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Boulogne-Sur-Mer |
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Boulogne-Sur-Mer
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Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region
Boulogne-Sur-Mer
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Nord-Pas-de-Calais |
| Department | Pas-de-Calais |
| Arrondissement | Boulogne-sur-Mer |
| Intercommunality | Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais |
| Mayor | Frédéric Cuvillier (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Land area1 | 8.42 km2 (3.25 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 44,859 (1999) |
| - Density | 5,328 /km2 (13,800 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 62160/ 62200 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Boulogne-sur-Mer (French pronunciation: [bu.lɔɲ.syʁ.mɛʁ]) is a city in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city was 44,859 in the 1999 census, whereas that of the whole metropolitan area was 135,116.
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The name Boulogne was first recorded during the Roman Empire as Bononia, possibly a derivative of the root found in the Germanic word bona meaning "plank floor", related to "Bühne", German for theater stage[1] and also found in Vindobona, the Roman name for Vienna. A "bona" was probably a granary. This derivation is also found in the name of the Italian city of Bologna. This city was founded by the celtic Boii. "Sur mer" is French meaning "on the sea".
Originally named Gesoriacum and probably also to be identified with Portus Itius, by the 4th century Boulogne was known to the Romans as Bononia and served as the major port connecting the rest of the empire to Britain. The emperor Claudius used this town as his base for the Roman invasion of Britain, in AD 43, and until 296 it was the base of the Classis Britannica. Zosimus called the city "germanorum", Germanic speaking, at the end of the 4th century.[2] The city was an important town of the Morini.
In the Middle Ages it was the centre of a namesake county. The area was fought over by the French and the English and Boulogne was occupied by the English from 1544 to 1550. In 1550, The Peace of Boulogne ended the war of England with Scotland and France. France bought back Boulogne for 400,000 crowns.
In the 19th century the Cathedral of Notre-Dame was reconstructed by the priest Benoit Haffreingue after he received a call from God to reconstruct the town's ruined basilica. During the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon amassed La Grande Armée in Boulogne to invade the United Kingdom in 1805. However, his plans were halted by other European matters and the supremacy of the Royal Navy (including thousands of Congreve rockets [3]).
On 22 May 1940 during the Battle of France, two British Guards battalions and some pioneers attempted to defend Bolougne against an attack by the German 2nd Panzer Division. Despite fierce fighting, the British were overwhelmed and the survivors were evacuated by Royal Navy destroyers while under direct German gunfire.[4] On June 15, 1944, 297 planes (155 Avro Lancasters, 130 Handley Page Halifaxes, and 12 De Havilland Mosquitos) of the Royal Air Force bombed Boulogne harbour to suppress German naval activity following D-Day. Some of the Lancasters carried Tallboy bombs. As a result, the harbour and the surrounding area were completely destroyed. In August, 1944 the town had been declared a "fortress" by Adolf Hitler, but it succumbed to assault and liberation by the 3rd Canadian Division in September. In one incident, a French civilian guided the Canadians to a "secret passage" leading into the walled old town and by-passing the German defenders.[5]
To replace the destroyed urban infrastructure, affordable housing and public facility projects in functional, brutalist building styles were carried out in the 1950s and 60s. The harbour therefore sometimes proves to be a disappointment to tourists looking for a typical northern French harbour scene.
Official website: Tourism in Boulogne sur Mer
Official website: Tourism in Boulogne sur Mer and the Boulonnais region
Boulogne-sur-Mer is the most important fishing port in France. 7,000 inhabitants derive part or all of their livelihoods from fishing.
IFREMER (the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) and the Pasteur Institute are located in Boulogne Port.
Certain brands, including Crown and Findus, are based in Boulogne
In the year 1905 the First Esperanto Universal Congress was held in Boulogne-sur-Mer. L. L. Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto, was among the attendees. In the year 2005 there was a great anniversary meeting with more than 500 attendees.
| Duration | Name | Party | Particularities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2014 | Frédéric Cuvillier | PS | Deputy |
| 2004–2008 | Frédéric Cuvillier | PS | Deputy |
| 1996–2004 | Guy Lengagne | PS | Deputy |
| 1989–1996 | Jean Muselet | Conservative | |
| 1977–1989 | Guy Lengagne | PS | Deputy, Minister |
| 1945–1977 | Henri Henneguelle | PS | |
| Past mayors are unknown. | |||
| Year | 1936 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 52,371 | 34,885 | 49,283 | 49,288 | 48,440 | 47,653 | 43,678 | 44,859 | 43,700 |
Boulogne sur Mer is famous for hosting one of the oldest Universités de l'été - summer courses in French language and culture.
The Saint-Louis building of the University of the Côte d'Opale's Boulogne campus opened its doors in 1991, on the site of the former St. Louis hospital, the front entrance to which remains a predominant architectural feature. Its 6 major specialisms are Modern Languages, French Literature, Sport, Law, History and Economics. The University is situated in the town centre, about 5 minutes from the Boulogne Tintelleries train station.
There is one theatre, the Théatre Monsigny, and two cinemas.
Two health centres are located in Boulogne, the public Hospital Duchenne and the private Clinique de la côte d'opale.
As an international maritime port on the English Channel (La Manche), the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer has European and American influences in local cuisine. They include:
Boulogne-sur-Mer is twinned with: