Valenciennes is a city in Le Nord remarkable for its history, its traditions and for its lace, which gave it its artistic reputation. The facade of the Municipal Library in Valenciennes features large bull's eye windows, characteristic of the regional style. This building contains one of France's finest collections of manuscripts. Take a short walk down Rue des Sayneurs and you will find yourself back in the Middle Ages. It is without any doubt the narrowest street in Valenciennes, and all its houses date from the end of the XVIIth century. Along Boulevard Carpeaux, one of the finest in Valenciennes, you will see the Dodenne Tower, the last vestige of the fortifications in the last century.
