A city of football and fresh flowers

By THOMAS SANCTON

hen the Racing Club de Lens defeated Auxerre to win the French football championship on May 10, there were more fans whooping and guzzling beer in the city center than there are residents (35,000). Were it not for football, in fact, this sports-mad town on the flat plain of northern France would have little to shout about. Once the site of the country's most productive coal mines, Lens fell on hard times when recession hit the industry in the 1960s.

With the mines closed, activity shifted to the retail, food, construction and service industries, but the population has dropped by nearly a fifth in three decades and local unemployment is at 19.7%.

Despite its depressed economy, Lens is a youthful city (41% of its population is under 25), whose attractions include a spectacular flower market, trade fairs and raucous processions featuring the region's famous giant figures. The English-style Felix Bollaert stadium, refurbished for the World Cup, is the town's best-known building.

Visitors will find plenty to see and do in the surrounding region, particularly in Lille (about 35 km away), with its famous Museum of Fine Arts.