Lens: Louvre-Lens, Art Deco and Routes

Lens offers several points of interest for a stay: the collections at the Louvre-Lens, the architecture of the city centre and a route for outdoor exercise. When choosing a hotel, it may be helpful to first decide which focus will shape your trip. The museum spaces offer different emphases, while Place Jean-Jaurès and the Art Deco route draw attention to the cityscape. A 15 km route in the Parc des Berges de la Souchez is another option.

Louvre-Lens: chronological and thematic approaches

The Galerie du temps displays more than 250 masterpieces from the Louvre. Loans from national collections and contemporary perspectives complement the selection. The free chronological display is presented in a single open space of 3,000 m²; its selection may be regularly renewed. The gallery thus combines a chronological arrangement with a changing selection. The Pavillon de verre offers a different focus: it is a space for temporary exhibitions that broaden engagement with the Louvre collections through thematic approaches. When sorting out your museum interests, you can therefore distinguish between a chronological display and changing thematic approaches.

Art Deco and the historic centre

Place Jean-Jaurès forms the historic centre of Lens. The church of Saint-Léger dominates the square, which is also the town hall square. The buildings feature regionalist, classical and Art Deco façades; the church is the only building to have been faithfully rebuilt. The square thus brings together several façade styles and the church within the historic centre. When looking at the architecture, the focus here is not just on a single style, but on the different façades that shape the square.

An Art Deco route leads through the city centre and can be explored with a guide, using the free Guidigo smartphone app, or with an accompanying booklet. During a guided tour, the Art Deco façades are used to tell the story of Lens’s reconstruction after the First World War. The tour explicitly links the façades to this historical account; the app and booklet are other ways to follow the route. Tour arrangements and materials may be updated. Therefore, check the available options before your trip and ask about the availability of a guided tour.

Landscape and exercise

The Parc du Louvre-Lens covers 20 hectares and was designed by landscape architect Catherine Mosbach in close collaboration with SANAA. It is a key entrance to the museum and is intended as a shared gathering place for local residents and tourists. This means that, alongside the exhibition spaces, the landscape design and intended shared use are also worth considering. If your trip takes in both exhibitions and public gathering spaces, these aspects offer different but complementary points of interest.

Another activity in Lens is the route in the Parc des Berges de la Souchez. It runs for 15 km from Lens to 9-9bis and can be enjoyed on foot, running, Nordic walking or by bicycle. The options listed range from walking and running to cycling, so the route is not limited to just one form of exercise. As surface conditions may vary, take them into account when planning.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Leulinghen-Bernes, Laventie, Carvin, Wissant, Campagne, Saint-Georges, Clerques, Marœuil.

For the overview of the wider region: Pas-De-Calais.