Groupe des Ecoles des Mines - Ecole des Mines de Douai

Established in 1878, the School of Douai currently occupies three sites located in the heart of the town.  These three sites, covering a total of 35 000 m², correspond to three different functions of the School : teaching (at the Bourseul site), student life (at the three student residences of the « Maison des Elèves »), and research (at the Lahure site)  

The three student residences (Lavoisier, Descartes, and Condorcet) of the « Maison des Elèves » contain more than 700 rooms. As is the case for all the GEM schools, all student housing is furnished and equipped with telephone, Internet access and a television connection.  Each room also has telephone and computer connections.  The « Maison des Elèves » also contains areas reserved for clubs and associations, a television room, kitchenettes for student use, bars, vending machines, and games.  The School restaurant is located in the Lavoisier residence.

The town of Douai itself has a population of 43 000, however, it is located within a larger agglomeration which totals more than 200 000 inhabitants. Located in the North of France, Douai is within an hour of Paris and Brussels, 20 minutes from Lille, and two hours from London.

Douai has been a university town since the sixteenth century and has many educational institutions. The mining industry which was paramount before the 1960s has been replaced by other sectors : the automobile industry (Renault), printing (National Printing Press), the metallurgical industry (Somenor), the food industry (Nestlé, the Gayant brewery), and the service sector. On the cultural level Douai has much to offer with theatres, the museum « Musée de la Chartreuse » (paintings, sculpture, art objects, natural history, aquarium, archeology), a youth symphonic orchestra, and many clubs and associations contribute to give the « City of Giants » a large influence in all domains of the arts and culture.

Finally, Douai is renowned for its numerous fairs, markets, and traditional festivals, such as the festival of Gayant in the month of July.

The youngest region in France, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais is located in the very heart of the European Union.  The third largest industrial region of France, and the third largest exporting region, Douai is also the cradle of distribution firms of international scope.  Lead by Lille, and its dynamic metropolitan area, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais is also a region of universities,  with a highly developed student life: the region contains more than 150 000 students, 6 public universities, 22 engineering schools, etc. Inhabitants of the region maintain the long-standing traditions of hospitality and friendliness.  Finally, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais is also the land of green hills, forests and endless beaches opening onto the Channel...