultural policy. The number and quality of its equipment make Valenciennes "Northern Athens". A national scene, the Phoenix, and municipal institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Multimedia Library, the Higher School of Fine Arts, the Conservatory..., promote the plurality and diversity of cultural events proposed to the Valenciennes.

The Museum of Fine Arts of Valenciennes:

This imposing palace with large proportions highlights the prestigious works of art covering the periods ranging from Gallo-Roman archeology to the twentieth century. It holds an extraordinary collection of Flemish paintings, (Rubens, Jordaens, Van Dyck) and French, (Watteau, Pater, Lancret, etc.).
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and his contemporaries are staged in a large sculpture garden in the heart of the building.
The Museum of Fine Arts of Valenciennes also offers all the resources of a modern museum: conference room, bookshop shop, educational workshops and cybercafé.

The multimedia library of Valenciennes:

Classified "historical monument", it occupies the buildings of the former college of the Jesuits. Rich of an invaluable collection of manuscripts, incunabula, books before the nineteenth century, it possesses the oldest poem written in the French language "La Cantilène de Sainte-Eulalie" dating from the year 882.
Completely renovated, the library is a great site for access to knowledge and information for all audiences: 300,000 books, newspapers, magazines, records, films, 30 microcomputers in network with an online catalog. The multimedia library is a place for exchanges and activities and hosts exhibitions, shows, conferences and reading workshops.

The Conservatory of Valenciennes:

Land of reception or birth of many famous composers, Valenciennes saw its Academy of Music in 1697. It was in 1884 that this prestigious institution became the National School of Music and Dramatic Art.
In this "resource school", teachers each year host 620 pupils from 5 to 20 years of age in 40 classes for 34 different disciplines taught. They benefit from an artistic program classified and controlled by the Ministry of Culture. The child practices, listens, expresses himself and looks. This balance between the knowledge of oneself and others allows him to find a real flourishing during the musical moments: evaluations, examinations, auditions, concerts, animations...

"The Phoenix", national scene:

This theater, the most important theater in the north of Paris, has a particularly flamboyant and imposing architecture. Every year, it offers a wide range of programming: theater, classical music, jazz, dance and young audiences.
At the cutting edge of new technologies, it is at the disposal of companies and institutions for the organization of their seminars, congresses, symposiums, conventions...

A whole heritage to explore:

At dusk, do not hesitate to take a walk in the city to discover Valenciennes in a dress of light.
Through the installation of the light plan, more than 60 sites are now illuminated: historical monuments, private buildings, squares, squares, gardens..., the most beautiful addresses are available to you!

Information points	Tourist Office of Valenciennes
Leisure centres	Leisure Centre of the Vignoble Museum of Fine Art of Valenciennes
Monuments	Church Saint-Géry
Performance halls	Espace Pasolini - Jeune Théâtre International Le Phénix Stadium Nungesser Stadium of the Hainaut

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Valenciennes

Valenciennes

Tourism, holidays & weekends guide in the Nord

Additional informationValenciennes

Things to see and do

Places of interest

Photos

Visits, leisure and activities nearby

Restaurants

Bed & breakfasts

Vacation rentals

Campsites

Hotels

Related articlesValenciennes

Additional information
Valenciennes

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Valenciennes