Porte de Roubaix
17th-century city gate
Porte de Roubaix, also known as Porte Saint-Maurice, is a city gate that was part of the city’s fortifications constructed between 1617 and 1622. Inaugurated in 1625, it was later modified with the addition of two lateral arches in 1875 to accommodate a tramway.
The gate’s interior facade features intricately crafted polychrome brickwork and stone-framed windows, while its exterior showcases a crenellated cornice and grooves for the former drawbridge mechanism.
Porte de Roubaix was classified as a historic monument in 1929.
Built during the 17th-century expansion of the city walls, it replaced the older Porte des Reignaux, situated north of place de Reignaux, which was demolished during the construction of the new ramparts between 1617 and 1622.
Preserved by Vauban during his fortification reconfigurations from 1668, the gate underwent further modifications over the years, including the addition of tramway access in 1875 and a complete renovation for the Lille 2004 cultural event.
The gate served as a vital passage until the opening of Boulevard Carnot in 1909, diverting traffic away from its vicinity. In the mid-1990s, traffic was redirected, and the gate was closed to vehicles, although it remained accessible to pedestrians, providing a gateway to Parc Henri Matisse and Euralille.
Visiting Porte de Roubaix
Porte de Roubaix is close to Parc Henri Matisse and the Mama Shelter hotel and it is just a short distance north of Gare Lille Flanders, and west of Gare Lille Europe, with both stations only a 6–7-minute walk from here.
It is only a 10-minute walk from the heart of the city centre and most points of interest in Vieux Lille are a 10–15-minute walk from here.
The gate can only be viewed from the outside and it is not possible to go inside.
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Place Saint-Hubert, 59000 Lille
Metro Lille Flandres (lines 1 and 2), Lille Europe (line 2) Tram R, T (stop: Lille Flandres, Lille Europe) Bus 9, 14, 50, 51, 86, 88, L90, L91 (stop: Gare Lille Flandres)
