Roubaix ( or ; nl, Robaais; vls, Roboais) is a city in northern France, located in the

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

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 Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban deca ...

, 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

, adjacent to

Tourcoing Tourcoing (; nl, Toerkonje ; vls, Terkoeje; pcd, Tourco) is a city in northern France on the Belgian border. It is designated municipally as a Communes of France, commune within the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), ...

, Roubaix is the

chef-lieu An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lux ...

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 In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

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

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 An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

, 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 Mouscron (; Dutch and vls, Moeskroen, ; Picard and Walloon: ''Moucron'') is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, along the border with the French city of Tourcoing, which is part of the Lille metropoli ...

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

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 The Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL; en, "European Metropolis of Lille") is the ''métropole'', an intercommunal structure, composed by a network of big cities (Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Villeneuve d'Ascq, Armentières etc.) whose major c ...

: it is set on the eastern side of

and the southern side of

, close to the Belgian border. As regards towns' boundaries, Roubaix is encompassed by seven cities which constitute its immediate neighbouring environment. These

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

are namely: Tourcoing to the north and the northwest,

Wattrelos Wattrelos (; archaic ) is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. It is located on the border with Belgium, northeast of the city of Lille. The fifth-largest component of the Métropole Européenne de ...

to the northeast,

Leers Leers (, ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille, and is about northeast of Lille. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list o ...

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 A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

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 The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...

rivers.

As the crow flies __NOTOC__ The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points, rather similar to "in a beeline". This meaning is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel '' Oliv ...

, the distance between Roubaix and the following cities is some odd: to Tournai, to Kortrijk, to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

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 East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

west West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

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 The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

to the

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

of the Mélantois-

Tournaisis The Tournaisis, or Tournai (Flemish: ''Doornik''), a territory in the Low Countries in present-day Belgium, is one of Europe's oldest town centres. Located in the Wallonia region of Belgium on the Scheldt River (French: ''L'Escaut''), northwest of ...

faulted

anticline In structural geology, an anticline is a type of fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex up in which the hinge or crest is the ...

. It consists predominantly of

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...

depositions. It is flat and low, with an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

drop of only over its . The lowest

altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

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 A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

connected upstream from the

Deûle The Deûle (; nl, Deule) is a river of northern France which is channeled for the main part of its course (from Lens to Lille). The upstream part is still partly free-flowing and is known as the Souchez. The Deûle flows into the Lys (right ban ...

and downstream to the

Marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

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 ...

weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...

-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 Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

's temperatures may fall to below zero.

Precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

is infrequently intense.

Toponymy

The current city's name is most likely derived from

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

''rausa'' "

reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * Re ...

" 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 __NOTOC__ Mercator (Latin for "merchant") may refer to: People * Marius Mercator (c. 390–451), a Catholic ecclesiastical writer * Arnold Mercator, a 16th-century cartographer * Gerardus Mercator, a 16th-century cartographer ** Mercator 1569 ...

'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 Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

-speaking area, the seldom-heard renderings ''Robeke'' and ''Roodebeeke'' are documented for ''Roubaix''. Furthermore, the

Dutch Language Union The Dutch Language Union (Dutch: , NTU) is an international regulatory institution that governs issues regarding the Dutch language. It is best known for its spelling reforms which are promulgated by member states, grammar books, the Green Boo ...

established ''Robaais'' as the city's proper

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

name. Lastly, one can cite ''Rosbacum'' as the definite

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

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 Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

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 In Demography, the rate of natural increase (RNI), also known as natural population change, is defined as the birth rate minus the death rate of a particular population, over a particular time period. It is typically expressed either as a number ...

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 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Over this

occupation Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

period, Roubaisians suffered from dearth,

deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while 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 Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

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 A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

is locally known as ''Roubaignot''. Until the early 20th century this

patois ''Patois'' (, pl. same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon or ...

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 Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

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 Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

and

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

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 Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

took over in Europe. Despite the closure of the synagogue, the

and

police raid A police raid is an unexpected visit by police or other law-enforcement officers with the aim of using the element of surprise in order to seize evidence or arrest suspects believed to be likely to hide evidence, resist arrest, be politicall ...

s, the local practise of

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

saw a humble revival after the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

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

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s 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 Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

. Four areas of the cemetery were designated for Muslims.

Buddhism

During the second half of the 20th century, the city took in

Buddhist communities Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

from originally Buddhist countries in the Southeast Asian peninsula including

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

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

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. Within this background Roubaix has brought together two Buddhist traditions on its territory, hence cultural variations across communities:

Mahāyāna ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhism, Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BC ...

and

Theravāda ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

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 An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

: 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 Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border. Geography Municipal subdivisions Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbac ...

, Germany, since 1969 *

Verviers Verviers (; wa, Vervî) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Ensival, Heusy, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Verviers. It is also the ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, since 1969 *

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

, 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 Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, since 1993 *

Covilhã Covilhã () is a city and a municipality in the Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 34,772 inhabitants in 2001. The municipality population in 2011 was 51,797, in an area of . It is located in the Beiras e Serra da Estrela subregion and B ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, 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 ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, since 2003

Landmarks

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

world In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

wide 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 The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

and was designated Town of Art and History on December 13, 2000. Ever since the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) *Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

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 Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

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 Monuments aux Morts are French war memorials established to commemorate the losses of World War I. After the end of the 1914–1918 war there was a frenzy to build memorials to commemorate those who had been killed and it has been calculated that i ...

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 Jules Bazile, known as Jules Guesde (; 11 November 1845 – 28 July 1922) was a French socialist journalist and politician. Guesde was the inspiration for a famous quotation by Karl Marx. Shortly before Marx died in 1883, he wrote a letter ...

: 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 Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

-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 Camille Rosalie Claudel (; 8 December 1864 19 October 1943) was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. The ...

and

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

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 Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

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 design Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...

ers to thrive since 2007. The Roubaisian location, next to ''La Piscine'' museum, is known as ''Le Vestiaire''.The

Cloakroom A cloakroom, or sometimes coatroom, is a room for people to hang their coats, cloaks or other outerwear when they enter a building. Cloakrooms are typically found inside large buildings, such as gymnasiums, schools, churches or meeting halls. ...

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 Arnaud Desplechin (; born 31 October 1960) is a French film director and screenwriter. In 2016, he won the César Award for Best Director for ''My Golden Days'' (2015). Life and career Desplechin was born in Roubaix. He is the son of Robert and ...

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 ''A Christmas Tale'' (french: link=no, Un conte de Noël) is a 2008 French comedy-drama film by Arnaud Desplechin, starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Mathieu Amalric, Anne Consigny, Melvil Poupaud, Emmanuelle Devos and Chiara Mas ...

'' (French: ''Un conte de Noël''), directed by

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 Andrey Petrovich Zvyagintsev (russian: Андре́й Петро́вич Звя́гинцев, p=ˈzvʲæɡʲɪntsɨf; born 6 February 1964) is a Russian film director and screenwriter. His film '' The Return'' (2003) won him a Golden Lion at ...

in 2007 * '' In His Hands'' (French: ''Entre ses mains''), directed by

Anne Fontaine Anne Fontaine (born Anne-Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc; 15 July 1959) is a Luxembourger film director, screenwriter, and former actress. She lives and works in France. Life and career Born Anne-Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc in Luxembourg, sister of actor Je ...

in 2005 * '' The Axe'' (French: ''Le couperet''), 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 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 Robert Kramer (June 22, 1939 – November 10, 1999), born in New York and educated at Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmor ...

in 1999 * ''

The Dreamlife of Angels ''The Dreamlife of Angels'' (french: La Vie rêvée des anges) is a 1998 French drama film directed by Erick Zonca. The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as ...

'' (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 Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology *Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family o ...

'', directed by

Jeannot Szwarc Jeannot Szwarc (born November 21, 1939) is a French director of film and television, known for such films as ''Jaws 2'', ''Somewhere in Time'', ''Supergirl'' and '' Santa Claus: The Movie''. He has also produced and written for TV. Life and ca ...

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 Étienne Chatiliez (born 17 June 1952) is a French film director. He was born in Roubaix, France. After starting out directing many advertising clips, he is now a well-known director of feature-length films with some success. Filmography * ...

in 1988 * ''

Hurricane Rosy ''Hurricane Rosy'' ( it, Temporale Rosy, french: Rosy la bourrasque) is a 1979 Italian-French comedy film written and directed by Mario Monicelli. It is loosely based on a novel by Carlo Brizzolara. Cast * Gérard Depardieu as Raoul Lamarre * Fa ...

'' (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 Swimming lessons are the process of learning to swim. In most countries there is a definition of a number of swimming levels that are reached in the process of the curriculum. The respective certificates of swimming tests are required for furt ...

'' (French: ''Le Maître-nageur''), directed by

Jean-Louis Trintignant Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-war era. He starred in many classic fi ...

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 Jørgen Leth (; born 14 June 1937) is a Danish poet and film director who is considered a leading figure in experimental documentary film making. Most notable are his documentary ''A Sunday in Hell'' (1977) and his surrealistic short film ''The ...

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 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 A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate Track tran ...

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Monuments' or classics of the ...

, 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 Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

, 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 Damart is a French company which specialises in clothing. Established in 1953 the brand became a household name in France and the UK. Although the brand specialises in a material called Thermolactyl, known for its insulation qualities, the labe ...

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 Showroomprive.com is a French e-commerce company that specializes in online flash sales. Founded in 2006, the website offers daily exclusive sales in France and in 8 other European countries. As of 2016, the company has reached more than 26 mi ...

has been locally established since 2016 as an

e-commerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain manageme ...

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 The A22 autoroute is a toll free highway in north western France. The road forms part of European route E17 from Paris to Belgium and the low countries through the Roubaix conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolise ...

, a French part of the

European route E17 European route E17 passes through the following cities: * ** : Antwerp → Sint-Niklaas → Ghent → Kortrijk * ** : Tourcoing → Lille ** : Lille → Arras ** : Arras → Cambrai → Saint-Quentin → Laon → Reims ** : Reims → Châlon ...

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 department, northern France. Services The station is served by high speed trains to Paris and regional trains to Lille and Kortrijk Kortrijk ( ...

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 Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

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

Lille Metro The Lille Metro (french: Métro de Lille) is a driverless light metro system located in Lille, France. It was opened on 25 April 1983 and was the first to use the VAL (french: véhicule automatique léger, en, light automated vehicle) syst ...

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 In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

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 Zero waste is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal of this movement is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. Curren ...

future.

Notable people

Artists

* Jean-Robert de Cavel (September 12, 1961 – December 23, 2022): Chef. *

Wanani Gradi Mariadi Wanani Gradi Mariadi (born November 28, 1990), better known by his stage name Gradur (), is a French rapper of Congolese origin from Roubaix, Hauts-de-France. He first gained recognition from a series of freestyles called Sheguey. He started as p ...

(1990–): rapper known as ''Gradur'' * Kaddour Hadadi (1976–): singer and author known as ''HK'' *

Philippe Dhondt Boris (real name : Philippe Dhondt, born on May 19, 1965, in Roubaix, France) is a French singer, songwriter, composer and radio host on Radio Galaxie (a radio in Nord-Pas-de-Calais). He participated in many dance projects and remains particularl ...

(1965–): singer, songwriter and composer known as ''Boris'' *

(1960–): film director * Édouard Devernay (1889–1952): Organist, composer * Wladyslaw Znorko (1958–2013): theatre author and director * Philippe Barraqué (1954–):

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

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 *

(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 Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film edit ...

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 Georges Delerue (12 March 1925 – 20 March 1992) was a French composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. Delerue won numerous important film music awards, including an Academy Award for ''A Little Romance'' (1980), three C� ...

(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 Viviane Romance (born Pauline Ronacher Ortmanns; 4 July 1912 – 25 September 1991) was a French actress. Viviane Romance was born in Roubaix, France. She began her career as a dancer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris and was elected Miss Paris of 193 ...

(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

chanson A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic s ...

nier * Jules Gressier (1897–1960): conductor * Francis Bousquet (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 (1994–):

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

* Saoussen Boudiaf (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 (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 Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

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 (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 midfielder. His brother, Sebastien, is one of the main players of the French national rink hockey team. Honours Lille *UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2004 Paris Saint-Germain *Coupe ...

(1977–): football

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

* 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 Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

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 ''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...

Alain Bondue Alain Bondue (born 8 April 1959 in Roubaix, France) is a former racing cyclist from France. He competed for France in the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Re ...

(1959–):

racing cyclist Cycle sport is Competition, 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 ...

Jean-Christian Lang Jean-Christian Lang (born 22 August 1950 in Roubaix) is a French football manager and former player. Lang began his playing career with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, playing three Ligue 1 matches, before leaving to play in Ligue 2 with CS Louhans-C ...

(1950–): football manager and former player * Jacques Carette (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 Prudent Joye (15 December 1913 – 1 November 1980) was a French track and field athlete who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles. He competed for France at the 1936 Summer Olympics and won gold at the 1938 European Athletics Championship ...

(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 Arthur Balbaert (27 May 1879 – 14 October 1938) was a Belgian sports shooter who competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics and the 1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Game ...

(1879–1938): Belgian

sports shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such as ...

Politicians and professionals

Karima Delli Karima Delli (born 4 March 1979 in Roubaix, Nord) is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament elected in the 2009 European election, 2014 European elections and in the 2019 European elections for the Île-de-France constituen ...

(1979–): politician,

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

* Florence Morlighem (1970–): politician,

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

* Olivier Henno (1962–): politician, mayor of

Saint-André-lez-Lille Saint-André-lez-Lille (, literally ''Saint-André near Lille''; Dutch: ''Sint-Andries'' or ''Sint-Andries-Rijsel'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Population Heraldr ...

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

* Marie-Christine Blandin (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 The Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Havre (Latin: ''Dioecesis Portus Gratiae''; French: ''Diocèse du Havre'') is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in 1974, the episcopal see is Le Havre Cathedral in the city 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 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 legislature of France. The French Senate is made up of 348 senators (''sénateurs'' a ...

, representing the Nord department *

Bernard Arnault Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault (; born 5 March 1949) is a French business magnate, investor, and art collector. He is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE, the world's largest luxury ...

(1949–): business magnate, investor and art collector * Bruno Masure (1947–): journalist, news anchor and television presenter *

Auguste Mimerel Auguste Mimerel (1 June 1786 – 16 April 1871) was a French industrialist and politician. He was owner of a large cotton mill, and was active in industry associations. He supported the use of child labor, and was in favor of high tariffs to prote ...

(1786–1871), industrialist and politician *

Gérard Mulliez Gérard Paul Louis Marie-Joseph Mulliez (born 13 May 1931) is a French entrepreneur. He is the founder of the Auchan chain of department stores. Early life Gérard Mulliez was born on 13 May 1931 in Roubaix, France. His father, 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 Robert Diligent (16 June 1924 – 3 January 2014) was a French journalist. Born in Roubaix, he began his career in journalism in 1959 and was best known for being one of the founding members of Télé Luxembourg. He retired in 1993. Rober ...

(1924–2014): journalist, founding members of ''Télé Luxembourg'' *

Francis Pollet Francis Pollet (born 5 May 1964 at Roubaix), is a French professor and General officer. From March 2017 to the 30th of June 2022, he is the director-general of the ''Institut polytechnique des sciences avancées'' (French private aerospace unive ...

(1964-): general officer * André Diligent (1919–2002): lawyer and politician,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

resistance activist, deputy to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

, senator-mayor of Roubaix * Marcel Verfaillie (1911–1945): communist militant,

resistance activist against

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

, died in concentration camp * Pierre Herman (1910–1990): politician, deputy to the National Assembly *

Pierre Pflimlin Pierre Eugène Jean Pflimlin (; 5 February 1907 – 27 June 2000) was a French Christian Democrat politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic for a few weeks in 1958, before being replaced by Charles de Gaulle during the ...

(1907–2000): lawyer and politician, last

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

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 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

during World War I * Jules Dumont (1888–1943): communist militant, commanded the ''Commune de Paris Battalion'', a unit part of the

XI International Brigade The XI International Brigade fought for the Spanish Second Republic in the Spanish Civil War. It would become especially renowned for providing desperately needed support in the darkest hours of the Republican defense of Madrid on 8 November 193 ...

Jean Prouvost Jean Prouvost (24 April 1885, Roubaix – 18 October 1978, Yvoy-le-Marron) was a businessman, media owner and French politician. Prouvost was best known for building and owning the publications that became ''France-Soir'', ''Paris Match'', and '' ...

(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 (1865–1945):

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

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

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 Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...

and co-founder of

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 *

(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 (1933–2008): physician and society co-founder *Marie Léonie Vanhoutte (1888–1967): French Resistance movement, resistance fighter and secret-agent during

Scientists

* Stanislas Dehaene (1965–): cognitive psychologist, professor at the Collège de France and author * Bernard Amadei (1954–): professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Colorado, founder of Engineers Without Borders (USA) * Dominique Mulliez (1952–): Epigraphy, epigrapher, Archaeology, archaeologist and Classics, Hellenist * Marguerite Dupire (1920–2015): Ethnology, ethnologist * Robert Jonckhèere (1888–1974): astronomer * Joseph Willot (1875–1919): pharmacist and World War I resistance activist

Writers

* Marie Desplechin (1959–): writer and journalist * Pierre Pierrard (1920–2005): historian * Michel Décaudin (1919–2004): Romance languages, Romance Linguistics, 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 (1907–1951): writer * Maurice Nédoncelle (1905–1976): Personalism, personalist philosopher * Yanette Delétang-Tardif (1902–1976): poet * Amédée Prouvost (1877–1909): poet * Jules Feller (1859–1940): Romance linguist and Philology, philologist, Belgian academician and Wallonia, 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 Roubaix, Communes of Nord (French department) French Flanders