LILLE, Id, France, an important town, capital of the department of the Nord and chief fortress of the north, 154 miles north of Paris and seven miles from the frontier of Belgium. It is well built and has spacious, regular streets, lined with large, massive houses. In the north west of the town stands the citadel, a master piece of Vauban. New fortifications include a circle of detached forts. Among the churches are Saint Maurice, in the flamboyant style, re cently restored; Notre Dame de la Treille, in 13th century Gothic; Saint Catherine; the Madelainc; and the Protestant Church. Among secular buildings are the Hotel de Ville, with rich collections of pictures, drawings, etc.; the exchange (1652) ; the prefecture; the palace of justice; the arsenal; the Paris Gate, a trium phal arch in honor of Louis XIV; the general hospital; the theatre; and the concert-hall. Lille possesses a state university with four 'faculties," a Roman Catholic university, ly ceum, communal college, school of art, con servatory of music, public library of 100,000 volumes, botanic garden, zoological garden, etc. The industries include cotton spinning and weaving, fine linen thread, linen and cotton twist, broadcloth, beet-sugar (raw and refined), soap, oil, ribbons, tulles, tobacco-factories, en gine-works, foundries, dye-works, bleach-fields, breweries and distilleries. Its situation on the
frontier and extensive railway and water com munication made Lille a great entre* of trade. Lille is said to have originated in 1030, when Count Baldwin IV of Flanders fortified the little settlement around the castle of Buc. From this as a nucleus, the town grew rapidly until it gained communal privileges. Its his tory has been a stormy one. It was destroyed in 1213 by Philip Augustus, rebuilt by Joanna, Countess of Flanders, and was retaken in 1297. It was finally given to the king of France in 1312. It became a Burgundian possession through Margaret, wife of Philip the Bold, during which regime it grew in prestige. It fell into Austrian and then into Spanish power and was finally recaptured by Louis XIV of France in 1667. Captured in 1708, it was re stored to France by the Treaty of Utrecht. The Austrians were unable to conquer it in 1792. In 1914, after a stubborn resistance by the al lied English, French and Belgian armies, dur ing which the city changed hands many times, Lille was captured by the Germans and a heavy tribute was exacted. See WAR, EURO PEAN.