Remember the name Waterloz. That’s what Wattrelos was called back in 1030. Today we explore Wattrelos, a town with a rich history near Lille. It sits right on the Belgian-French border. Wattrelos is not just any town. It’s the fifth-largest part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
Wattrelos shares borders with Roubaix. It also borders Tourcoing and Leers in France. Across the border in Belgium, it’s next to Mouscron and Estaimpuis. This location has shaped Wattrelos for centuries.
Imagine Wattrelos long ago. It was a key point between kingdoms. The area shifted between the County of Flanders and the Kingdom of France. It also belonged to the Spanish Netherlands. Then it was part of the Southern Netherlands.
The people of Wattrelos have an interesting nickname. They are called “Les coupés en deux”. This means “the cut in two”. It comes from old houses with doors that only showed half of a person.
Wattrelos has varied geography. The lowest point is 16.2 meters. The highest is 45 meters. The town covers 13.44 square kilometers.
The Roubaix Canal runs along Wattrelos’s southern edge. Since 2009, it’s open for boats again. The Espierre River also flows through Wattrelos. It starts in Mouvaux and joins the Wattrelos stream.
The climate here is interesting. It’s partly oceanic and partly continental. Expect moderate sunshine and regular rainfall. Winters are usually cold.
Wattrelos is mainly urban. Artificial surfaces cover much of the land. There are industrial zones and communication networks. Still, some areas remain for farming.
In 1908, Wattrelos got its first cinema. Paul Jacobs opened it on Carnot Street. He also invented a washing machine called “La Merveilleuse”. It was very popular in the 1920s.
Since 2002, Wattrelos has been divided into three neighborhood councils. These represent the northern, central, and southern areas. A priority district is Le Crétinier. It’s part of a national program for urban renewal.
Wattrelos has good transportation. Several bus lines serve the town. A cross-border line connects to Mouscron in Belgium. The Wattrelos train station closed in the 1980s.
The name Wattrelos may come from “waterloos”. This old Dutch word means “without water”. But Alexandre Pruvost suggested it means a wooded height surrounded by water.
Back in 1030, Wattrelos belonged to Allowyn. He gave Wattrelos to the Ghent abbey of Saint-Bavon. By the 14th century, textile crafts appeared alongside farming.
Wattrelos had many small estates. Most belonged to the abbey in Ghent. These included manors and farms. They had names like La Honuière and Le Gauquier.
For centuries, different kingdoms fought over the Lille region. This included Wattrelos. In 1477, King Louis XI’s soldiers looted the area. In 1566, religious wars led to a massacre in a local church.
In 1667, Louis XIV took Lille. This made Flanders French. Wattrelos then had a 12 km border to guard. The first map of the village was made in 1730.
During the French Revolution, Wattrelos saw the Battle of Tourcoing in 1794. The mid-1800s brought industrial growth. The Leclerq-Dupire company started a textile business. Factories drew people in. New neighborhoods appeared.
In 1907, a Paris journalist described Wattrelos as poor. The mayor said they had little money per resident. Basic needs were the priority.
The Beaulieu church was built in 1909. A new city hall came in 1911. Tram lines helped workers travel to factories in Roubaix. New factories appeared.
During World War I, German troops occupied Wattrelos from 1914-1918. Mayor Henri Briffaut was arrested and deported.
A sad event occurred in 1925. Thirteen young people from Wattrelos drowned during a summer camp.
Wattrelos faced German occupation again in 1940-1944. Some residents joined the resistance.
In late, a communist mayor, François Mériaux, was elected. The 1970s saw peak industrial activity. Many textile factories operated but later closed. Housing developments also grew.
The Kuhlmann chemical factory closed in the 1970s-80s. It left behind chemical waste hills.
Wattrelos’s coat of arms features a lion. It is striped with silver and red.
Today, Wattrelos is twinned with several cities. These include Eschweiler and Köthen in Germany. It also includes Guarda in Portugal. Other twin cities are Mohács in Hungary. Siemianowice Śląskie in Poland and Solca in Romania.
Wattrelos continues to evolve. It balances its industrial past with new opportunities. It remains a town shaped by its location. It is defined by its resilient people.