La Piscine de Roubaix is an emblematic museum of the city of Lille. Inaugurated in 2001, it is located on the site of an ancient Art Deco swimming pool, built in 1932 by the progressive architect Albert Baert. The swimming pool was considered one of the most modern in Europe until it closed in 1985 for safety reasons. A fountain at the heart of the museum reminds us of its primary function.
In 2016, major expansion work was launched, as the 60,000-person capacity was no longer sufficient for the more than 200,000 visitors who strolled through each year.
The renovation project by Jean-Paul Philippon (the architect who helped transform the Gare d'Orsay into a museum) included the creation of a new 1,600 m2 wing, the renovation of 700 m2 of the existing museum, the creation of a room devoted to the history of Roubaix, a gallery dedicated to the history of modern sculpture and a second room for temporary exhibitions.
After a weekend of festivities, La Piscine closed its doors in April 2018 for a period of 6 months in order to refurbish all the spaces (such as those newly reserved for the textile collection or artistic workshops for young audiences). This enabled a major restoration, inventory and installation project to be carried out without disturbing the public.
After its long-awaited reopening on October 20, 2018, the enlarged La Piscine has maintained the rhythm of 3 seasons of annual exhibitions. The inspiring program continues to encourage regular visits to this museum, where the permanent collections are also extremely rich.
This is undoubtedly one of the keys to the dazzling success of this one-of-a-kind museum: within 3 months of its reopening, visitor numbers had doubled, and by 2024, almost 300,000 admirers of art and architecture had entered this art deco jewel!
Whether you're just passing through Lille (from where the museum can be reached in just 1/4 hour by metro) or are a regular visitor, don't hesitate to come and discover the new look of this cultural landmark in the Hauts-de-France region (joint booking possible with another nearby must-see site, the Villa Cavrois).
Find out more about the museum.
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