Boulogne-sur-Mer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Bolougne)
Jump to: navigation, search
"Bolougne" and "Boulogne, France" redirect here. For other places called Boulogne, see Boulogne (disambiguation).

Boulogne-Sur-Mer
Boulogne sur Mer Palais de Justice.jpg
Courthouse
Coat of arms of Boulogne-Sur-Mer
Boulogne-Sur-Mer is located in France
{{{alt}}}
Boulogne-Sur-Mer
Administration
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.

Coordinates: 50°43′35″N 1°36′53″E / 50.7264°N 1.6147°E / 50.7264; 1.6147

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.

Contents

[edit] Name

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".

[edit] History

The cathedral of Boulogne towers over the city

[edit] Origin of the city

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.[citation needed] Zosimus called the city "germanorum", Germanic speaking, at the end of the 4th century.[2] The city was an important town of the Morini.

[edit] Middle Ages

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.

[edit] The Napoleonic period

In the 19th century the Cathedral of Notre-Dame was reconstructed by the priest Benoit Haffreingue after he received a call from God[clarification needed] 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]).

[edit] The two world wars

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.

The Belfry is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[edit] Main sights

  • Belfry (11th century), part of the UNESCO Heritage Sites List.
  • Medieval castle, whose foundations date to Roman times. It houses an Egyptian art collection
  • Gothic church of St. Nicholas, housing several 15th century statues
  • Cathedral basilica of Notre-Dame, with a dome standing at over 100 m. The crypt is one of the largest in France, and has Roman, Romanesque and Gothic elements.
  • Opened in 1991, Nausicaä - The French National Sea Centre is a science centre entirely dedicated to the relationship between mankind and the sea. It houses Aquaria, exhibitions on the marine fauna, and the exploitation and management of marine resources (fisheries, aquaculture, coastal planning, maritime transport, exploitation of energies and mineral, tourism).
  • The Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, created during the Great War

Official website: Tourism in Boulogne sur Mer
Official website: Tourism in Boulogne sur Mer and the Boulonnais region

[edit] Economy

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

[edit] Media

  • Radio : Radio 6, France Bleu Nord, Virgin Radio Côte d'Opale, BBC Radio 1 (99.5)
  • Television : France 3 Côte d'Opale
  • Print : La Voix du Nord (édition de Boulogne sur Mer), La Semaine dans le Boulonnais, Touzazimut

[edit] Events

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.

[edit] Administration

List of Mayors
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.

[edit] Population

Boulogne's Castle Museum
Historical population of Boulogne-sur-Mer
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

[edit] Transport

[edit] Road

  • Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB
  • Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque
  • A16 motorway

[edit] Rail

[edit] Water

  • Boulogne currently has no cross channel ferry services since the closure of the route to Dover by LD Lines.

[edit] Education

The Saint-Louis campus of University of Côte d'Opale.

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.

[edit] University

[edit] Public primary and secondary

  • High schools : Lycée Auguste Mariette, Edouard Branly, Cazin (professional).
  • College : College Langevin, Angelier, Daunou.

[edit] Private primary and secondary

  • High schools: Lycée Nazareth, Haffreingue, Saint-Joseph
  • College: College Godefroy de Bouillon, Haffreingue, Nazareth, Saint-Joseph

[edit] Entertainment

There is one theatre, the Théatre Monsigny, and two cinemas.

[edit] Health

Two health centres are located in Boulogne, the public Hospital Duchenne and the private Clinique de la côte d'opale.

[edit] Sports

[edit] Football

[edit] Basketball

  • Stade Olympique Maritime Boulonnais (Nationale 1)
  • ESSM (Pro B) located in Le-Portel.

[edit] Other sports

  • Aviron Boulonnais, produce many Olympic medals for France
  • Boulogne-sur-Mer is the place where Franck Ribéry received two scars on the right side of his face during a car accident.

[edit] Culture

  • The castle-museum of Boulogne, in the fortified town, houses the most important exhibition of masks from Alaska in the world, the second largest collection of Greek ceramics in France (after the Louvre), collections of Roman and medieval sculptures, paintings (15th-20th century), an Egyptian collection, African Arts etc. As these collections are exhibited in a medieval castle, one can also discover the Roman walls (in the underground) as well as rooms built in the 13th century (La Barbière, banqueting hall, chapel, covered parapet walk...)
  • La Casa San Martin is currently a museum where José de San Martín the leader of independence struggle in Argentina died in 1850, from 1930 to 1967 this house was the consulate of Argentina in France. There is a statue dedicated to his colleague Simón Bolívar, the liberator of South America in the revolutions against Spanish colonial rule in the 1810s. Bolivar planned to head in exile to this very part of France before his death in 1830. Historic emigration in the 19th century from the Nord-Pas de Calais region to Argentina, Chile, Peru and Venezuela can explain some cultural ties with South America of the Boulognais and Latino/Ibero-American culture.[citation needed]
  • Nausicaä, the French national sealife center.

[edit] Food

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:

[edit] Notable people

[edit] Born in Boulogne

[edit] Others associated with Boulogne

The Column of the Grande Armée commemorates Napoleon's gathering of 200,000 soldiers near Boulogne for a proposed invasion of England

[edit] International relations

[edit] Twin towns — Sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Boulogne-sur-Mer is twinned with:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Etymologisch Woordenboek v/h Nederlands
  2. ^ Historia Nova, Book VI.5.2-3
  3. ^ David Baker, The rocket: the history and development of rocket & missile technology. Taylor & Francis, 1978, p.13.
  4. ^ http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/brigade-guards/16709-2nd-battalion-irish-guards.html
  5. ^ Stacey, C P (1966). "Clearing the Coastal Belt and the Ports September 1944 - Operation "WELLHIT"; The Capture of Boulogne". Official History of the Canadian Army. Department of National Defence. http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/Victory/Victory-14.html. Retrieved 24 June 2009. 

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Boulogne-sur-Mer
Wikinews has related news: French fishermen blockade Channel ports
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boulogne-sur-Mer&oldid=475732292"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages