Tourism :
Valenciennes, "Athens of the North", accounts 8 monuments classified "Monuments
Historiques" and 23 monuments registered on "the additional inventory of the Monuments Historiques"
of which:
• The Tower of Dodenne (XIVth century) intended to forbid the access to battlement
ruined at the end of XIXth century.
• The Church St Géry (XIIth century) built in the style "Troubadour"
(Romantic Gothic) by Franciscans.
• The Municipal Library (XVIIIth century) preserves the oldest manuscript written
in French.
The Park of Rhônelle, created in 1894, is a statutory landscape garden of the
valenciennois artists.
The Museum of the “Beaux Arts” holds the 2nd national collection of the
Flemish paintings after the “Louvre” and reveals a local archeological collection. From
October 5th, 2007 till January 20th, 2008, it will shelter an exhibition dedicated to Pharaoh,
in association with the Museum of the “Louvre”, 222 works among which 99
from the Museum of Cairo.
The Phoenix Theatre notably welcomes the International Festival of the Action and
Adventures movie (in March), classified among 10 better festivals of cinema in France.
Near Valenciennes:
The Historic Centre of the Mine in Lewarde (34 km), real preservative mine and the
North Pas de Calais area memory, recounts the miners’ daily life, their working conditions and
explains the job change.
Playful and sports activities:
Nungesser Stadium, the den e of the league 1 football club "Valenciennes Football
Club (VFC)" .Golf (9 cups), ice rink, tennis, fencing, swimming pools, riding schools, aeronautical
centre, marina, leisure centres, cinemas and bowling, casino …
