If you ask any person in the UK who is the biggest British politician of the 20th century, people are likely to mention Winston Churchill first. Ask the same question about France and the name of Charles de Gaulle will inevitably come up. British people might be quite defiant about Charles de Gaulle’s actions (twice vetoing the entry of the UK into the EU and qualifying it as a Trojan horse of the US), but nevertheless he brought a lot to France. De Gaulle is an interesting, complex character, an aficionado of literature, history, and languages and a fluent speaker of English and German.
If you are interested in seeing another side of De Gaulle, why not visit his place of birth in Lille? De Gaulle was born in Lille in 1890 to a bourgeois family and visiting his house is interesting for several reasons: not only can you better understand what influenced him personally (politically, culturally, etc.), but you can get a view of 19th century family life in the north of France. Moreover, the house has a well documented research centre that provides visitors with more information on De Gaulle.
For visiting De Gaulle’s house, you can find all the information you need on the Lille Tourism Office website. The museum is located in Rue Princesse in the heart of Lille Old Town. Allow one hour for your visit; afterwards there are plenty of things to do in the area: have a drink at a bar, eat a typical meal at one of the numerous estaminets, or just stroll around town. Who knows, after such a great day, you might find yourself on the main square, Place du Général de Gaulle, and feel overcome with a desire to raise your arms into the V of victory and yell, “Vive la France!”
Photo: Maaison natale CH de Gaulle Lille by Rémi Jouan (CC-BY-SA-2.5)
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