Women “Dominance”
The square also has a rather special point. You have to pay attention to notice: Women “dominate” here. In the middle of the square stands a statue of a woman made of bronze on top of a marble column, holding a fuse for a cannon; the locals named it the “Goddess Column.” The column was erected in 1845 to commemorate the siege of 1792 by the Austrian invading army, which the soldiers and citizens of Lille City successfully resisted.
Then there are the three gilded statues of women on the building constructed in 1936, named after the newspaper Voix du Nord, representing the three provinces of the region: Artois, Flanders, and Hainaut.
The editorial office of the largest newspaper in the region occupies only a small area in the building named after it. The building houses quite a few offices of various companies. The ground floor is reserved for various shops selling everything from cameras to fashion clothing, not to mention a few small restaurants serving a couple of fast food items like burgers. In addition, this is the location of the luxurious Carlton Hotel, a high-end hotel; budget travelers certainly do not stay in such hotels and choose more affordable accommodations outside the square area.
Next, you can find Grande Garde, a building constructed in 171 to serve as the residence for the royal guard. The facade of the building is in classical architecture, made of white stone and sandstone. It has been classified as a historical monument since 1925. Currently, this place occasionally lights up because the Northern Theater – Théâtre du Nord is based here.
Generally speaking, the buildings surrounding the square come together to resemble a panoramic view of the architecture of the city of Lille, spanning from the 17th century to the 20th century. In the 21st century, no one is demolishing or building grotesque high-rise buildings here as is often seen in some Southeast Asian cities…
Place de la République is surrounded on one side by an administrative building, the workplace of the Northern France Administrative Region, and on the other side by the art museum – Palais des Beaux-Arts. I once went there and first entered the basement, where I admired the raised relief maps, through which I gained a general understanding of the 15 towns with their fortified defensive rings in this northern region of France and even part of Belgium in previous centuries.
Since 1892, the Palais des Beaux-Arts has owned the second-largest collection of artworks in France, second only to the Louvre Museum. Those who take a tour of France, when they arrive in Paris, will be taken to the Louvre Museum and… stand in line for hours! Meanwhile, with the Palais des Beaux-Arts, it is not at all such a hassle.
The Palais des 
