[5] In 1526, Lens was made part of the Spanish Netherlands under the ownership of the French monarchy, and only passed back to France on 7 November 1659 with the Treaty of the Pyrenees.

This led to the expansion of the city into an important industrial center as part of the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin.

[9] In World War II, the Allies bombarded the city from the air, leaving 500 dead and 1,000 buildings destroyed.

The Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin was made a UNESCO Heritage site in 2012,[7] and the Louvre-Lens art museum was opened the same year.

[13] The Lens railway station, built in 1927, is served by regional trains towards Lille, Arras, Douai, Dunkirk, Calais and Valenciennes.