Hikers pass without even paying attention. However, the island of Derborence is not there yesterday… It is located in the heart of Matisse Park, in Lille, since 1995. But then, why doesn’t anyone know? “It’s a secret place,” Lille assistant Stanislas Dendievel confided. Still, many yearn to enter this forbidden enclave.
Ice ax marks on its walls show that some thrill-seekers have already attempted forays. Have they managed to climb the seven meters that allow them to enter the oldest urban forest in Lille? Mystery. Even municipal employees and ecology researchers know little or nothing of its history.
Only a few insiders know what we are talking about. Namely: a two-hectare forest nestled seven meters high, near Lille Europe, and with all the characteristics of a primary forest. Branches that grow in all directions and must be pushed aside in order to pass. Twigs crunching under our feet… And not a sound. We are somewhere else, in another universe. Right in the center of Lille.
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