The French nameBoulogne derives from theLatinBononia, which was also the Roman name forBologna in Italy. Both places – andVindobona (Vienna) – are thought to have derived from nativeCeltic placenames, withbona possibly meaning "foundation", "citadel", or "granary".[citation needed] The French epithetsur-Mer ("on sea") distinguishes the city fromBoulogne-Billancourt on the edge of Paris. In turn, theBoulogne in Boulogne-Billancourt originates from a church there dedicated toNotre-Dame de Boulogne, "Our Lady of Boulogne[-sur-Mer]".
The foundation of the city known to the Romans asGesoriacum is credited to theCelticBoii. In the past, it was sometimes conflated withCaesar'sPortus Itius, but that is now thought to have been a site nearCalais which has since silted up. A tall lighthouse was built at Gesoriacum circa 39 AD by order of the EmperorCaligula,[8] possibly in preparation for an invasion of Britain. Known as the Tour d'Ordre, coastal erosion caused it to topple into the sea in 1644.
The Tour d'Ordre, a Roman lighthouse, in 1550. It fell into the sea in 1644, having stood for over 1600 years.
From the time ofClaudius'sinvasion in AD 43, Gesoriacum formed the major port connecting the rest of the empire toBritain. It was the chief base of theRoman navy'sBritannic fleet until therebellion of its admiralCarausius in 286. As part of the imperial response, thejunior emperorConstantius Chlorus successfully besieged it by land and sea in 293.[9] The name of the settlement was changed toBononia at some point between the sack of Gesoriacum and 310, possibly as a consequence of its refounding or possibly by the replacement of the sacked and lower-lying city by another nearby community.[10]
The city was an important town of theMorini (the 'sea people'), andZosimus called itGermanorum ("Germanic-speaking") at the end of the 4th century.[11]
In theMiddle Ages Boulogne was the capital of aneponymous county, founded in the mid-9th century. An important Count,Eustace II, assistedWilliam the Conqueror in his conquest of England. His wife founded the city'sNotre Dame cathedral, which became a site of pilgrimage from the 12th century onwards, attended by fourteen French kings and five of England. It was an important whaling center prior to 1121.[12] The city survived on herring fishing and received its municipal charter from CountRenaud of Dammartin in 1203.[9]
TheColumn of the Grande Armée commemoratesNapoleon's gathering of 200,000 soldiers near Boulogne for a proposed invasion of the United Kingdom. His statue is at the top
Boulogne received its current status as asubprefecture of thePas-de-Calais department in 1800 due to the territorial re-organisation in Revolutionary France. France became theFrench Empire in 1804; in 1803 Boulogne became an Imperial City(Ville Impériale).[13][better source needed]
A nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte (subsequently the emperorNapoleon III), returned to France in secret from his exile in Britain, passing through Boulogne in August 1840. He was later jailed for trying to lead a revolt inStrasbourg.
During theFirst World War, this was the entrepôt for the first unit of theBritish Expeditionary Force to land in France and for many others thereafter. Boulogne was one of the three base ports most extensively used by the Commonwealth armies on the Western Front throughout the First World War. It was closed and cleared on 27 August 1914 when the Allies were forced to fall back ahead of the German advance, but was opened again in October and from that month to the end of the war, Boulogne and Wimereux formed one of the chief hospital areas.
Until June 1918, the dead from the hospitals at Boulogne were buried in the Cimetiere de L'Est, one of the town's cemeteries, the Commonwealth graves forming a long, narrow strip along the right hand edge of the cemetery. In the spring of 1918, it was found that space was running short in the Eastern Cemetery in spite of repeated extensions to the south and the site of the new cemetery at Terlincthun was chosen.[14] It also was the site of an Allied (French and British) armaments production conference.
German invasion barges in Boulogne Harbour during theBattle of Britain in summer 1940
On 22 May 1940 during theBattle of France, two BritishGuards battalions and somepioneers attempted to defend Boulogne against an attack by the German2nd Panzer Division. Despite fierce fighting, the British were overwhelmed and the survivors were evacuated byRoyal Navydestroyers while under direct German gunfire.[15] On 15 June 1944, 297 aircraft (155Avro Lancasters, 130Handley Page Halifaxes, and 12De Havilland Mosquitos) of theRoyal Air Force bombed Boulogne harbour to suppress German naval activity followingD-Day. Some of the Lancasters carriedTallboy bombs and the harbour and the surrounding area were completely destroyed. In August 1944 the town was declared a "fortress" byAdolf Hitler but it succumbed toOperation Wellhit, the assault and liberation by the3rd Canadian Infantry 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.[16]
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.
Boulogne-sur-Mer is in Northern France, at the edge of the Channel and in the mouth of the riverLiane. In a direct line, Boulogne is approximately at 30 kilometres (19 miles) fromCalais, 50 kilometres (31 miles) fromFolkestone, 100 kilometres (62 miles) fromLille andAmiens, 150 kilometres (93 miles) fromRouen and London and 215 kilometres (134 miles) from Paris.
Boulogne is a relatively important city of the North, exercising an influence on theBoulonnais territory (74 towns and villages which surround Boulogne). The coast consists of important tourist natural sites, like the capesGris Nez andBlanc Nez (which are the closest points of France to England), and attractive seaside resorts likeWimereux,Wissant,Hardelot andLe Touquet. The hinterland is mainly rural and agricultural.
City centre : groups historic and administrative buildings, and also accommodations, stores, banks, churches, pedestrian streets and places.
Fortified town : old-town where are a lot of historic monuments (the castle-museum, the basilica, the belfry, the imperial palace) and also theHôtel de Ville.[17]
Gambetta-Sainte-Beuve : tourist area situated in the northwest of the city, on the edge of the beach and the recreational harbour.
Capécure : economic and industrial area, situated in the west of the city, around the harbour.
Saint-Pierre (Saint Peter) : former neighborhood of the fishermen, destroyed duringWorld War II and reconstructed after.
Chemin Vert (Green path) : zone created in the 1950s, knowing today poverty and unemployment. it is the neighbourhood ofFranck Ribéry.
Dernier Sou (Last penny) : residential area situated in the east of the city.
Beaurepaire (Beautiful hideout) : residential area situated in the north of the city.
Bréquerecque : residential area situated in the south of the city.
Boulogne-sur-Mer has anoceanic climate that has chilly winters not far above freezing and cool summers tempered by its exposure to the sea. Considering its position, the climate is quite cold in relation to south and east coast locations in England year round. Due to warm winds originating inland, the record temperatures in summer are well above the averages and the warmest day of the year is averaging about 31 °C (88 °F).[18] Summerdiurnal temperature variation is low, with normals varying between nights of 15 °C (59 °F) with days at about 20 °C (68 °F). Precipitation is also higher than in said southern English locations. Between 1981 and 2010 the precipitation days averaged 125.3 annually, although overall precipitation increased somewhat in the next averages of 1991 to 2020.[18]
Climate data for Boulogne-sur-Mer (1991–2020 normals), humidity 1973–1990, extremes since 1973
Boulogne is close to theA16 motorway (Paris-Amiens-Calais-Dunkerque). Metropolitan bus services are operated by "Marinéo". The companyFlixbus proposed establishing a bus line connecting Paris to Boulogne. There are coach services to Calais and Dunkerque.
The city has several railway stations, of which the most important isBoulogne-Ville station, located in the south of the city.Boulogne-Tintelleries station is used by regional trains. It is located near the university and the city centre. The formerBoulogne-Maritime and Boulogne-Aéroglisseurs stations served as a boat connection (to England) for the railway.
Boulogne-Ville was the terminus of theChemin de fer de Boulogne à Bonningues (CF de BB), which extended their line fromSaint-Martin-Boulogne on 12 May 1902. Within Boulogne were also halts at Rue de la Lampe, Rue de la Liane, Abbatoir and La Madelaine.[21] The CF de BB closed to passenger traffic on 31 December 1935.[22] It was reopened in November 1942,[23] and closed in 1948.[24]
Boulogne has no cross channel ferry services since the closure of the route toDover byLD Lines in 2010.[citation needed]
Boulogne's 12th-century belfry is one of 56 listedBelfries of Belgium and France, all in northeastern France and Belgium, with sharedWorld Heritage Site status because of their architecture and testimony to the rise of municipal power in the region.[25] It is the oldest building in the upper city of Boulogne, and currently serves as the home to a museum of Celtic remains from the Roman occupation. Founded as the Count's dungeon, the top floor was added in the 13th century. Damage by a fire in 1712 was built over by 1734.[7]
Other than the belfry there are also the following sights:
Medieval walls 1,500 m (4,900 ft) long, with 4 gates and 17 towers from the 13th century
Medieval castle, whose foundations date to Roman times. It houses an Egyptian art collection, and the ancient GreekSuicide of Ajax Vase.
Gothic church of St Nicholas, housing several 15th-century statues
Cathedral basilica of Notre-Dame, with a dome standing at over 100 m (330 ft). 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 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
In 1905, the firstWorld Esperanto Congress was held in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where the historicDeclaration of Boulogne was ratified.L. L. Zamenhof, the creator ofEsperanto, was among the attendees. In 2005, there was an anniversary celebration to mark the centenary with more than 500 attendees.
Boulogne-sur-Mer hosts one of the oldestUniversités de l'été – summer courses in French language and culture. It is known as theUniversité d'été de Boulogne-sur-Mer.
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[clarification needed] from the Boulogne Tintelleries railway station.
TheChâteau de Boulogne-sur-Mer (now a 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...)
Casa de San Martin, Boulogne-sur-Mer
La Casa San Martin is currently a museum whereJosé de San Martín the father of independence of Argentina (also Chile and Peru) died in 1850, from 1930 to 1967 this house was the consulate of Argentina in France. There is a statue dedicated to his colleagueSimón Bolívar, other liberator of South America in the revolutions againstSpanish 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 toArgentina and Chile can explain some cultural ties with South America of theBoulognais andLatino/Ibero-American culture.[citation needed]
As an international maritime port on theEnglish Channel (La Manche), the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer has European and American influences in local cuisine. They include:
Auguste Mariette (1821–1881), scholar and archaeologist, one of the foremost Egyptologists of his generation, and the founder of theEgyptian Museum inCairo.
Ernest Hamy (1842–1908), anthropologist/ethnologist; created (in 1880) the museum of ethnography of Trocadéro (today known as the Musée de l'Homme, Trocadéro).
Romeo Coates (1772–1848), amateur actor, fled from London to Boulogne to escapedebtor's prison. He lived there for several years, and met his wife during this period.
^"Belfries of Belgium and France".UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved5 November 2021.
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