Villeneuve-d'Ascq, Administrative division in Nord department, France.
Villeneuve-d'Ascq is a commune in the Nord department of the Métropole Européenne de Lille in northern France. This administrative area includes several districts, among them the historic core of Ascq, residential neighborhoods from the 1970s, and extensive campus grounds with dormitories and research facilities.
This administrative unit was created in 1970 through the official merger of Ascq, Annappes and Flers-lez-Lille to manage urban expansion toward the east. The new residential and university districts were built in the following years on land previously used for farming.
The city was formed by merging three villages and takes its name from one of these former parishes. Today visitors encounter both rural districts with brick houses and modern university quarters with contemporary architecture.
The commune connects through several stops on the automated VAL metro line to the center of Lille, with regular service throughout the day. Visitors will find cafes and student restaurants around the university, while the older village cores host small shops and bakeries.
The district of Ascq was the site of a massacre by German troops in April 1944, now commemorated by a memorial center. The old village core preserves its rural layout with narrow lanes and farmhouses, while universities and laboratories shape the surrounding landscape.
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