Lily is a symbol of purity, a flower with a rich history. Lille in France - an amazing and fabulous city In the depths of history

Lily cities will save humanity from the Flood. Eco-city made of polyester fibers coated with a layer of titanium dioxide.

The planet is warming, glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, and this will lead to mass migration of people from low-lying areas to other continental regions. To do this, the architect Vincent Callebaut designed the self-sufficient floating cities of Lilypads (lily cities).Each city can accommodate up to 50 thousand. people, and taking into account that up to 25 million inhabitants of the planet will be under the threat of flooding, Callebo worked thoroughly.
Inspired by the shape of a lily, he created an eco-city from polyester fibers coated with a layer of titanium dioxide. What is such a large-scale "ship"? Of course, a mountain of electronics and completely "green" solutions. So, the "double skin" of the structure is made of high-strength polyester fiber coated with a layer of titanium dioxide. The latter, under the influence of ultraviolet, decomposes atmospheric pollutants through a photocatalytic reaction.
On an area of ​​50 thousand square meters there will be work surfaces, shops, residential areas; hanging gardens and aquaculture will be below water level. Cities should work on renewable energy sources: solar panels, wind and tidal energy, etc. Their launch is scheduled for 2058.

Italy is one of the most attractive countries for tourists, as its cultural riches and historical monuments seem endless. Each of the travelers chooses their Italian city, but once they see the coat of arms, its beauty, they understand that this is the place where you definitely need to visit.

true beauty

The main official symbol of the city is a vivid reminder of the historical past, rich culture, masterpieces of painting, sculpture and architecture.

The coat of arms of Florence can also be assessed from an artistic point of view, the main opinion of art critics is that it is impeccable. This also applies to the selection of colors, and the selected characters, and their compositional placement.

Firstly, there is an amazing harmony of colors - silver, chosen for the shield, and scarlet, for the main composition. However, scarlet has tones and shades, which makes the image seem three-dimensional, alive.

Secondly, the coat of arms depicts two graceful lilies that look like royalty, their stems, leaves and petals are gracefully curved. These flowers, which are a symbol of the monarchy, are located against the background of the crown, its lateral ends are bent down. As experts in the field of heraldry explain, this is a kind of symbol of admiration for true beauty.

In the depths of history

Royal lilies are a symbol, first of all, of the Frankish court, representatives of the French royal dynasties. The image of flowers was present in various heraldic signs and coats of arms of representatives of the nobility.

Historians hint that thanks to the French king Louis XI, the lily flower first adorned the coat of arms of the Medici family, some of whose representatives more than once acted as rulers of Florence. Therefore, it is not surprising that the lily "grew" on the official symbol of this city.

Symbolism of lilies

The main difference between the Florentine lilies, depicted on the coat of arms of the capital, from their French "colleagues" is that they have a different shape, these representatives of the royal flora are depicted at the peak of their heyday (not in buds). Next to them they always write the motto of the city - "Like a lily in bloom, so Florence flourishes."

Lily has been revered since ancient times, poets composed hymns and poems, artists captured it in their masterpieces. Based on this flower, hundreds of decorative ornaments appeared. The plant symbolizes life and death, snow-white lily in many nations is associated with purity and innocence, red - with wealth and fertility.

Today the world is concerned about three main problems: global warming, the price of oil and the food crisis. We couldn't resist talking about the first point. Especially since we came across such an elegant, if not glamorous, solution to the problem of flooding a decent part of the land.

In the twentieth century, the total rise in the level of the world's seas was only ten centimeters, while all fifty are predicted for the current century! (But for this it is enough for only 1% of the Antarctic ice to melt.)

The French architect of Belgian origin Vincent Callebaut, already known to our readers, was imbued with the lamentations of environmentalists and decided to create Lilypad. He describes his brainchild in a simple way: “a floating ecopolis for climate refugees.”

"Biotech" Lilypad will travel from the equator to the poles, following the sea currents. Vincent does not say anything about whether the amphibian city can “stand” in one place or choose the direction of its movement (illustration by Vincent Callebaut).

The giant lily city is designed for 50,000 inhabitants, the same "emigrants" who will flee from the effects of global warming from the mainland. True, according to the forecasts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an organization established under the UN in 1988, up to 25 million inhabitants of our planet may find themselves in a disaster zone. Therefore, Callebo did his best, planning the possible future of a significant part of the population of the Earth.

Outwardly, Lilypad is very similar to a floating leaf of a water lily (namely, the largest of them - the Amazonian). Hence the name of the entire project, and even to some extent its internal structure.

In all its glory and in accordance with all standards. By the way, if you look closely, you can see three marinas under the first tier (illustration by Philippe Steels/pixelab).

What is such a large-scale "ship"? Of course, a mountain of electronics and completely "green" solutions. So, the "double skin" of the structure is made of high-strength polyester fiber coated with a layer of titanium dioxide. The latter, under the influence of ultraviolet, decomposes atmospheric pollutants through a photocatalytic reaction.

To this we add solar panels, wind and tidal energy, the energy of the Earth's biomass, water purification using the phenomenon of reverse osmosis and phyto-purification, and so on and so forth. In general, a complete list. It is unlikely that Vincent thought through everything to the smallest detail. But the area (about 500 thousand square meters) will undoubtedly make it possible to install any installations on the Lilypad that will bring at least some benefit to the inhabitants of the "ecopolis".

“I took everything from nature,” Vincent Callebaut admits plagiarism without hesitation. Well, let! The giant "descendant" of the lily will save the inhabitants of New York, Bombay, Calcutta, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Miami, Lagos and Abidjan, Jakarta and Egyptian Alexandria (photo from vincent.callebaut.org).

Afloat, the three-humped colossus will be stabilized by ballast, which is actually a lagoon located in the center of Lilypad and filled with fresh water. It is completely submerged in the ocean, and rainwater will be collected and processed in it. Well, let's take the author's word for it. It remains to be hoped that rains can be "found" even in the arid regions of the planet (of course, if they remain on Earth by 2100).

Idyll, and more! Callebo dreams of close to ideal relationships between nature and man (illustrations by Philippe Steels/pixelab).

According to Kallebo, it is unlikely that giant amphibious cities will be mass-produced on the planet before 2058, so we will focus on the beginning of the next century, for a round count.

So. What else is interesting with this peculiar pool? Oh yes, it has a complex structure. On its surface, facing the ocean, "gardens" of marine plants will be located, and people will live and researchers of marine flora and fauna will work in the thickness of the walls themselves.

Uruguay, Egypt, Holland, Bangladesh and Oceania will be the first to be affected by the “strike of the elements”, according to IPCC. This is how Callebaut sees 2058 in the Maldives (illustrations by Vincent Callebaut and Philippe Steels/pixelab).

A variety of living creatures and vegetation will be located inside the ecopolis. Callebo suggests using the numerous hanging gardens and farms. After all, the city will have to fully provide itself with everything necessary, which means that each Lilypad will be a small state with its own production, business and developed service sector.

It will not do without politics. She will definitely not perish by the end of time! People will have to establish new rights and norms for those residents that will be scattered around the "islands of hope" around the world, but this is the tenth question. Callebo and us, what to be modest, this is the last thing we are interested in.

Bird's eye view. This is what Lilypad families would look like off the coast of Monaco (illustration by Philippe Steels/pixelab).

There is another, much more interesting question. Wouldn't such artificial land be too expensive? But no one knows this yet. In any case, there will be buyers, Vincent has no doubts, especially in the face of a reduction in the area available for housing. And if the greats of this world do not become them, then the numerous advanced “green” ones will definitely tear off the apartments on Lilypad with their hands.

Vincent himself lacked the imagination to draw a night view of Lilypad, and his friend Philippe Steels from pixelab experimented with this theme with pleasure (illustration by Philippe Steels).

Well. A self-sufficient city-island is undoubtedly a good and necessary idea, but in reality, investors, as a rule, are more interested in smaller and slightly more realistic projects, for example

Lille is a historical region of French Flanders, the center of the northern region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, a city with a Flemish accent near the border with Belgium. That is why I chose this city for my trip. I thought a lot, looked at pictures on the Internet, did not know where to go in the spring. And then pictures of Lille caught my eye, reviews of tourists who visited this city.

I was delighted. A couple of days later I flew to Lille, a mysterious and fabulous city for me. Lille - France in the palm of your hand, that's how I would call the city.

For many centuries, textile production was the only thing that kept the city of Lille in the list of the most commercial cities. But one day, unable to withstand the pressure from the new times, the city surrendered.

But now it is one of the most cultural capitals of royal France, the main commercial and shopping center, a place of French students, but still we must pay tribute to this city: it is so beautiful, stunning and fascinating city that welcomes its guests so brightly that you even forget Why did you come here, because you didn’t want to go back at all.

How to get here?

The international airport is located 10 kilometers from the city center. It is here that regular international and domestic flights land: from Spain, Portugal, Morocco. This time I was flying from Spain, where an international conference was taking place for all of us journalists.

By the way, there are no direct flights from Russia. First you need to fly to the famous Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, take a train and come here, to Lille.

Twice an hour, high-speed trains run to Lille from the Gare du Nord. Travel time takes approximately one hour. And the fare is from 17 to 40 euros.

There is a second departure option - this is to fly to Brussels airport, which has a direct train connection with Lille. In just 40 minutes you can reach this charming city.

If you are going here from other cities in France, then you can get from Lyon (travel time 3 hours), Marseille (travel time 4 hours), Bordeaux (travel time 5 hours), Strasbourg (travel time takes 3 hours) .

For beloved Englishmen, there is a railway connection with London: a train moves through the mysterious tunnel under the English Channel, the journey takes only an hour.

Two large stations were built in Lille: Flemish and European. They are located 400 meters from each other.

What sights are worth seeing in Lille?

When I arrived from Spain to Lille, I was immediately struck by the atmosphere of the city: friendly people, half of the people generally walked around in multi-colored clothes, with a smile on their lips. For some reason, only here there was an atmosphere of calm, no one was in a hurry, as can be seen in other European countries, where no one sees except business and money.

From this wonderful atmosphere, I even got tired of smoking, and I went for a walk around the unfamiliar city of Lille, the sights that began to come across already at the first step.

The Grand Place, which is named after the famous French figure Charles de Gaulle

In the center of the city of Lille is the famous Grand Place, which is named after the famous French figure Charles de Gaulle. Here, in the center, stands a tall statue of one goddess, which symbolizes the heroism of the inhabitants of the city during an unstable situation in 1792.

The landmark of the city is the house where the famous Charles de Gaulle was born. Today, this house houses a museum. But I didn’t go to the museum, because I don’t like all these boring things. Let's go further.

I walked and walked from the central square and suddenly found myself in the quarters of ancient Lille, where today you can see expensive boutiques and shops in the newly restored quarters.

For people interested in history, ancient culture and the spiritual world of cities, there is one Museum of Fine Arts. It is the second of the leading museums after the Louvre in terms of size and richness of all the masterpieces of European painting, ancient monuments, sculpture and ceramics. The map of Lille has a lot of museums and historical centers.

The museum has paintings by famous artists - Rubens, Botticelli, Goya, Veronese. So you can safely walk around, admire the paintings and enjoy real creativity.

When I stopped at the Paris Gate, I immediately understood why they are so famous.

The construction was built a long time ago, when you were not yet born, on the day of the victory of Louis the 14th and the return of Lille.

On the right side, there is a statue of Hercules, which is a symbol of stability and reliability, and on the left, a statue of Mars, the magnificent and famous God of War.

I even took a picture against the backdrop of the gate and went on.

What is this city famous for?

Lille has won over many people with its markets, especially the Braderie market in September, where you can buy everything from food to paintings and technology. There is also a Christmas market.

The modern district of the city of Euralille, built relatively recently, is famous, and it is visited not only by residents of the city, but also by guests from all over the world. Even I visited it.

Do you know what the feature of this city is? You will never ride a Segway as freely as here! I did a couple of laps on two-wheel platforms with high handlebars. This is a Chinese novelty, as always. For half an hour of skiing, I paid 4 euros. And if you take a Segway for half a day, then you will have to fork out for 14 euros. If the full - then 20 euros.

You can ride a Segway in France on the Champ de Mars, there are also rentals at the Flemish railway station. Before you start riding, you go through the instructions, and then you are given a permit that allows you to ride freely on such wonderful cars throughout France.

How is the weather?

Since I came here in the spring, I was very lucky. There was no rain, it was very dry, but cloudy. Sometimes the sun was beautiful. What is the weather like in Lille?

In general, the weather in Lille is moderate, without any harsh winter or sultry heat.

I walked around the city in April and it was +16 degrees. Of course, so that the breeze would not blow, I tied a scarf and was like that.

Taste the local cuisine

Ah, if you only knew how much I ate in the restaurants of Lille! It would seem that I arrived not very hungry, they fed me well on the plane, and in between walks I grabbed either a hot dog or a hamburger.

But, having come to one of the restaurants in Lille, I could not resist. Delicious, fragrant, delicious.

Lille is a friendly and generous city. As for the local cuisine, the portions here are large (you need to order one serving for two, and that will be a lot), no one spares time and products for preparing delicious dishes.

The cuisine of Lille deserves close and worthy attention. There are only three tables in the city's cuisine: Flemish carbonate (appetizing pieces of beef fried in beer), waterzoi (poultry under sour cream with vegetables), potevleish (jelly from different types of meat in a pot).

You can also enjoy a huge amount of beer of different varieties: tart, ginger, dark, light.

Finally, I would like to add that Lille is a wonderful, fabulous city. Of course, you can't get around it in one day. Try to find five days and plunge into this amazing atmosphere.

The choice of hotels in the city is rather big, for every taste. I stayed at the Au Clos Notre Dame apartment, I liked the convenient location in the city center and excellent reviews on Booking. I did not regret it - the apartments are quiet, there is a kitchen, the Internet works fine.

Lille - a mysterious and fabulous French city - VIDEO

The old town in Lille is small but elegant. There are four museums here at once, one of which - the Museum of Fine Arts - is the second largest in France. Immerse yourself in the amazing atmosphere of French Lille.