Roubaix ( or ; nl, Robaais; vls, Roboais) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial commune in the

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

, which grew rapidly in the 19th century from its textile industries, with most of the same characteristic features as those of English and American boom towns. This former new town has faced many challenges linked to deindustrialisation such as urban decay, with their related economic and social implications, since its major industries fell into decline by the middle of the 1970s. Located to the northeast of Lille, adjacent to Tourcoing, Roubaix is the chef-lieu of two

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

and the third largest city in the French region of

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost Regions of France, region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its Prefectu ...

ranked by population with nearly 99,000 inhabitants.Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019
INSEE Together with the nearby cities of Lille, Tourcoing,

Villeneuve-d'Ascq Villeneuve-d'Ascq (; pcd, Neuvile-Ask) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants and 50,000 students, it is one of the main cities of the Métropole Européenne de Lille and the largest in area ( ...

and eighty-six other communes, Roubaix gives structure to a four-centred

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

inhabited by more than 1.1 million people: the European Metropolis of Lille. To a greater extent, Roubaix is in the center of a vast

conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...

formed with the Belgian cities of Mouscron, Kortrijk and

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

, which gave birth to the first European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation in January 2008, '' Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai'' with an aggregate population of over 2 million inhabitants.

Geography

Location

Roubaix occupies a central position on the north-east slope of the Métropole Européenne de Lille: it is set on the eastern side of Lille and the southern side of Tourcoing, close to the Belgian border. As regards towns' boundaries, Roubaix is encompassed by seven cities which constitute its immediate neighbouring environment. These municipalities are namely: Tourcoing to the north and the northwest, Wattrelos to the northeast, Leers to the east,

Lys-lez-Lannoy Lys-lez-Lannoy (, literally ''Lys near Lannoy''; West Flemish: ''Lis by Lannoy'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord ...

to the southeast, Hem to the south and

Croix Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...

to the southwest and the west. Roubaix, alongside those municipalities and twenty-one other communes, belongs to the land of Ferrain, a little district of the former

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

y of Lille between the Lys and Scheldt rivers. As the crow flies, the distance between Roubaix and the following cities is some odd: to Tournai, to Kortrijk, to Brussels and to Paris.

Geology

The land upon which Roubaix stands belongs to the

plain of Flanders 300px, Western part of Plaine de Flandre, as viewed from Mount Cassel. The Plain of Flanders (fr: ''Plaine de Flandre'' or ''plaine flamande'') is a low-lying plain bordering the North Sea. It is part of the Low Countries, and the North European ...

. The Roubaisian area stretches on an east- west oriented shallow

syncline In structural geology, a syncline is a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure, whereas an anticline is the inverse of a syncline. A synclinorium (plural synclinoriums or synclinoria) is a large syncline with superimpose ...

axis which trends

south South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

- southeast to the Paleozoic limestone of the Mélantois- Tournaisis faulted anticline. It consists predominantly of Holocene alluvial sediment depositions. It is flat and low, with an elevation drop of only over its . The lowest altitude of this area stands at , while its highest altitude is meters above the sea level.

Hydrology

The Trichon

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

fed by waters of the Espierre stream used to flow through the rural

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

of Roubaix before the industrialisation process began to alter this area in the middle of the 19th century. From that century on, the ensuing industries, with their increasing needs for reliable supplies of goods and water, led to the building of an inland waterway connected upstream from the Deûle and downstream to the Marque and Espierre toward the Scheldt, which linked directly Roubaix to Lille. Opened in 1877, the

Canal de Roubaix The Canal de Roubaix is a canal in northern France. It joins the Canal de la Deûle near Marquette-lez-Lille to the Canal de l’Espierres in Belgium at Leers, just east of the former textile manufacturing town Roubaix. It is 20 km long with ...

crosses the town from its northern neighbourhoods to its eastern neighbourhoods and partially flows along the city's boundaries. The Canal de Roubaix closed in 1985, after more than a century in use. Thank to the European funded project ''Blue Links'', the waterway has been reopened to

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

traffic since 2011.

Climate

The area of the city is not known for undergoing unusual weather events. In regard to the town's geographical location and the results of the

Météo-France Météo-France is the French national meteorological service. Organisation The organisation was established by decree in June 1993 and is a department of the Ministry of Transportation. It is headquartered in Paris but many domestic operatio ...

's weather station of Lille-Lesquin, Roubaix is a temperate

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

: while

summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

experiences mild temperatures, winter's temperatures may fall to below zero. Precipitation is infrequently intense.

Toponymy

The current city's name is most likely derived from Frankish ''rausa'' " reed" and ''baki'' "

brook A brook is a small river or natural stream of fresh water. It may also refer to: Computing *Brook, a programming language for GPU programming based on C *Brook+, an explicit data-parallel C compiler *BrookGPU, a framework for GPGPU programming ...

". Therefore the meaning of ''Roubaix'' can, in all likelihood, find its origin on the banks of its three historical brooks: ''Espierre'', ''Trichon'' and ''Favreuil''. The place was mentioned for the first time in a Latinised form in the 9th century: ''Villa Rusbaci''. Thereafter, the following names were in use: 1047 and 1106 ''Rubais'', 1122 ''Rosbays'', 1166 ''Rusbais'', 1156 and 1202 ''Robais'', 1223 ''Roubais''. Over the span of centuries, the name evolved to ''Roubaix'' as shown on Mercator's map of Flanders published at

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

in 1540. Parallel to the official and usual name ''Roubaix'', some translations are worth a mention. Firstly, though the city has never belonged to the Flemish-speaking area, the seldom-heard renderings ''Robeke'' and ''Roodebeeke'' are documented for ''Roubaix''. Furthermore, the Dutch Language Union established ''Robaais'' as the city's proper Dutch name. Lastly, one can cite ''Rosbacum'' as the definite Latin transcription of ''Roubaix'' which has been in use since the 19th century, as recorded on dedication statements sealed in the first stones of the foundations of the City Hall laid in 1840 and the Church of Notre Dame laid in 1842.

History

Heraldry

People

Inhabitants of Roubaix are known in English as "Roubaisians" and in French as ''Roubaisiens'' () or in the feminine form ''Roubaisiennes'' (), also natively called ''Roubaignots'' () or in the feminine form ''Roubaignotes'' ().

Demographics

The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses carried out in the town since 1793 and the research study of Louis-Edmond Marissal, Clerk of the Peace of the city, published in 1844. Roubaix evolved into a provincial market town until the end of the Early modern period with a census population of 4,715 inhabitants in 1716. By the late 18th century, the city began to emerge as regional textile manufacturing centre and its population increased, reaching a level of 8,091 in 1800. As a result of the industrialisation process of the 19th century, the need of workers was supplied by

rural flight Rural flight (or rural exodus) is the migratory pattern of peoples from rural areas into urban areas. It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective. In industrializing economies like Britain in the eighteenth century or East Asia in the ...

as well as immigration. Belgian

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building *Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fina ...

was a feature of the Roubaisian life at that time. During the first-half period of the 19th century, Roubaix ranked the first French town in terms of population growth rate with a five times increase, whereas in the remaining period of this century its population doubled. Within this last time framework, Belgian immigration appeared to be one of the major factor to explain the significantly high population growth, with 30,465 Belgian inhabitants counted in 1866 and 42,103 in 1872. Nonetheless, the rate of natural increase shew to be a more important component of the population growth in that period. At the 20th century threshold, the Roubaisian population reached a peak of 124,661, from which it progressively declined over the successive decades. Occupied by German troops from October 1914 to October 1918, Roubaix belonged to the combat zone of the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

during the First World War. Over this occupation period, Roubaisians suffered from dearth, deportation for

compulsory labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

and unusual casualties with a rather slight population drop from 122,723 to 113,265 between the 1911 and 1921 censuses. The population of the city was 98,828 as of January 2019. This enables Roubaix to remain the third largest municipality in the region

, after Lille and Amiens.

Languages

Although the region of Roubaix was subjected many times to the domination of Flanders' rulers throughout its history, Roubaisians have used a local Picard variant as the language of everyday life for centuries. This spoken vernacular is locally known as ''Roubaignot''. Until the early 20th century this patois prevailed. Therefore, French language progressive penetration into local culture should not only be analysed as a result of the industrialisation and urbanisation of the area but should also be considered in terms of

public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

policies.

Religion

Christianity

The city of Roubaix is divided into six Catholic parishes and belongs to the

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

of the same name in the

archdiocese of Lille The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lille (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Insulensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Lille'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Its cathedral episcopal see is a Marian Minor Basilic ...

Judaism

In the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War and the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, many Jews left their homes and emigrated. Jewish arrival in Roubaix derives from that bitter period of history. At the time, the new immigrant community, even though its small size, dedicated a building to Jewish faith and liturgical practises. The newly opened synagogue, located in a house at number 51 on the narrow ''rue des Champs'', operated more than 60 years, until 1939, when it was closed under imprecise local circumstances as the Nazi regime took over in Europe. Despite the closure of the synagogue, the occupation and police raids, the local practise of Judaism saw a humble revival after the war which lasted until the start of the 1990s when the modest Jewry of Roubaix handed over its

Sefer Torah A ( he, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; "Book of Torah"; plural: ) or Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Tora ...

to the care of the Jewish community of Lille. Roubaix has no longer been home to a Jewish place of worship since that event. The house inside which the first one was created 123 years ago, has been demolished since an

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

project occurred in 2000. On September 10, 2015, the mayor unveiled a

commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

on the ''rue des Champs'', as a tribute to the Roubaisian Jewry, in memory of the religious purpose of this previous building.

Islam

As of August 2013 there were six mosques in the town, including one under construction. According to estimates by the mayor's office, around 20,000 people, or about 20 percent of the population were Muslims. Four areas of the cemetery were designated for Muslims.

Buddhism

During the second half of the 20th century, the city took in Buddhist communities from originally Buddhist countries in the Southeast Asian peninsula including Cambodia,

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, Thailand, and Vietnam. Within this background Roubaix has brought together two Buddhist traditions on its territory, hence cultural variations across communities: Mahāyāna and Theravāda with, respectively, one and four places of worship.

Urbanism

Urban geography

During the Middle Age, the city grew in a northward-facing semicircle around its primitive core, beyond the area spread out between the church Saint Martin and the former fortified castle. The existence of this south boundary remained until the 18th century and marked an urban expansion which mainly occurred on the western and northern sides of the town. Increasing industrialisation, land transport improvement, continued population growth and the resulting need for suitable low cost lands for housing and manufacturing plants, all of which finally led to expand the city southward from the centre, in the 19th century.

Administrative and political affairs

Constituencies and cantons

Roubaix grouped four cantons from 1988 to 2012. Since then, this number has fallen to two with ''Roubaix 1'' and ''Roubaix 2''. After the last redistricting of French legislative constituencies in 2010, the city is now divided into two constituencies: Nord's 7th constituency which include the former canton of ''Roubaix-Ouest'' and

Nord's 8th constituency The 8th constituency of the Nord is a French legislative Constituency (France), constituency in the Nord (French department), Nord departments of France, ''département''. Description Nord's 8th constituency covers three of the four (pre-2015) ...

formed by the following former cantons: ''Roubaix-Centre'', ''Roubaix-Nord'' and ''Roubaix-Est''.

Administrative zoning

Eastern district neighbourhoods

* Fraternité * Pile * Sainte-Elisabeth * Sartel-Carihem * Trois Ponts

Western district neighbourhoods

* Epeule * Fresnoy-Mackellerie * Trichon

Central district neighbourhoods

* Anseelme Motte-Bossut * Barbieux * Centre-ville * Crouy * Espérance * Nations-Unies * Vauban

Northern district neighbourhoods

* Alma-Gare * Armentières * Cul de Four * Entrepont * Fosses aux Chênes * Hommelet * Hutin-Oran-Cartigny

Southern district neighbourhoods

* Chemin Neuf * Edouard Vaillant * Hauts-Champs * Justice * Linné-Boulevards * Moulin * Nouveau Roubaix * Petites-Haies * Potennerie

Mayors of the city

International relations

Roubaix is twinned with: *

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, United Kingdom, since 1969 * Mönchengladbach, Germany, since 1969 * Verviers, Belgium, since 1969 * Skopje, North Macedonia, since 1973 *

Prato Prato ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city lies in the north east of Tuscany, at the foot of Monte Retaia, elevation , the last peak in the Calvana chain. With more than 200,000 i ...

, Italy, since 1981 *

Sosnowiec Sosnowiec is an industrial city county in the Dąbrowa Basin of southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, which is also part of the Silesian Metropolis municipal association.—— Located in the eastern part of the Upper Silesian Industria ...

, Poland, since 1993 * Covilhã, Portugal, since 2000 *

Bouïra Bouïra is the capital of Bouïra Province, Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates ...

, Algeria, since 2003

Landmarks

Remarkable buildings, old brick factories and warehouses abound in this once renowned city which was esteemed to be a worldwide textile

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

in the early years of the 20th century. Thus, the city inherited one of the most architectural works in the French history and culture of the 19th century Industrial Revolution and was designated Town of Art and History on December 13, 2000. Ever since the Ministry of Culture endowed Roubaix with this label, the city has entered the 21st century by promoting its cultural standing as the inheritance of its industrial and social history. Several profane or sacral buildings of Roubaix are registered as historic monuments. ;Secular buildings registered as "monuments historiques" file:Centre_médical_Barbieux.jpg, Barbieux health centre file:Roubaix_ENSAIT.jpg,

ENSAIT The École nationale supérieure des arts et industries textiles (ENSAIT) is a French Engineering grand établissement (grande école) and a member of UP-TEX research cluster (Union Pôle Textile). ENSAIT is a higher education and research inst ...

file:Roubaix hotel.jpg, Prouvost private mansion file:16leclerc.jpg,

Art nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

house file:Roubaix_maison_28_rue_du_Maréchal-Foch.jpg, Three-storey stately house file:Roubaix maison cogghe.JPG, Rémy Cogghe's house file:Roubaix_palais_justice.jpg, Law court file:Roubaix_reservoir_Huchon.jpg, Huchon water tower file:Roubaix archives travail 2.JPG, National Archives of the Working World\ file:Tourcoing.-Palais Vaissier rue de Mouvaux MH PA00107841 (4).jpg, Concierge of the demolished Palais Vaissier ;Religious structures registered as "monuments historiques" file:PA59000169_couvant_des_Clarisses_de_Roubaix_-_Nord.jpg, Convent of Clarisses file:RoubaixAncienneEgliseNotreDame.JPG, Deconsecrated Church Notre-Dame file:Roubaix - Église Saint-Martin 01.jpg, Church Saint-Martin

Sculptures and memorials

The city has been the place where illustrious names of French sculptors put their skills to create memorial monuments since the end of the 19th century until the middle of the 20th century. After a long slack period 2010 introduced a shift in the genre with the unveiling of Wim Delvoye's Discobolos, a statue of modern art conceived as a welcoming sign to a neighbourhood of the city. The sculptures and memorial monuments in Roubaix which deserve notice for their historical or artistical interest are mentioned below. * Discobolos:

Wim Delvoye Wim Delvoye (born 1965 in Wervik, West Flanders) is a Belgian neo-conceptual artist known for his inventive and often shocking projects. Much of his work is focused on the body. As the critic Robert Enright wrote in the art magazine ''Border ...

(sculptor), Bruno Dupont (mediator),

Fondation de France The Fondation de France ("Foundation of France") is an independent administrative agency which was established by the French government in an effort to stimulate and foster the growth of private philanthropy and private foundations in France.Fon ...

and city of Roubaix (supporters), ordered by the neighbourhood residents with the members of the Hommelet neighbourhood committeeA local association (as per the 1901 law about association) called "''Comité de quartier de l'Hommelet''" and inaugurated on June 5, 2010 * Joan of Arc statue:

Maxime Real del Sarte Maxime Real del Sarte (1888-1954) was a French sculptor and political activist. Biography Early life Maxime Real del Sarte was born on 2 May 1888 in Paris, France, as the son of the sculptor Louis Desire Real and Marie Magdeleine Real del Sar ...

(sculptor), inaugurated on May 27, 1952 * Memorial to

Jean-Baptiste Lebas Jean-Baptiste Lebas (; 24 October 1878 – 10 March 1944) was a French Socialist politician, deputy to the National Assembly of France during the Third Republic, who served twice as minister under Léon Blum’s governments. He was mayor of R ...

: Albert de Jaeger (sculptor), funded through public subscription and inaugurated on October 23, 1949 * Memorial to

Resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

Martyrs of Roubaix: Albert de Jaeger (sculptor), engraved "''Roubaix a ses martyrs de la Résistance''" and "''Ils ont brisé les chaînes de l'oppression''","Roubaix has its martyrs of the Resistance" and "They broke the chains of oppression" ordered by the City council and inaugurated on November 11, 1948 * Memorial to Eugène Motte: Raoul Bénard (sculptor), Gustave Poubel (architect), funded through public subscription and inaugurated on September 22, 1935 * Memorial to

Jean-Joseph Weerts Jean-Joseph Weerts (1 May 1846, Roubaix - 28 September 1927, Paris) was a French painter of Belgian origin who worked in the Academic style. Biography His father was a mechanical engineer who gave him his first introduction to drawing. Later, i ...

Alexandre Descatoire Alexandre Descatoire (22 August 1874 – 7 March 1949) was a French sculptor. Biography Descatoire was born in Douai and was a pupil of André-Louis-Adolphe Laoust. Educated at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Descatoir ...

(sculptor), ordered by the City council and inaugurated on October 29, 1931 * Memorial to Louis Bossut:

(sculptor), ordered by the City council and inaugurated on October 4, 1925 * Monuments aux Morts or World War I Memorial of Roubaix:

(sculptor), Jean-Frédéric Wielhorski (architect), engraved "''Roubaix à ses enfants morts pour la défense du pays et pour la paix''","Roubaix to his children died in defense of the country and for peace" ordered by the City council and inaugurated on October 18, 1925 * Memorial to Jules Guesde: Georgette Agutte-Sembat (sculptor), Albert Bührer (architect), funded through public subscription and inaugurated on April 12, 1925 * Memorial to Amédée Prouvost:

Hippolyte Lefèbvre Hippolyte-Jules Lefèbvre (4 February 1863, Lille - November 1935, Arcueil) was a French sculptor and medallist who received numerous official marks of recognition in his day but is now largely forgotten. His most prominent works are the monumen ...

(sculptor), ordered by the City council and inaugurated on October 29, 1922 * Memorial to Pierre Destombes: Corneille Theunissen (sculptor), engraved "''Hortorum, Musicae, Librorumque, Studiosus''","Friend of the gardens, music and books" ordered by the City council and inaugurated on October 29, 1922 * Memorial to Gustave Nadaud:

Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier (1848–1930) was a French sculptor. Born in La Madeleine, Nord, Cordonnier was educated in nearby Lille, then in Paris, then in Rome, on a scholarship funded by the foundation of Jean-Baptiste Wicar. Cordonnier won ...

(sculptor), Gustave Leblanc-Barbedienne (art founder), inaugurated on October 11, 1896

Culture

Museums

Roubaix has been home to two major museums of the region Hauts-de-France since the beginning of the 21st century: '' La Piscine''"The Swimming Pool" and ''La Manufacture'';"The Manufactory" inheriting both of the local socioeconomic history. ''La Piscine'', also known as the ''Musée d'Art & d'Industrie André Diligent'',"André Diligent Museum of Art and Industry" is one of the most lauded cultural attractions in northern France. This museum is housed in the Art Deco-style former swimming pool of Roubaix, a building remodelled in 2000 to accommodate and exhibit 19th and 20th century collections of the city.The collections held at the museum include sculptures by

Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and ...

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

, Camille Claudel and Pablo Picasso After being closed for two years of renovation works and extension, it was reopened to the public in October 2018, becoming more successful than ever before. ''La Manufacture'' is the reference textile museum in northern France. It is hosted in an old weaving factory.

Painting

The most prestigious names of painters, who made their reputation in Roubaix from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century are

and

Rémy Cogghe Rémy Cogghe, originally spelled Rémi Coghe
from ''Mémoires'', a monthly newslet ...

. From the end of the Second World War to the beginning of the 1970s, a casual group of young artists from Roubaix and the surrounding region was formed and given the name ''Groupe de Roubaix''. Two painters commonly associated with the group are Arthur Van Hecke and Eugène Leroy.

Fashion

Anxious to restore the prestige of northern France's textile industry and operating under the label of ''Maisons de Mode'', the cities of Lille and Roubaix have created spaces for new fashion designers to thrive since 2007. The Roubaisian location, next to ''La Piscine'' museum, is known as ''Le Vestiaire''.The Cloakroom There are fifteen

boutique A boutique () is a small shop that deals in fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (''apothēkē'') "storehouse". The term ''boutique'' and also ''d ...

s and fashion

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

s housed in an old industrial building.

Theatre and performing arts centres

* Centre chorégraphique national Roubaix - Hauts-de-FranceNational choreographic centre Roubaix - Hauts-de-France * Colisée * Condition publique * Théâtre de l'Oiseau-Mouche "Le Garage" * Théâtre Louis Richard * Théâtre Pierre de Roubaix

Cinema

The city of Roubaix was the filming location (mostly or partly) of the following films: * ''

I Am a Soldier ''I Am a Soldier'' (french: Je suis un soldat) is a 2015 French-Belgian drama film directed by Laurent Larivière, starring Louise Bourgoin and Jean-Hugues Anglade. Set in Roubaix, France, the film follows Sandrine, an unemployed young woman who ...

'' (French: ''Je suis un soldat''), directed by Laurent Larivière in 2015 * ''

My Golden Days ''My Golden Days'' (french: Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse), also titled ''My Golden Years'', is a 2015 French drama film directed by Arnaud Desplechin. It stars Quentin Dolmaire, Lou Roy-Lecollinet, and Mathieu Amalric. It is a prequel to the ...

'' (French: ''Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse''), directed by Arnaud Desplechin in 2015 * '' Discount'', directed by

Louis-Julien Petit Louis-Julien Petit (born 6 September 1983) is a French writer and director. Filmography References External links on AlloCiné * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petit, Louis-Julien French film directors 1983 births Living people ...

in 2014 * ''

Queens of the Ring ''Queens of the Ring'' (french: Les reines du ring) is a 2013 French comedy film directed by Jean-Marc Rudnicki. The film was supported by WWE Studios.Blue Is the Warmest Colour ''Blue Is the Warmest Colour'' (french: link=yes, La Vie d'Adèle – Chapitres 1 & 2; ) is a 2013 romance film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche and starring Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. The film foll ...

'' (French: ''La Vie d'Adèle – Chapitres 1 & 2''), directed by

Abdellatif Kechiche Abdellatif Kechiche (; ar, عبد اللطيف كشيش, born 7 December 1960) is a Tunisian- French actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with '' La Faute à Voltaire'', which he also wrote. Known for his ...

in 2013 * '' A Christmas Tale'' (French: ''Un conte de Noël''), directed by Arnaud Desplechin in 2008 * ''

The Banishment ''The Banishment'' (russian: Изгнание, ''Izgnanie'') is a 2007 Russian psychological drama film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev. The film is a loose adaptation of ''The Laughing Matter'', a 1953 novel by Armenian-American writer William Saro ...

'' (Russian: ''Изгнание'', ''Izgnanie''), directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev in 2007 * '' In His Hands'' (French: ''Entre ses mains''), directed by Anne Fontaine in 2005 * '' The Axe'' (French: ''Le couperet''), directed by Costa-Gavras in 2005 * ''Save Me'' (French: ''Sauve-Moi''), directed by Christian Vincent in 2000 * ''Flat Land Cities'' (French: ''Les Cités de la plaine''), directed by Robert Kramer in 1999 * '' The Dreamlife of Angels'' (French: ''La Vie rêvée des anges''), directed by

Erick Zonca Érick Zonca is a French film director and screenwriter. His first films were shorts ''Rives'' (1992), ''Eternelles'' (1995), and '' Seule'' (1997). Zonca is best known for his critically acclaimed and award-winning 1998 feature film debut '' ...

in 1998 * '' Enigma'', directed by Jeannot Szwarc in 1982 * ''

Life Is a Long Quiet River ''Life Is a Long Quiet River'' (French: ''La Vie est un long fleuve tranquille'') is a 1988 French comedy film directed by Étienne Chatiliez. Through the age-old question of nature versus nurture, the film takes a satirical look at society in the ...

'' (French: ''La vie est un long fleuve tranquille''), directed by Étienne Chatiliez in 1988 * '' Hurricane Rosy'' (Italian: ''Temporale Rosy'', French: ''Rosy la bourrasque''), directed by

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the ''Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was awa ...

in 1979 * '' Swimming Instructor'' (French: ''Le Maître-nageur''), directed by Jean-Louis Trintignant in 1979 * ''

Body of My Enemy ''Le Corps de mon ennemi'' (also known as ''Body of My Enemy'' ) is a 1976 French crime film directed by Henri Verneuil. Plot After François Leclercq seduces the young and rich Gilberte Beaumont-Liégard, she introduces him to her family. Throu ...

'' (French: ''Le Corps de mon ennemi''), directed by

Henri Verneuil Henri Verneuil (; born Ashot Malakian; 15 October 1920 – 11 January 2002) was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who made a successful career in France. He was nominated for Oscar and Palme d'Or awards, and won Locarno International Fi ...

in 1976 * ''

A Sunday in Hell ''A Sunday in Hell'' (original title: ''En Forårsdag i Helvede'') is a 1976 Danish documentary film directed by Jørgen Leth. The film is a chronology of the 1976 Paris–Roubaix bicycle race from the perspective of participants, organizers and s ...

'' (Danish: ''En Forårsdag i Helvede''), Danish documentary directed by Jørgen Leth in 1976 * '' The Confession'' (French: ''L'Aveu''), directed by

Costa Gavras Costa-Gavras (short for Konstantinos Gavras; el, Κωνσταντίνος Γαβράς; born 12 February 1933) is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for films with political and s ...

in 1970 * ''Struggle in Italy'' (Italian: ''Lotte in Italia''), directed by the

Dziga Vertov Group The Dziga Vertov Group (french: Groupe Dziga Vertov) was formed around 1969 by politically active filmmakers including Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorin. Their films are defined primarily for Brechtian forms, Marxist ideology, and a lack of per ...

in 1970

Higher education

* The

EDHEC Business School EDHEC Business School (french: Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales du Nord) is a French grandes écoles business school with campus locations in: Lille, France; Nice, France; Paris, France; London, UK; and Singapore. EDHEC offers its flagship Mas ...

is one of the few Grandes École located outside the Paris Metropolitan Area. It is one of Europe's fastest rising business schools. *

is a higher education and research institute, gathering all the disciplines related to textiles. * ESAAT is a design education institute. *

Decentralisation Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. Conce ...

of the Universities of Lille II and Lille III

Libraries

* Médiathèque "La Grand'Plage" * National Archives of the World of Work

Sport

Roubaix has an old sporting heritage and is home to the finishing of one of the world's oldest races of professional

road cycling Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes Recreational cycling, recreational, Road bicycle racing, racing, Bicycle commuting, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, ...

at its velodrome: Paris–Roubaix, known as the ''Hell of the North''. While Roubaix is famous for its velodrome, there is more to this city than the cycling sports facilities. The building of indoor and outdoor sports amenities in the city should be associated with its era of economic rise during the industrial revolution, in addition to the development of local sporting clubs and associations. In October 2021 Roubaix hosted the 2021 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

Economy

During the 19th century, Roubaix acquired an international reputation for textile industry and wool production. In the 1970s and 1980s, international competition and automation caused an industrial decline and resulted in the closure of many factories. From that moment on and since the implementation of the French urban policy in the early 1980s, around three-fourths of the town's territory has been regularly assigned specific zoning designations as well as health and welfare plans. Roubaix's high level of unemployment is a consequence of the desindustrialisation. The town is listed among France's poorest cities. Successive local governments have tried to address difficulties associated with deindustrialisation by attracting new industries, making the most of the town's cultural credentials and organising a strong student presence on different campuses. While undergoing conversion efforts, the city is experimenting with new models and able to take advantage of successful economic stories, with

online retail Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the r ...

and information technology, and seems to be on the way to reverse the decades of decline.

Textile industry

Nowadays, local textile companies are focussing on developing high-tech textile products.

Commerce and services

Mail order companies of international renown such as

La Redoute La Redoute is a French multi channel retailer founded by Joseph Pollet in 1837. La Redoute specialises in ready to wear apparel and home decor, La Redoute is the 2nd largest seller of women's apparel and the 3rd largest seller of linens in Fran ...

, Damart and

3 Suisses 3 Suisses is a French mail order and e-commerce company, with headquarters in Villeneuve-d'Ascq. It is the biggest of the 16 e-commerce brands of . Everett Hutt is the current CEO as of 2022. Since 1981, Otto GmbH owned a 51% in the company and ...

, stemmed from textile industries which were founded in Roubaix. Showroomprive.com has been locally established since 2016 as an e-commerce company that specialises in online flash sales.

Information technology and e-business

OVH OVH, legally OVH Groupe SAS, is a French cloud computing company which offers VPS, dedicated servers and other web services. As of 2016 OVH owned the world's largest data center in surface area. As of 2019, it was the largest hosting provide ...

was created in Roubaix in 1999 and became a global IT infrastructure company, creating more than thousand jobs in the city and surroundings. Its head office is still in Roubaix. *

Ankama Games Ankama is a French entertainment company headquartered in Roubaix, France, focused on the design of massive multiplayer online role playing games (''Dofus'', ''Dofus Arena'' and ''Wakfu''). The company is also active in publishing, animation a ...

has established its head office in Roubaix since 2007. * Blanchemaille, an e-commerce cluster helped by the

incubator An incubator is anything that performs or facilitates various forms of incubation, and may refer to: Biology and medicine * Incubator (culture), a device used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures or cell cultures * Incubator (egg), a de ...

EuraTechnologies, has been established in the former building of

in Roubaix since 2014.

Infrastructure

Transportation

A22 autoroute, a French part of the European route E17 from

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, is the only motorway, within a motorway roads network of the highest density in France after Paris, which passes by Roubaix. The

Gare de Roubaix Roubaix station (French: ''Gare de Roubaix'') is a railway station serving the town Roubaix, Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American non ...

railway station offers connections to

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Lille, Ostend, Paris and Tourcoing. The city is also served by the Lille Metro.

Environmental perspectives

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s desindustrialisation dramatically influenced major urban landscapes across the

arrondissement of Lille The arrondissement of Lille is an arrondissement of France in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region. It has 124 communes. Its population is 1,237,472 (2016), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondissement of Lille ...

. Large areas of brownfield land came to mark the city of Roubaix. With the support of the local and national government programs, these areas are acquired and gradually restored or rebuilt. Roubaix has one of the most efficient biomass district heating plant in France and is therefore among the most advanced cities for

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

in Hauts-de-France. Since 2014, the city has been engaged in several related initiatives aimed at moving to a

circular economy A circular economy (also referred to as circularity and CE) is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. CE aims ...

and a zero waste future.

Notable people

Artists

* Jean-Robert de Cavel (September 12, 1961 – December 23, 2022): Chef. * Wanani Gradi Mariadi (1990–): rapper known as ''Gradur'' * Kaddour Hadadi (1976–): singer and author known as ''HK'' * Philippe Dhondt (1965–): singer, songwriter and composer known as ''Boris'' * Arnaud Desplechin (1960–): film director *

Édouard Devernay Édouard Henri Devernay Jnr. (8 November 1889 – 5 July 1952) was a French musician, composer and organist who held the position of ''organiste titulaire'' of the great organ of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires in Trouville-sur-Mer, Calvados, Norman ...

(1889–1952): Organist, composer * Wladyslaw Znorko (1958–2013): theatre author and director * Philippe Barraqué (1954–): musicologist,

music therapist Music therapy, an allied health profession, "is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music th ...

, composer and singer * Étienne Chatiliez (1952–): film director *

Roger Delmotte Roger Delmotte (born 20 September 1925) is a French classical trumpeter. Life Born in Roubaix, Delmotte first played the flugelhorn, a wind instrument, in a French wind musical ensemble. After his first studies with Maurice Leclercq at the Rouba ...

(1925–): classical trumpeter * Philippe Lefebvre (1949–): musician, principal organist of Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris *

Chantal Ladesou Chantal Ladesou (born 5 May 1948) is a French actress and comedian. Personal life Ladesou met her husband Michel Ansault and with whom she had three children, two boys, Alix (who died in a car accident), Julien and a daughter, the actress Cl� ...

(1948–): actress and comedian * Agnès Guillemot (1931–2005): film editor *

Pierre Jansen Pierre Georges Cornil Jansen (28 February 1930 – 13 August 2015 at Saint-Pierre-Saint-Jean) was a French film scores composer. He was in particular the permanent collaborator of Claude Chabrol for whom he composed the music for many films. Li ...

(1930–2015): film music composer * Jenny Clève (1930–): actress * Elisabeth Yvonne Scatcherd (1928–): film actress known as ''Yvonne Furneaux'' * Charles Gadenne (1925–2012): sculptor * Georges Delerue (1925–1992): composer who worked on over 350 scores for cinema and television * Arthur Van Hecke (1924–2003): painter * Gabrielle Vervaecke (1921–2005): composer and singer known as ''Gaby Verlor'' * Viviane Romance (1912–1991): actress * Albert de Jaeger (1908–1992): sculptor,

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...

medallist A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually e ...

and

smelter Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including Silver mining#Ore processing, silver, iron-making, iron, copper extracti ...

* Charles Bodart-Timal (1897–1971): songwriter and chansonnier *

Jules Gressier Jules Gressier, (24 June 1897, in Roubaix (Nord-Pas-de-Calais) – 27 June 1960, in Aix-les-Bains (Rhône-Alpes)Francis Bousquet Francis Bousquet (9 September 1890 – 21 December 1942) was a French composer and music pedagogue. Educated at the Conservatoire de Paris, he won the Prix de Rome in 1923. His compositions included three operas, a ballet, and several symphonic ...

(1890–1942): Marseille-born composer *

Léon Mathot Léon Mathot (5 March 1886, Roubaix, Nord-Pas-de-Calais - 6 March 1968, in Paris) was a French film actor and film director best known perhaps for playing Edmond Dantes in ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' film serial in 1918. He appeared in the 19 ...

(1886–1968): film actor and director * Silas Broux (1867–1957): painter *

(1846–1927): painter *

Rémy Cogghe Rémy Cogghe, originally spelled Rémi Coghe
from ''Mémoires'', a monthly newslet ...

(1846–1927): Belgian-born painter who resided in Roubaix *

Gustave Nadaud Gustave Nadaud (20 February 1820 – 28 April 1893) was a French composer and chansonnier. Career Born in Roubaix, Nadaud's first career was as an accountant; he took up songwriting as a hobby at age 28. His friends encouraged him, and he submi ...

(1820–1893): songwriter and chansonnier

Athletes

* Wassim Aouachria (2000–): football player *

Ahmed Touba Ahmed Touba (; born 13 March 1998) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a left back or left winger for Süper Lig club İstanbul Başakşehir. Born in France and raised in Belgium, he represents Algeria at international level. ...

(1998–): football player * Moussa Niakhate (1996–): football player *

Christoffer Mafoumbi Christoffer Henri Mafoumbi (born 3 March 1994) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for FC Noah, Noah in the Armenian Premier League. Born in France, Mafoumbi plays for the ...

(1994–): goalkeeper *

Saoussen Boudiaf Saoussen Dlindah Boudiaf (born 31 December 1993) is a French sabre fencer. She won the gold medal in the women's individual sabre event at the 2022 Mediterranean Games The 2022 Mediterranean Games ( ar, ألعاب البحر الأبيض ال� ...

(1993–): sabre fencer *

Anthony Knockaert Anthony Patrick Knockaert (born 20 November 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL Championship side Huddersfield Town, on loan from side Fulham. Club career Guingamp Knockaert, who was born in Roubaix, began ...

(1991–): football player *

Aliou Dia Aliou Dia (born 30 May 1990 in Roubaix, France) is a French footballer who last played for FC Brussels, Brussels. Before, Dia has played 17 matches for R.A.E.C. Mons (1910), Mons of the Belgian Pro League, the top league of football in Belgium. ...

(1990–): football player *

Antoine Roussel Antoine Roussel (born 21 November 1989) is a French professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), left winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Born in ...

(1989–): ice hockey player *

Pierrick Gunther Pierrick Gunther (born 16 October 1989) is a French rugby union player. His position is Flanker and he plays for the Top 14 team Section Paloise Section Paloise (, Bearnese: ), commonly referred to as ''Section'' or as ''Pau'' , is a profes ...

(1989–): rugby union player *

Idir Ouali Idir Ouali (born 21 May 1988) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian club Olympic Charleroi. Club career Ouali began his career in the junior ranks of amateur club ''SCO Roubaix 59'' in his native Roubaix. At ...

(1988–): football player *

Martial Mbandjock Martial Mbandjock (born 14 October 1985 in Roubaix) is a French sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres., beijing2008.cn, ret: Aug 26, 2008 His personal best time is 10.06 seconds, achieved in July 2008 in Albi. He won the bronze medal in the ...

(1985–): sprinter *

Seïd Khiter Seïd Khiter ( ar, سيد خيتر; born 19 January 1985) is a French former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. Club career Khiter was born in Roubaix, Nord (French department) ...

(1985–): football player * Daouda Sow (1983–):

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Yero Dia Yero Dia (born 5 January 1982, in Roubaix) is a French football player who currently plays in Greece for Levadiakos Levadiakos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Λεβαδειακός) is a Greek professional football club that plays in the Super Le ...

(1982–): football player * Icham Mouissi (1982–): Algerian football player * David Coulibaly (1978–): football player *

Arnaud Tournant Arnaud Tournant (born 5 April 1978) is a French track cyclist. He has won 14 World Championships (record of men) and won a gold, silver and a bronze at the Summer Olympics. Biography Tournant was born in Roubaix, near the border with Belgium, an ...

(1978–):

track cyclist Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it wa ...

Christophe Landrin Christophe Landrin (born 30 June 1977 in Roubaix) is a French football (soccer), football midfielder. His brother, Sebastien, is one of the main players of the French national Roller hockey (Quad), rink hockey team. Honours Lille *UEFA Intertot ...

(1977–): football midfielder * Jacques-Olivier Paviot (1976–): football player *

Fatiha Ouali Fatiha Ouali (born 25 October 1974 in Roubaix, Nord) is a female race walker from France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas ...

(1974–):

race walker Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Referee, Race judges careful ...

Michel Breistroff Michel Breistroff (February 5, 1971 – July 17, 1996) was a French professional ice hockey defenceman. Breistroff was born in Roubaix, France. A graduate in anthropology from Harvard University, he died at 25 in the crash of TWA Flight 800 o ...

(1971–1996): ice hockey player *

Pierre Dréossi Pierre Dréossi (born 12 October 1959) is a French football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Lille OSC, FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, OGC Nice, Paris Saint-Germain and AS Cannes. He was head coach of Stade Rennais until he re ...

(1959–): former football player, coach and football manager * Alain Bondue (1959–): racing cyclist * Jean-Christian Lang (1950–): football manager and former player *

Jacques Carette Jacques Carette (born 1 March 1947) is a former athlete from France who competed mainly in the 400 metres. He competed for a France in the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany in the 4 x 400 metre relay where he won the bronze meda ...

(1947–): athlete * René Libeer (1934–2006):

Jacques Pollet Jacques Pollet (2 July 1922 – 16 August 1997) was a racing driver from France. He participated in 5 Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater ...

(1922–1997):

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

* Jacques Leenaert (1921–2004): football player * Prudent Joye (1913–1980): track and field athlete *

Georges Beaucourt Georges Beaucourt (15 April 1912 – 27 February 2002) was a French association football player who participated at the 1934 FIFA World Cup. He played club football with Lille and Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which f ...

(1912–2002): football player *

Raymond Dubly Raymond Dubly (5 November 1893 – 7 September 1988) was a French international footballer who played for France national football team at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), o ...

(1893–1988): football player *

Jean Alavoine Jean Alavoine (1 April 1888 – 18 July 1943) was a French professional cyclist, who won 17 stages in the Tour de France - only eight riders have won more stages - and wore the yellow jersey for five days. Jean Alavoine was born in Roubaix ...

(1888–1943): cyclist *

Charles Crupelandt Charles Crupelandt (23 October 1886, Wattrelos, Nord - 18 February 1955, Roubaix) was a French professional road bicycle racer. He won stages in the Tour de France, but his biggest successes were the 1912 and 1914 Paris–Roubaix. The last cobb ...

(1886–1955): Wattrelos-born professional

road bicycle racer Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

* Arthur Balbaert (1879–1938): Belgian sports shooter

Politicians and professionals

* Karima Delli (1979–): politician, Member of the European Parliament * Florence Morlighem (1970–): politician, Member of Parliament *

Olivier Henno Olivier Henno (born 21 April 1962 in Roubaix) is a French politician, Mayor (France), mayor of Saint-André-lez-Lille and a member of the Democratic Movement (France), MoDem. Biography A member of the Union for French Democracy (UDF), he was elec ...

(1962–): politician, mayor of Saint-André-lez-Lille and general councillor *

Benoît Duquesne Benoît Duquesne (19 July 1957 – 4 July 2014) was a French journalist, television reporter and newscaster. He worked as presenter of the news magazine '' Complément d'enquête'' from 2007 until his death. He also was anchor of the ''Journal de ...

(1957–2014): journalist, television reporter and newscaster *

Pierre Pribetich Pierre Pribetich is a French politician, who, from 2007 until 2009, was a Member of the European Parliament representing East France for the Socialist Party. He was appointed following the resignation of Pierre Moscovici Pierre Moscovici (, ...

(1956–): politician, former Member of the European Parliament *

Marie-Christine Blandin Marie-Christine Blandin (born 22 September 1952, Roubaix) is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Nord department. She is a member of Europe Écologie–The Greens Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a co ...

(1952–): politician, member of the Senate of France, representing the Nord department * Jean-Luc Brunin (1951–): clergyman, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Havre *

Alex Türk Alex Türk (born 25 January 1950 in Roubaix) is a member of the Senate of France The Senate (french: Sénat, ) is the upper house of the French Parliament, with the lower house being the National Assembly, the two houses constituting the ...

(1950–): politician, member of the Senate of France, representing the Nord department * Bernard Arnault (1949–): business magnate, investor and art collector *

Bruno Masure Bruno Masure (born 14 October 1947) is a French journalist,Biography of Bruno Masure o ...

(1947–): journalist, news anchor and television presenter * Auguste Mimerel (1786–1871), industrialist and politician * Gérard Mulliez (1931–): businessman, founder of the

Auchan Auchan () is a French multinational retail group headquartered in Croix, France. It was founded in 1961 by Gérard Mulliez and is owned by the Mulliez family, who has 95% stake in the company. With 354,851 employees, of which 261,000 have 5% s ...

chain of department stores * Robert Diligent (1924–2014): journalist, founding members of ''Télé Luxembourg'' * Francis Pollet (1964-): general officer * André Diligent (1919–2002): lawyer and politician, World War II resistance activist, deputy to the National Assembly, senator-mayor of Roubaix * Marcel Verfaillie (1911–1945): communist militant, World War II resistance activist against Nazism, died in concentration camp * Pierre Herman (1910–1990): politician, deputy to the National Assembly * Pierre Pflimlin (1907–2000): lawyer and politician, last Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic * Raymond Schmittlein (1904–1974): toponymist and politician, deputy to the National Assembly *

(1898–1944): politician, mayor of Roubaix, deputy to the National Assembly, World War I and II resistance activist, died in deportation custody *

Antoine Cordonnier Sous lieutenant Antoine Cordonnier (17 January 1892 – 28 July 1918) was a French flying ace during World War I. He was credited with five aerial victories. Early life Antoine Cordonnier was born on 17 January 1892 in Roubaix, France.''Over the ...

(1892–1918): military aviator, flying ace during World War I *

Jules Dumont Jules Dumont was born in Roubaix, 1 January 1888, and died at Suresnes, Mont Valérien, 15 June 1943. Dumont was a French militant Communist. He fought in the Spanish Civil War, commanding the ''Commune de Paris Battalion'', XI International B ...

(1888–1943): communist militant, commanded the ''Commune de Paris Battalion'', a unit part of the XI International Brigade * Jean Prouvost (1885–1978): businessman, media owner and politician * Agnello van den Bosch (1883–1945): Belgian Catholic Franciscan priest (OFM), founder and president of the Belgian National Work for the Blind, died in concentration camp *

Louis Loucheur Louis Loucheur (12 August 1872 in Roubaix, Nord (French department), Nord – 22 November 1931 in Paris) was a French politician in the French Third Republic, Third Republic, at first a member of the conservative Republican Federation, then of th ...

(1872–1931): writer and politician, deputy to the National Assembly *

Ferdinand Bonnel Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Bonnel, S.J., born on 31 August 1865 in Roubaix, France, and died on 7 May 1945 in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, was a French Jesuit priest. Biography Bonnel was trained as novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Gemert, Netherlands, ...

(1865–1945):

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest and missionary in Sri Lanka *

Théodore Vienne Théodore Vienne, also known as Théo Vienne, (28 July 1864 – 1 March 1921) was a textile manufacturer in Roubaix who with Maurice Perez founded the Paris–Roubaix cycle race in 1896 (One of the oldest cycle races in the world.). Vienne was bor ...

(1864–1921): textile manufacturer and co-founder of Paris–Roubaix

cycle race Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling ...

* Eugène Motte (1860–1932): politician and businessman, mayor of Roubaix, deputy to the National Assembly *

Pierre Wibaux Pierre Wibaux (January 12, 1858 – March 21, 1913) was a French cattle owner and ranchman in Montana and North Dakota at the turn of the 20th century. He immigrated from his native France to seek business opportunities in America and was a ...

(1858–1913): cattle-rancher, banker and gold-mine owner, emigrated from France to the United States * Jules Guesde (1845–1922): Paris-born socialist journalist and politician, deputy of the constituency of Roubaix to the National Assembly *

Jean Desbouvrie Jean Desbouvrie (18 February 1843- 18 August 1905) was a French amateur bird trainer who believed that swallows could be put to use for military communications. During the late 19th century Desbouvrie persuaded the government of France to condu ...

(c. 1840–1847-?): inventor and bird tamer *

Gérard Vachonfrance Gérard Vachonfrance (30 March 1933, in Roubaix – 31 December 2008), was a French physician. He was a co-founder of the ''Société française d'alcoologie'' (French Society of Alcohology). Vachonfrance and Pierre Fouquet were pioneers of alco ...

(1933–2008): physician and society co-founder *

Marie Léonie Vanhoutte Marie Léonie Vanhoutte, also known by the pseudonym Charlotte Lameron (1888 – 1967) was a French Resistance fighter and secret agent during World War I who worked at the French-Belgium border. Early life Marie Léonie Vanhoutte was born on 1 ...

(1888–1967): French

resistance fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

and secret-agent during World War I.

Scientists

Stanislas Dehaene Stanislas Dehaene (born May 12, 1965) is a French author and cognitive neuroscientist whose research centers on a number of topics, including numerical cognition, the neural basis of reading and the neural correlates of consciousness. As of 201 ...

(1965–): cognitive

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

, professor at the Collège de France and author *

Bernard Amadei Bernard Amadei (born July 23, 1954) is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, founding president of Engineers Without Borders (USA), co-founder of the Engineers Without Borders-International Network, and founding ...

(1954–): professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado, founder of

Engineers Without Borders (USA) The term Engineers Without Borders (EWB; french: Ingénieurs sans frontières, ISF) is used by a number of non-governmental organizations in various countries to describe their activity based on engineering and oriented to international development ...

* Dominique Mulliez (1952–): epigrapher,

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and Hellenist *

Marguerite Dupire Marguerite Dupire (12 October 1920 – 4 March 2015) was a French ethnologist who specialised on African people, and worked extensively on the Fulani of Niger, Cameroon, Guinea, Senegal, and then after a mission in Ivory Coast, on the Serer people ...

(1920–2015): ethnologist * Robert Jonckhèere (1888–1974): astronomer * Joseph Willot (1875–1919):

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

and World War I resistance activist

Writers

Marie Desplechin Marie Desplechin (born Roubaix, Nord, 7 January 1959) is a French writer. She studied literature and journalism before becoming a writer. She is the author of several children's novels and ''Taking it to Heart'', a collection of short stories. '' ...

(1959–): writer and journalist * Pierre Pierrard (1920–2005): historian * Michel Décaudin (1919–2004): Romance linguist, literature professor and author * Richard Cobb (1917–1996): British social historian. Lived in Roubaix in the 1940s. * Octave Vandekerkhove (1911–1987): writer *

Maxence Van Der Meersch Maxence Van der Meersch (4 May 1907 – 14 January 1951) was a French Flemish writer. Life Maxence, of delicate health, came from a relatively well off family — his father was an accountant. On 27 October 1918, he lost his sister, Sarah, who w ...

(1907–1951): writer * Maurice Nédoncelle (1905–1976):

personalist Personalism is an intellectual stance that emphasizes the importance of human persons. Personalism exists in many different versions, and this makes it somewhat difficult to define as a philosophical and theological movement. Friedrich Schleierm ...

philosopher *

Yanette Delétang-Tardif Yanette Delétang-Tardif (18 June 1902 – 1976) was a French poet, translator into French of Spanish and German works, painter and illustrator. She was a very productive and reputed author of poetry, however she appeared sometimes as a restricte ...

(1902–1976): poet * Amédée Prouvost (1877–1909): poet *

Jules Feller Jules Feller (4 November 1859 – 29 April 1940) was a Belgian academician and Walloon militant. Biography Jules Feller created the of spelling for the Walloon language. This is also used for writing the Picard language since a consensus ...

(1859–1940): Romance linguist and philologist, Belgian academician and Walloon militant

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Tourist office website

Website of the museum of art and industry

LeBlog2Roubaix.Com (videoblog and WebTv about Roubaix)
* {{Authority control Communes of Nord (French department) French Flanders