Tourcoing
Tourcoing | |
|---|---|
 Town hall | |
 Flag .svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Tourcoing  | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Nord |
| Arrondissement | Lille |
| Intercommunality | Lille Métropole |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2014–) | Gerald Darmanin |
| Area 1 | 15.19 km2 (5.86 sq mi) |
| Population (1999) | 93,540 |
| • Density | 6,200/km2 (16,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 59599 /59200 |
| Elevation | 67 m (220 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Tourcoing (French pronunciation: [tuʁ.kwɛ̃]) is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Nord.
Tourcoing is part of the cross-border Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai (metropolitan area), which had 2,155,161 residents in 2008.[1][2]
Main sights
- Church of St Christopher (15th-16th centuries), considered one of the most beautiful Neo-Gothic edifices of Nord. In stone and brickwork, it has an 80-metre (262-foot) high bell tower with more than 80 bells.
- Hospice de Havre, founded in 1260. The cloister and the chapel date from the seventeenth century.
- Hôtel de ville (1885), in Napoleon III-style.
- Jardin botanique de Tourcoing, a botanical garden and arboretum.
History
The city was the site of a significant victory for France during the French Revolutionary Wars. Marshal Charles Pichegru and his generals Joseph Souham and Jean Moreau defeated a combined force of British and Austrian troops in the Battle of Tourcoing on 29 Floréal II (18 May 1794).[3]
Transport
The Gare de Tourcoing is a railway station offering direct connections to Lille and Paris (high speed trains), Kortrijk, Ostend, Ghent and Antwerp. The town was formerly served by the Somain-Halluin railway.
Notable people
- Yohan Cabaye, footballer currently playing for PSG.
- Jean-Marc Degraeve, chess grandmaster.
- Stéphane Denève, conductor
- Brigitte Fossey, actress
- Anna Gomis, wrestler
- Brigitte Lahaie, pornstar
- Joseph-Charles Lefèbvre, bishop of Bourges, cardinal, cousin of
- Marcel Lefebvre, missionary priest and, later, controversial archbishop, cousin of Joseph-Charles
- Mr. Sam, a popular deejay and producer running his own record label since 2008.
- Albert Roussel, composer
Guilbert de Lannoy (1545-c. 1601) and his son Jean de Lannoy (1575-c. 1605) were Protestants who r settled in Leiden, Holland. Jean's son, Philip Delano (c. 1603 - c. 1681-82; born Philipe de la Noye or Philipe de Lannoy) was an early emigrant to the Plymouth Colony and progenitor of the prominent Delano family, which counts among its descendants many prominent figures in American history.[4]
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Tourcoing is twinned with:
See also
References
- ^ List of municipalities : http://fr.eurometropolis.eu/qui-sommes-nous/territoire.html
- ^ Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai official website
- ^ Soboul, Albert (1975). The French Revolution 1787–1799. USA: Vintage. p. 404. ISBN 0-394-71220-X.
- ^ "Pilgrim Village Families Sketch: Phillip Delano/De la Noye". American Ancestors. New England Historic Genealogical Society. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
External links
- Tourcoing town council website (in French)
- Tourcoing Volley-Ball Lille Métropole (Official website of the top team, in French)
- See pictures from Antonio Mucherino's web site
