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On the border between Flanders and Artois
Aire-sur-la-Lys, located on the border between Flanders and Artois, is a historic town that was fortified around the year 1200. It boasts a rich heritage of 23 listed historic monuments and important waterways such as the Lys River and the Neufossé Canal, which played a significant role in the town's trade and industry.
The town is located 230 km from Paris, 58 km from Arras, 65 km from Lille and 60 km from Calais. Aire-sur-la-Lys today boasts a new marina in the heart of Flanders and Artois, as well as beautiful green landscapes for its visitors.
A commercial axis
The town has managed to preserve its charm with its cobblestone streets, typical 17th and 18th-century façades and its heritage of 23 listed historical monuments. As for its natural heritage, it mainly revolves around the waterways that border the town.
The Lys played a decisive role in protecting the city during the various wars that Aire experienced, while the Canal de Neufossé, dug in 1773 to connect the Lys to the Aa, provides an important commercial route for the municipality and allows barges to transport goods. Indeed, with the opening in 1826 of the Canal d'Aire à la Bassée, Aire-sur-la-Lys became a mandatory transit point for goods traffic between the ports of Gravelines and Dunkirk.
The navigable district of the town
Between the Gournes mill and the water gate, a major development of trade and industry has been observed since the 19th century. The secondary waterways played an important role in the development of businesses in the municipality: numerous industrial facilities were established along the river and on the Rue des Tripiers, where the oldest industrial buildings in the town remain. Indeed, the banks of the Lys were home to breweries, tallow foundries, currieries and tanneries.
These workshops and warehouses had direct access to the river, enabling the loading and unloading of goods. Aire-sur-la-Lys today enjoys an ideal location at the heart of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. The municipality is located 230 km from Paris, 58 km from Arras — the prefecture of the department —, 65 km from Lille and 60 km from Calais.
The Quatre-Faces basin
Since the summer of 2023, the Quatre-Faces basin has been transformed to host the new marina of Aire-sur-la-Lys, at the heart of Flanders and Artois. The ballastières, a natural site characteristic of the municipality, offer a lush landscape and beautiful walks to visitors.
