Art house

摘要

I had not heard of Lens, an industrial centre in the Pas-de-Calais (three-quarters of an hour or so south-west of Lille by car or train) until a few years ago when startling rumours about a proposed branch of the Louvre there began filtering into the press. The region had come in for some attention about the same time, since Lille had been named European City of Culture for 2004. Despite the desolate, windy, new Euro-Lille terminus, the city centre still has dignity and retains much of its Vauban fortifications. The monumental Palais des Beaux Arts has a famous collection - but a branch of the Louvre in the region was unexpected.