Place du Théâtre, Square in central Lille, France
Place du Théâtre is a public square in the heart of Lille, framed by some of the city's most recognizable buildings. On one side stands the neo-Flemish facade of the Palais de la Bourse with its tall belfry, while the 17th-century Vieille Bourse and the Opera face it from the other side.
The square was born in the 17th century from a large market area that was split in two when the Vieille Bourse was built. After a fire in 1903 destroyed the original theater that gave the square its name, the architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier designed the current Opera and the Palais de la Bourse to replace what was lost.
The square sits between the historic Vieux-Lille district and the modern city center, and it works today as a natural meeting point. Cafés with outdoor seating line the edges, where locals sit and watch the flow of people passing by.
The square is open at all times and free to walk through, and it is easily reached on foot from the Lille-Flandres and Rihour train stations. In the evening, the facades of the surrounding buildings are lit up, making a stroll through the area particularly rewarding at that hour.
Cannonballs are embedded in the walls of facades around the square, a practice found across central Lille. Some have been repainted in bright colors like pink over the years, turning an old military detail into something closer to a local joke.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
