Ideally located 122 km from the North Sea, 50 km from Lille-Lesquin airport, 100 km from Brussels, 280 km from London and 300 km from Amsterdam, Valenciennes, a city of art and history (Museum of Fine Arts, Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon, statues by Carpeaux, paintings by Watteau, Spanish House, Le Phénix Theatre ...) turns her gaze towards the future. Numerous major firms such as Alstom, Bombardier, PSA, Toyota and Daimler promote competitiveness and performance... and, of course, the VAFC, first division soccer club and its new stadium. Nearby: Matisse Museum in Le Cateau-Cambresis, the historic mining centre of Lewarde, the Opal Coast with Nausicaa, Mormal 18-hole golf course and coming soon, the Louvre-Lens, scheduled to open in 2012.