This industrial city in northern France is home to the Louvre-Lens museum and RC Lens football club. Its mining past shaped local culture and architecture.
Lens, a city in northern France, welcomes visitors with the glass-and-aluminum Louvre-Lens Museum, the towering 186-meter slag heaps, and the energetic atmosphere of RC Lens football matches. You can walk through Art Deco buildings on Rue de Paris, visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial nearby, or try local dishes like carbonnade flamande at cafes around Place Jean-Jaurès.
The Modern Louvre in an Industrial Setting
The Louvre-Lens Museum stretches 360 meters across a former mine site. In the main Galerie du Temps, you'll find 200 artworks from the Paris Louvre displayed in a single open space spanning 120 meters. Unlike traditional museums, there are no walls between different time periods or civilizations, letting you experience 5,000 years of art history in one continuous walk. The museum rotates about 20% of its collection each year. You can take walking paths through the surrounding park, where old mining equipment remains as reminders of the site's past.
Exploring the Mining Legacy
The twin slag heaps in Loos-en-Gohelle rise 186 meters above ground level. These artificial hills now support local plant species and small animals, and one heap contains a vineyard producing "charbonnay" wine. At the 11/19 mining site, you can see two preserved mine shafts and original machinery. Walk through the former mining neighborhoods to see how house sizes reflected the social hierarchy - from workers' small row houses to managers' larger detached homes.
Football Culture and Stadium Experience
The 38,000-seat Bollaert-Delelis Stadium anchors Lens's football scene. Local miners built the stadium in 1932, and today RC Lens matches fill it with red-and-gold-clad supporters. On match days, fans gather at bars and restaurants around Place Jean-Jaurès before heading to the game. You'll see team colors throughout the city, painted on walls and decorating shop windows.
Regional Food and Drink
The local cuisine combines French cooking with Flemish influences. Try carbonnade flamande, a rich beef stew made with beer and brown sugar, or potjevleesch, a cold meat terrine typically served with fries. The Saint-Germain brewery makes Page 24 beer, and many traditional cafes serve ch'ti, the local beer style.
Getting Around and Day Trips
Direct trains run from Lens to Paris (80 minutes), Lille (40 minutes), and Arras (15 minutes). You can walk between most city center attractions within 20 minutes. Local buses connect to nearby towns. The Canadian National Vimy Memorial and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, France's largest military cemetery, make worthwhile day trips from Lens.
