La Piscine, musée d'art et d'industrie
Former Art Deco swimming pool in Roubaix, converted into a museum of art and industry with fine arts, decorative arts and textile collections.
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About the museum
The museum's origins go back to 1835, when Roubaix manufacturers set up an industrial museum to display samples of local textile production. Its collections later extended to fine arts, thanks to gifts and state deposits; the museum closed in 1940 and its holdings were partly dispersed.
The current building is a former municipal swimming pool, opened in 1932 on rue des Champs. The architect Albert Baert designed it on the model of a Cistercian abbey, with a large basin, baths and a promenade garden. It closed for good in 1985 because of the fragility of the basin's vault.
In 1990 the city decided to house the museum's collections there. The architect Jean-Paul Philippon led the conversion from 1998: the basin became the central gallery, and the former cabins house the textiles. The museum opened in 2001 under the name La Piscine, musée d'art et d'industrie André Diligent. An extension, completed in 2018, enlarged the exhibition spaces and incorporated the studio of the sculptor Henri Bouchard.
Today the trail combines paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries, sculptures, ceramics, glassware, furniture, jewellery and rich collections of fabrics and clothing, along with works related to the history of Roubaix.
Highlights
- Large Art Deco basin transformed into a sculpture garden
- Sculpture collections with Rodin, Camille Claudel, Bugatti and Pompon
- 19th- and 20th-century paintings (Vuillard, Bonnard, Dufy, Marquet)
- Textiles and clothing displayed in the former shower cubicles
- Restored studio of the sculptor Henri Bouchard
- Dye garden and Méert tea room restaurant
Permanent exhibitions
- Collections permanentes : sculpture et jardin du bassin – Modern sculptures by Rodin, Claudel, Bugatti and Pompon are displayed in the large Art Deco basin, surrounded by light from the stained-glass windows.
- Collections textiles et arts décoratifs – Clothing, drawings, samples and fabrics from Coptic Egypt to contemporary creation, along with ceramics, glassware, furniture and jewellery.
- Founded
- 2001
- Operated by
- Ville de Roubaix
- Visitors per year
- approx. 280,484
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €9 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €7Students, Friends of Museums (outside Roubaix), Roubaix municipal staff, holders of the Maison des artistes card, certain teachers of art history or visual arts (on proof) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and their companion. |
| Students & apprentices | €7Reduced rate for students; free admission for students of art, architecture or design, and free for all students on Fridays (on proof). |
| Groups | –One-hour guided tour on weekdays: €105 per group, plus admission per person; booking at least 30 days in advance. |
| Full price during a temporary exhibition | €11Reduced rate: €9 |
| Combined ticket with La Manufacture (valid 6 months) | €13.50On-site purchase only; €14.50 from September 1, 2026 |
| Combined ticket with La Villa Cavrois (valid 1 month) | €19.50On-site purchase only |
| TER Hauts-de-France rate | €9For holders of a TER ticket valid on the day of the visit |
| Audio guide to the permanent collections | €2Individual visitors only |
Free admission: Every Friday from 18:00 to 20:00 (free late opening); first Sunday of the month for the permanent collections
The prices shown apply outside exhibition periods; they increase by €2 during a temporary exhibition. Free admission on proof, notably for Friends of the museum, holders of ICOM/ICOMOS, C'Art, Citypass or Ministry of Culture cards, journalists, job seekers and RSA recipients. Payment by cash, cheque, ANCV holiday vouchers or bank card.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: not available
- Audio description: no information
The building is accessible to people with reduced mobility and to strollers, except the edge of the basin (a few steps) and the women's toilets on the second floor. Steps are marked with tactile warning strips. Wheelchairs and stick seats are available at the cloakroom against an ID. Induction loop at the information point, noise-cancelling headphones lent free of charge, subtitled videos. A tablet trail in French Sign Language is available. Only assistance dogs are admitted. Accessibility contact: accessibilitemusee@ville-roubaix.fr.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 2 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
- Kids’ birthday parties
Games trunks freely accessible in the galleries, tablet trail with the mascot Camille for ages 6 to 12 (free, against an ID), workshops for ages 4 to 12 on Sundays (€4 per child) and on Wednesdays, workshops during holidays and Splash weekends. Children's birthday parties for ages 4 to 12 on Saturday afternoons (€15 per workshop, plus €7 for the snack). Changing tables in the toilets.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Musée
Metro line 2: stops Gare Jean Lebas or Roubaix Grand'Place, then about 500 m on foot. Bus: lines CIT5 or Z6, Musée stop. Tram: stops Alfred Mongy or Eurotéléport, about 15 minutes on foot. TER from Lille Flandres, about one train per hour, then 5 to 10 minutes on foot.
By car
Paid parking
A few paid spaces in front of the museum, including 2 spaces for people with reduced mobility (orange zone: €1.40 for the first hour, then €0.70 per additional hour). Another car park is located beside the museum; the station car park, about 500 m away on foot, has 390 spaces.
- Accessible parking
V'Lille station no. 220 in front of the museum. About 30 minutes from central Lille by metro; about 10 minutes by TER from Lille Flandres.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
- Coat check
Méert – La Piscine tea room restaurant, open Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 17:30. Museum bookshop-shop. Cloakroom mandatory for large backpacks, sports bags, umbrellas and bulky items.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
Requests for private hire, filming or photo shoots are made through an online form.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography and filming for private use allowed in the permanent collections; flash, selfie sticks and other lighting prohibited. |
| Good to know | Allow an average of 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes to see the collections and exhibitions. The ticket is valid all day, with exit and re-entry possible. Group guided tours of one or one and a half hours, booking on 03 20 69 23 67. Sketching by hand is allowed in the galleries. Bag checks are systematic; bags larger than 50 x 25 x 40 cm are prohibited. |
