Chemin de la Vieille Ferme

In 1667, the Chemin de la Vieille Ferme in Lille wasn’t just a road. It was a front-row seat to history. Imagine the scene: the fields surrounding Lille scarred by war, the Spanish governor Spinola holed up within the city walls. The French army, led by the famed Marshal Turenne, lay siege. Amidst this chaos, a sturdy farmhouse stood defiant on the Chemin de Lannoy, spared from Spinola’s scorched-earth tactics. This wasn’t just any farm. This was the very farm that would soon become known as “La Ferme Louis XIV”. Turenne, recognizing the farm’s strategic location, made it his headquarters. The farmer, no fan of Spinola, gladly assisted the French, revealing secret routes into Lille. One such path led through the Long-Pot area, known for its marshes teeming with wild ducks. When Louis XIV heard of this, he left his camp in Loos and moved to the Fives farmhouse on Chemin de Lannoy, sleeping there for several nights. He found the tale of the ducks amusing and intriguing. The farmhouse became the nerve center of the siege. From here, the King directed operations, culminating in Lille’s surrender on August 27th. Spinola agreed to capitulate, ensuring the city’s transition to French control was relatively peaceful. Keen to commemorate the victory, Louis XIV chose a symbolic location to sign the peace treaty: the very farmhouse that had sheltered him. He even commissioned the painter Adam-François van der Meulen to capture the scene of Lille’s capture from Fives. Thus, the farmhouse on Chemin de la Vieille Ferme earned its royal name. A charming anecdote adds a touch of culinary history to the tale. The farmer, flustered by the honor of hosting the King, worried about providing a suitable meal. Louis XIV’s steward, the renowned Vatel, came to the rescue, suggesting they utilize the ducks from the Dondaines marshes. The King reportedly feasted on succulent duck terrines paired with Spanish wine, plentiful in newly conquered Lille. Sadly, the original Ferme Louis XIV no longer stands. A fire in 1897 partially destroyed it, leaving only a tower standing. Even this last vestige was demolished in 1920, a loss lamented by the Grand Hebdomadaire Illustré of the time. Though the farm is gone, the Chemin de la Vieille Ferme echoes with its story. Later, an establishment at 125 rue de Lannoy, the farm’s former location, paid homage to the past with the name “A la Ferme Louis XIV”. Though the businesses have changed over the years, the name remains, a quiet reminder of the time when a simple farmhouse on Chemin de la Vieille Ferme played host to a king and witnessed the changing of an empire.