Just shy of the Belgian border in the Nord division, Valenciennes is a city of cultural and creative interest, nicknamed it, Athens Athens of the North.
For hundreds of years, this relatively small place created painters, sculptors, and architects that helped shape French culture forever. You can sample works by characters like Carpeaux and Watteau at the Valenciennes fine art museum, and see priceless first French manuscripts by appointment at Bibliothèque orthale. Valenciennes stood in the path of two World Wars, but restored its monuments and has just revamped its center with a trendy shopping mall. Discover the best things to do in Valenciennes.
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1. Musée des Beaux-Arts
In a city that has long been proud of its culture, the Valenciennes Museum of Fine Arts is a treat. It opened in 1801, showcasing the works of the Academy of Painting and Sculpture, and today there are many works by French, Flemish and Dutch masters.
One person everyone will know is Peter Paul Rubens, and he comes with a range of familiar names like Bosch, van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens, Sébastien Bourdon and Camille Pissarro. Valenciennes' biggest contribution to the art world is Antoine Watteau, born here in 1684 and one of the first Rococo style painters.
His work, La Vraie Gaieté is on show at the museum.
2. Fosse Dutemple
Valenciennes, like so much of the region east of Nord, lies on rich coal seams that were first mined in the 18th century. The industry weakened in the 20th century and nearly all its signs are gone today.
But if you are interested in this chapter of town, there are dozens of places to visit with hints of what happened here during the two centuries. The best of these is Fosse Dutemple, a UNESCO site for a giant reinforced concrete frame, which is placed on the shaft immediately after World War I.
3. Watteau Monument
By Saint-Géry church on the streets of Rue de Paris is a sophisticated small garden surrounding a fountain with a solemn statue of Antoine Watteau. Here, he is shown with a brush and palette in his hand on a tube decorated with muses and scrolls.
The statue dates back to the 19th century and was created by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, another notable artist of Valenciennes. Carpeaux became prominent in the 1850s when he received a series of commissions from Napoleon III. Here, you are also just a few steps from Watteau's birthplace, at 39 de Paris.
4. Place d’Armes
In the very center of Valenciennes, Place d’Armes is a grand square and the bedrock of political and commercial life in the city. A striking town hall will catch your attention immediately.
That ornate facade was fashioned in 1867 by Henri Lemaire, another son of Valenciennes, who created a wave in the art world. Among other things, he created the front of the Gare du Nord in Paris.
Scraping the sky in the north end is Litanie, a 45-meter metallic needle on the site of Valenciennes’ belfry, which collapsed in 1840. Up close you'll notice countless sentences cut from metal; they are written by Valenciennes citizens and are accompanied by audio recordings of their voices from a speaker.
5. Église Saint-Géry
The oldest church in the city was built in the first half of the 12th century for the Franciscan order and is listed as a French Historic Monument. Some changes were made to the building in the 1800s when the bell tower was added.
But, inside the nave is close to how it was in the church’s earliest days: Get a closer look at the 12 columns made with “Pierre Bleue” limestone and topped with capitals that represent each of the apostles.
The church was severely damaged during World War II but was restored to stone in the following decades.
6. Maison Espagnole
For a period between the 16th and 17th centuries, Valenciennes was under the yoke of the Spanish Netherlands. It was during this period that Maison Espagnole had a handsome wooden frame that was built.
The building with charming flowers and leaded window windows is located on the corner of the de de de and des desucucins but was carefully dismantled and rebuilt here on the Rue Askièvre in 1964 when City streets are being redirected. You can pop in to see the interiors because it now hosts Valenciennes tourist office.
7. Basilique Saint-Cordon
This church has been going through restoration for the last few years, but it’s still a good idea to come and admire the outside. It was erected in the 1850s by an Alexandre Grigny, who worked on a multitude of a building across the Nord region, as well as the Note-Dame Basilica in Geneva.
The building here is a striking piece of Neo-Gothic architecture with a lofty tower and stonework inspired by Northern France’s most revered medieval cathedrals at Chartres and Amiens.
8. Centre Place d’Armes
Recently Valenciennes has done a lot to spruce up the city center, echoing similar projects at the heart of other French cities over the last decade or so. The biggest job was the Centre Place d’Armes, a stylish shopping center with all the classic high street stores like H&M, Zara, Sephora, and Fnac.
The mall is right on Valenciennes’ main square, so if it’s a rainy day or you fancy an afternoon of shopping you could easily while away a few hours in here.
9. Bibliothèque Municipale
No ordinary library, Valenciennes’ Bibliothèque Municipale is in the old Collège de la Compagnie de Jésus, which was founded in the 16th century. The stately Baroque architecture dates back to the 17th century, but things are even more interesting inside.
If you’re curious you can arrange to see the Jesuits’ library, which has been preserved as it was when it was founded in the 1700s.
Among the 350,000 manuscripts and volumes is something very special: The Sequence of Saint Eulalia, which is from 880 and the earliest piece of hagiography to be written in the French language.
10. La Maison Du Prévôt
Another rare relic of the distant past Valenciennes is the Provost House, also registered as a French Historical Site. It’s a delightful brick mansion with limestone quoins, mullioned windows and a turret with a spire.
The house dates back to 1485 and was built for Hasnon Abbot, who holds the title of Principal of Notre Dame Cathedral. This church stood across the road but was wrecked in the Revolution, leaving the House of the Provost stranded as a mysterious scrap of Valenciennes’ faded medieval history.
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