Valenciennes

Valenciennes , city (1990 pop. 39,276), Nord dept., N France, on the Escaut (Scheldt) River. An old-line industry center in a former coal-mining region, its manufactures include railroad rolling stock, motor vehicles, paint, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and precision metalwork. An important place in medieval Hainaut , it became famous (15th cent.) for its lace industry. There is a museum there with works by Rubens and Van Dyck.

Valenciennes, Nord‐Pas‐de‐Calais/France Believed to be named after Valentinian I (321–75), Roman emperor (364–75); based in Paris and Amiens, he directed operations against the Alemanni invading Gaul. It has also been suggested, however, that the name comes from val des cygnes ‘valley of the swans’ because swans appear on the city's coat‐of‐arms.