Boulogne-sur-Mer
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- This article is on Boulogne-sur-Mer. For other places called Boulogne, see the disambiguation page.
Boulogne-sur-Mer | |
---|---|
Country | France |
Région | Nord-Pas-de-Calais |
Département | Pas-de-Calais (sous-préfecture) |
Arrondissement | Boulogne-sur-Mer |
Canton | Chief town of 3 cantons |
INSEE Code | |
Postal code | 62200 |
Mayor Term of office |
Frédéric Cuvillier 2001-2007 |
Intercommunality | Boulogne Côte d'Opale |
Longitude | |
Latitude | |
Altitude | average: minimum: maximum: |
Area | 8.42 km² |
Population without double-counting |
44,859 (1999) |
Population density | pers/km² |
Boulogne-sur-Mer is a town in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais département of which it is a sous-préfecture. It is located by the English Channel.
Population of the city (commune) at the 1999 census was 44,859 inhabitants, whereas the whole metropolitan area (aire urbaine) had 135,116 inhabitants.
Contents |
History
Originally named Gesoriacum, 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.
In the Middle Ages it was the centre of a namesake county.
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.
Miscellaneous
Open in 1991, NAUSICAÄ - The French National Sea Experience Centre is a Science Centre entirely dedicated to the relationship between Mankind and the Sea. 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 resources, tourism...). Its goal is to incite the general public to discover and to love the Sea, while raising its awareness on the need for a good management of marine resources.
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 held a great anniversary meeting with more then 500 attendees.
Births
Boulogne-sur-Mer was the birthplace of:
- Pierre Claude François Daunou (1761-1840), statesman and historian
- Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve(1804-1869), literary critic and one of the major figures of French literary history
- Guillaume Duchenne (1806-1875), neurologist
- Auguste Mariette (1821-1881), scholar and archaeologist, one of the foremost Egyptologist of his generation, and the founder of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
- Benoît-Constant Coquelin (1841-1909), actor
- Ernest Alexandre Honoré Coquelin, actor
- Jean-Pierre Papin (born 1963), football player
- Franck Ribery (born 1983), football player
Twin towns
Boulogne-sur-Mer is twinned with:
- Folkestone, United Kingdom
- Zweibrücken, Germany - since 1959
See also
External links
- boulogne-sur-Mer city council website (in French)
- Visiting Boulogne-sur-mer (English guide and tourist map)
- NAUSICAÄ's official website (in French and English)
- Boulogne 2005 Esperanto (en eo fr)