La Piscine (Musée d'Art et d'Industrie André Diligent), Roubaix

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23 rue de l'Espérance, 59100 Roubaix, France Website
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In short

In Roubaix, an Art Deco swimming pool built between 1927 and 1932 now displays fine arts, ceramics, textiles and fashion around its old basin. Entry is €11 during exhibitions and €9 otherwise, and Friday evenings from 6 PM are free. Weekdays run 11 AM to 6 PM, Fridays to 8 PM, weekends from 1 PM, closed Mondays. Plan 1.5 to 2 hours.

La Piscine, officially the Musée d'Art et d'Industrie André Diligent, is an art and textile museum in a converted Art Deco swimming pool at 23 rue de l'Espérance in Roubaix, a former mill town about 12 kilometres north-east of Lille. Sculptures line a strip of water under a stained-glass sun, and the old changing cabins hold fabrics and fashion. It is an easy half-day from Lille, about 30 minutes by metro.

The Lille architect Albert Baert designed the pool, built between 1927 and 1932 for the workers of Roubaix's textile mills. It stayed open until 1985. The collection is older than the building: it began in 1835 as a library of fabric samples from local mills. The architect Jean-Paul Philippon converted the pool and a neighbouring textile factory into the museum, which opened in 2000. A two-year extension and restoration costing about nine million euros followed, and the museum reopened in 2018.

The main hall keeps the pool as a long basin of water lined with sculptures. Stained-glass windows representing the rising and setting sun close each end. The former shower rooms and changing cabins along the mezzanine now hold the textile collections, including sample books from Roubaix's mills and fashion pieces.

The other rooms show painting and sculpture, mostly from the 19th and early 20th centuries, with decorative arts and ceramics. The building itself, with its tiled walls and cabins, is as much a reason to come as the collection.

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Key information
🏊Building: Art Deco municipal swimming pool (1932) by Albert Baert
📅Museum since: 2001
🖼️Collection: Fine arts, textiles and ceramics, 19th–20th centuries
🌅Icon: Sculptures around the pool under stained-glass suns
💰Currency: Euro (€ EUR)
🕕Time Zone: Central European Time (UTC+1; UTC+2 in summer)

Explore the area

View in a map
Roubaix Grand'Place 500 m
Gare Jean Lebas metro (Line 2) 500 m
Villa Cavrois 4 km
Lille 12 km
LaM, Villeneuve-d'Ascq 8 km
See all about this area
✦ Plan your visit to La Piscine (Musée d'Art et d'Industrie André Diligent), Roubaix Dates, opening hours and how to get there are below. Booking ahead secures your preferred day.
Highlights Include:
Pool hall
  • Sculptures along the water
  • Stained-glass sunrise and sunset windows
Collections
  • Textile samples from Roubaix's mills
  • Ceramics
  • Painting and sculpture
Building
  • Original showers and changing cabins
What They Offer
Friday evening Free entry from 6:00 PM on Fridays
Café Museum café
Shop Bookshop
Visit duration 1.5–2 hours
Timed entry required No

Accessibility

Accessible with lifts.

Age limits

None.

What to pack

Ticket on your phone, ID for reduced or free entry

What to wear

Comfortable shoes

Not allowed

Touching the works, food and drink in the galleries, flash photography, large bags, selfie sticks

Amenities

Café, bookshop, cloakroom, restrooms

Tips for visiting La Piscine, Roubaix

  • Visit on Friday evening for free entry from 18:00.
  • Note the late weekend start at 13:00.
  • Get off at Gare Jean Lebas for a mostly downhill walk.
  • Look up at the rising sun stained glass window over the pool.
  • Avoid Mondays and public holidays, when the museum is closed.

Admission tickets

Prices and how to get tickets.

Official entry ticket

La Piscine: Entry Ticket

Official ticket for the Roubaix museum of art and industry.

  • Permanent collections
  • Exhibitions
Ticket prices

€11 full (€9 reduced) during exhibitions, €9 (€7) otherwise; free Fridays 18:00–20:00

Opening hours

Closed now · 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM · Last entry About 30 minutes before closing

All opening hours

Visitor policy

Check availability
Cancellation and prepayment
Tickets are generally non-refundable; check the museum's booking terms.
Children and admission
Reduced or free entry for young visitors; check the official site.
Groups
Groups must book in advance with the museum.
Pets
Only assistance dogs are admitted.
Photography
Personal photography without flash is generally allowed in the permanent collection; some temporary exhibitions forbid it.
Bags
Large bags and suitcases must be left in the cloakroom or are refused; bags are checked at the entrance.
Smoking
Not permitted inside the museum.
Accepted payment
At the desk by card.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Answers based on the museum's official information.

General

La Piscine means the swimming pool. The museum occupies a public pool built between 1927 and 1932 by Albert Baert, which closed in 1985 and reopened as a museum in 2000.