Place des Buisses

Gazing across Place des Buisses, can you envision the hustle and bustle of a bygone era? Place des Buisses, a triangular public space, sits nestled beside Lille-Flandres train station. This seemingly unassuming square holds a secret, a story woven into the very fabric of Lille. Place des Buisses wasn’t always the open space you see today. It began as a small area carved out in 1846, providing access to the newly built Lille train station. Imagine horse-drawn carriages clattering across the cobblestones, passengers hurrying to catch their steam-powered train. Place des Buisses, named after the lead pipes (“buisses”) that once brought fresh water from Fives to Lille, played a crucial role in the city’s growth. The original water system, established in 1285, fed the city’s fountains and provided much-needed drinking water. Place des Buisses, in its early days, was constrained by the city’s fortifications. These ramparts, built between 1617 and 1622, limited the square’s size. The square’s cramped conditions meant the station’s facade practically touched the buildings across the street. Narrow streets leading to the Grand’Place created traffic bottlenecks. By the 1860s, the increased traffic necessitated change. A larger station and a new square were constructed in 1867. The old Place de la Gare was then renamed Place des Buisses. Place des Buisses continued to evolve. In the 1950s, the demolition of the old fortifications opened up space for expansion. Six new railway tracks were added to the station, a post office sorting facility was built, and even a heliport was established. This heliport, with daily flights to Brussels, operated until 1963 before being replaced by a bus station. In the 1980s, Place des Buisses underwent another transformation. The surrounding Élite district, with its dilapidated 17th and 18th-century houses, was razed. Modern office buildings, like the CIC Nord-Ouest bank headquarters, rose in its place. Today, Place des Buisses serves as a vital transportation hub. The avenue Le Corbusier stretches from the square towards Lille-Europe station. A multimodal exchange point handles numerous Ilévia bus lines. Place des Buisses, from its humble beginnings, has become a vital link between Lille’s past and its future.