Rihour Palace

The Rihour Palace, a Burgundian vestige

The Lille audio-guided tour has you discover the Rihour Palace, the only vestige of the Burgundian era of the city. A witness to a rich past, it recalls that Lille was, over the centuries, governed by several great European powers.

Lille in the time of the dukes of Burgundy

Lille knew several dominations, changing hands about every two centuries. A county of Flanders in the Middle Ages, it prospered under Philip the Bold with the dukes of Burgundy, before being attached by marriage to the Habsburgs, thus to the Spanish Netherlands, then becoming French under Louis XIV. The Rihour Palace, built in the fifteenth century by the dukes of Burgundy as a residence, is the last witness of this splendid period.

What there is to see

Of the original palace there remain in particular an elegant Gothic hall and a chapel, witnesses to the refinement of the court of Burgundy. The Rihour Palace today houses the tourist office of Lille. On the square of the same name also stands a war memorial. It is a stop to understand the eventful history of the city and its multiple influences.

Practical information

The Rihour Palace is on Place Rihour, in the heart of Lille. It houses the tourist office, accessible according to its own opening hours; the Gothic hall and the chapel can be discovered during openings. The façade can be contemplated freely from the square.

What is the Rihour Palace?

The only vestige of the Burgundian era of Lille, built in the fifteenth century by the dukes of Burgundy; it today houses the tourist office.

Which powers governed Lille?

The county of Flanders, the dukes of Burgundy, the Habsburgs of the Spanish Netherlands, then France under Louis XIV.