Cherbourg Chèrbourg / Tchidbouo (Norman)
Part ofCherbourg-en-Cotentin
May 2006 aerial view of Cherbourg
Location of Cherbourg
Cherbourg Show map of France Cherbourg Show map of Normandy
Coordinates:49°38′N1°37′W / 49.63°N 1.62°W /49.63; -1.62
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Manche
Arrondissement	Cherbourg
Commune	Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
Area 1	6.91 km2 (2.67 sq mi)
Population  (1999)	25,370
• Density	3,670/km2 (9,510/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code	50100
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Cherbourg^[a] is a formercommune andsubprefecture located at the northern end of theCotentin peninsula in the northwestern Frenchdepartment ofManche. It was merged into the commune ofCherbourg-Octeville on 28 February 2000,^[5] which was merged into the new commune ofCherbourg-en-Cotentin on 1 January 2016.^[6]

Cherbourg is protected byCherbourg Harbour, betweenLa Hague andVal de Saire, and the city has been a strategic position over the centuries, disputed between the English and French. Cited as one of the "keys to the kingdom" byVauban, it became, by colossal maritime development work, a first-rate military port under the leadership ofNapoleon I, and holds anarsenal of theFrench Navy. A stopping point for prestigious transatlantic liners in the first half of the 20th century, Cherbourg was theprimary goal of US troops during theinvasion of Normandy in 1944.

Along with its use as a military, fishing and yachting port, it is also across-Channel ferry port, with routes to the English ports ofPoole andPortsmouth, the Irish ports ofRosslare Harbour andDublin, andSt Helier onJersey. Limited by its geographical isolation from being a great commercial port, it is nonetheless an important shipbuilding centre, and a working-class city with a rural hinterland.

Cherbourg is located at the northern tip of theCotentin Peninsula, in thedepartment ofManche, of which it is asubprefecture. At the time of the1999 census the city of Cherbourg had an area of 6.91 square kilometres (2.668 sq mi), while the city of Octeville had an area of 7.35 km² (2.838 sq mi). The largest city in the Department of Manche, it is the result of the merger of the communes of Cherbourg and Octeville. Theamalgamated city today has an area of 14.26 km² (5.506 sq mi). Cherbourg is situated at the mouth of theDivette [fr] and at the south of the bay betweenCap Lévi [fr] to the east andCap de La Hague to the west, Cherbourg-Octeville is 120 km (75 mi) from the English coast.

Cherbourg and Octeville-sur-Cherbourg once belonged to thedeanery of La Hague, delimited by the Divette. In 1786, a part ofEqueurdreville joined Cherbourg, during the construction of the port, and then in 1802, a portion of Octeville. Since 1811, the "mielles" [dunes] of Tourlaville, commune of the deanery ofSaire, are integrated into the Cherbourg territory known as the quarter of Val-de-Saire where thePasteur Hospital [fr] and the Saint-Clement Church^[7] were built. Thus, Cherbourg-Octeville lies both in La Hague and in the Val de Saire.^[8]

Like all Chantereyne and the area of the Mielles, the Cherbourg territory was reclaimed from the sea. Built at the level of the sea, the town developed at the foot of the Roule mountain (highest point of the old town) and la Fauconnière. Octeville is a former rural municipality, composed of hamlets, whose settlement extended from the 19th century and whose territory is highly urbanised since 1950, especially around theZUP [fr] of the provinces and the university campus.

The bordering communes areTourlaville to the east,Équeurdreville-Hainneville to the west,La Glacerie to the south and southeast,Martinvast to the south, andNouainville andSideville to the south-west.

Located at the end of theArmorican Massif, Cherbourg retains traces of the geologic formation, deformedgranites andmetamorphicschists of thePrecambrian ofHercynian orogeny by the folding of thearkoses of theCambrian and Armorican sandstone and shale of theOrdovician. These folds result in layers of sandstone tilted 45° towards the north-east on la Fauconniere (including "La Roche qui pend" ['the hanging rock']) and theMontagne du Roule [fr].^[9] These two cliffs are due to sea erosion in theQuaternary. The retreat of the sea then gave way to sand dunes and tidal marshes, destroyed by the urbanisation of the 17th and 19th centuries, identical to those of Collignon in Tourlaville.^[10]

These rocks in the soil have been used for centuries in several ways: Crushed granite extracted inQuerqueville andarkoses of Becquet, have been used for the manufacture of rubble (moellon [fr]) and blocks squared forlintels. Thegreenschist, whose colour comes fromchlorite andsericite, are used mainly for roofing in Nord-Cotentin, but also masonry in Cherbourg. The Armoricansandstone of the Montagne du Roule is used for rubble and rockfill. Most of the many quarries, which opened in the metropolitan area for building theharbour wall, are now closed.^[10]

Cherbourg is bordered by the sea. The construction of the port of trade, from 1769, accompanied by the diversion of theDivette [fr] (the mouth of which was located at the current exit of Port Chantereyne) and the Trottebec (from the territory of Tourlaville) gathered in thecanal de retenue, along theAvenue de Paris andRue du Val-de-Saire.

The streams of the Bucaille and the Fay, which watered theCroûte du Homet, disappeared in the 18th century^[11] during the construction of the military port.

Cherbourg has a temperateoceanic climate. Its maritime character causes high humidity (84%) and a strong sea wind, commonlystormy but also low seasonal variations of temperature and few days of frost (7.3).^[12] The combined effect of the wind and the tides can generate a rapid change of weather in a single day, with sun and rain which can be a few hours apart.^[13]

The influence of theGulf Stream and the mildness of the winter allow the naturalisation of many Mediterranean and exotic plants (mimosas,palms,agaves, etc.) which are present in the public and private gardens of the city, despite average insolation.^[13] The climate is similar to areas much further north inGreat Britain and Ireland due to the moderation. Summers are far cooler than expected by French standards.

Historically, Cherbourg is at the western end ofRoute nationale 13, which runs through the city by the "Rouges Terres" and theAvenue de Paris, fromLa Glacerie. In the 1990s, a deviation from the road, now European routesE03 andE46, referred traffic through La Glacerie andTourlaville on a three-way axis from La Glacerie, to the Penesme roundabout at Tourlaville and then a dual carriageway to a roundabout located between Collignon Beach and thePort des Flamands. An extension to Cherbourg is in the works, with the doubling of the bridge over thePort des Flamands, to ensure a continuity of the dual carriageway to the commercial port in Cherbourg.

The oldRoute nationale 801 [fr] (reclassified as D901), which connectsCap de la Hague toBarfleur, crosses the city from east to west.

After the completion of the bypass east of the agglomeration, a western bypass project is under study, and a 'zone' corresponding to the future final route has been selected. Similarly, upgrading to a dual carriageway for access ofMaupertus Airport is envisaged.

The D650 is used to connect Cherbourg to the west coast of the Cotentin peninsula. Departing from Cherbourg, the D650 takes a southwesterly direction toLes Pieux and then along to join theCôte des Isles (theChannel Islands coast) toBarneville-Carteret. In the approach to Cherbourg, this road has undergone development, in recent years, with amenities (roundabouts, traffic lights, urban development) by virtue of theperi-urbanisation of the communes in its path.

With the awarding ofautoroute status to the RN13 in 2006, the work of upgrading to motorway standard between Cherbourg andCaen is being undertaken over a 10-year period.^[17] The construction work of the RN13 at the entrance of the Cherbourg agglomeration (localityVirage des Chèvres) was completed in early 2009.

Cherbourg-Octeville is a port on the English Channel with a number of regular passenger and freight ferry services operating from the large modern ferry terminal and has a majorartificial harbour. The following operators currently run services from the port:

• Brittany Ferries toRosslare,Poole (1 sailing daily) andPortsmouth (up to 2 sailings daily, summer only).
• Stena Line toRosslare (3 sailings weekly).
• Irish Ferries toDublin (2 sailings weekly).

Cherbourg has previously had services operated by the following operators:

• Stena Line toSouthampton (up to 2 sailings daily). Withdrawn in 1996.
• P&O Ferries toPortsmouth (up to 2 sailings daily by conventional ferry and up to 3 by fast ferry during the summer). Withdrawn in 2005 following a business review.
• P&O Irish Sea toRosslare (up to 3 sailings weekly) andDublin (weekends only during the summer). Dublin service was withdrawn in 2004 and Rosslare service sold to Celtic Link.
• HD Ferries toGuernsey andJersey. Operated in 2007 but cancelled in 2008 due to lack of customers.
• Celtic Link Ferries toRosslare (3 sailings weekly). Service sold to Stena Line.
• Condor Ferries toPortsmouth (1 sailing weekly in summer only).

The port welcomes some 30 cruise ships per year including the largest, thanks to a cruise terminal built in 2006 in theGare Maritime de Cherbourg, which had opened in 1933 on theQuai de France next to theCité de la Mer. Frequently, cruise ships that have planned for another destination have taken refuge in the port, for protection from the frequent storms.

Conventional cargo ships berth in the eastern area of the docks on theQuai des Flamands andQuai des Mielles. During the construction of theConcorde prototypes in the 1960s, some sections built in the United Kingdom passed by ferry through Cherbourg, for transfer to Toulouse.

TheParis - Cherbourg railway line, operated byRéseau Ferré de France, ends atCherbourg railway station, which opened in 1858 and welcomes a million passengers every year.^[18] This line continued, at the beginning of the 20th century, up to the resort ofUrville-Nacqueville and was complemented by theTue-Vâques [fr] which served from Cherbourg toVal de Saire between 1911 and 1950. Today, theIntercités Paris-Caen-Cherbourg line is the most profitable in its class with profit over €10 million per year despite numerous incidents and delays.^[19]

Regular services operate toParis-Saint-Lazare viaCaen usingIntercités stock, localTER services operate from the station toLisieux viaCaen and toRennes viaSaint-Lô. Intercités services toParis-Saint-Lazare take three hours on average.

From July 2009 to December 2010, a TGV Cherbourg –Dijon service operated, viaMantes andRoissy TGV. With one daily round-trip, it operated experimentally for three years and gave the people of Cherbourg direct access by rail to France's primary airport. The service ceased prematurely, as the minimum threshold of passenger traffic was not met.^[20]

As well as a main line station there was also theGare Maritime Transatlantique station. This now forms part of theCité de la mer.

TheCompagnie des transports de Cherbourg (CTC) was created in 1896, connecting thePlace deTourlaville and thePlace du Château by atramway [fr] in Cherbourg, then toUrville. After the German occupation and bombardment of the tram depot, the use of buses took over, and it was not until 1962 that the network had several lines. From 1976, theCommunauté urbaine de Cherbourg supported the jurisdiction of public transit. Management of the public service is delegated toKeolis, the CTC took the name ofZephir Bus in 1991.^[21]

The network covers the whole of the metropolitan area. In recent years, a night bus service has also been created.

Cherbourg-Octeville and its suburbs are also served by the Manéo departmental bus service.

TheCherbourg – Maupertus Airport, located inMaupertus-sur-Mer, serves the city. Its 2,440 m (8,010 ft) runway hostscharter flights. After stopping the daily service to Paris byTwin Jet, in spring 2008, a new link with Caen and Paris started withChalair on 27 October 2008.^[22]

With 40,500 passengers in 2007, the airport had lost 30% of its commercial passengers, and 10% of its total traffic over a year.^[23]

The arms of Cherbourg-Octeville areblazoned: Azure, on afessargent,charged of threemullets of six pointssable, accompanied of threebezants (Or), two inchief, one inpoint. From theEmpire, the coat of arms was accompanied by external ornaments:Mural crown with five rounds of argent, crest crossed fess acaduceus bypassed same on which are suspended two scallops used as mantling, one dexter olive, the other sinister oak, argent knotted and fastened by strips of azure. They also contain aCroix de guerre 1939-1945 with natural palm, appended at the point of the shield and surmounting the croisure strips.[24]

The origin of the coat of arms is disputed.

According to Victor Le Sens, it is of religious origin: Fess argent charged of stars represents the belt of theVirgin Mary, one of the two patrons of the city and the number of stars, like thebezants, evokes theTrinity, the other patron of the city. The bezants would be the expression of the redemption of the captives, illustrating the participation of the notables of Cherbourg on theThird Crusade. The coat of arms of Cherbourg dates from the late 12th century, at the time of theCrusades.^[25]

According to M. Le Poupet, which relies in particular on the works ofVulson de la Colombière andSégoing, the content of the coat of arms evokes the maritime trade of the city, the bezants - traditional furniture of the arms of ennobled financiers - represent wealth and fortune, while the star shows peace and prudence. The sable signifies prudence and constancy in adversity, the azure denotes activity and the seas. M. Canel had explained before him that the bezants and stars respectively illustrated trade and sea port.^[26]

The stars, absent from the armorial ofd'Hozier in 1697,^[26] were added in the 18th century. Under the Empire, the coat of arms was completed by a free area of second-class towns which is to dexter azure to an "N" of or, surmounted by a pointed star of the same, brocading at the ninth of the escutcheon.^[25]

Regarding the external ornaments, the mural crown symbolises protection and happiness, the caduceus of trade and business, the olive tree of peace, the oak of strength, recalling the role of both the military and commercial port. The argent means that Cherbourg was a second class city under the Empire.^[24]

The arms of Cherbourg-Octeville areblazoned: Vert to themantle ofargent charged with two capital letters of sable "O" dexter, "V" sinister, of the chief of gules to a leopard or armed andlampasséd [fr] azure. It was the logo of the municipality until the merger with Cherbourg, which then took the logo of Cherbourg.

Today, the municipality of Cherbourg-Octeville uses a logo, entitled"mouette musicale" [musical seagull]. Initially adopted by Cherbourg, it consists of a gull, symbolising the maritime character of the town, on a musical stave, evoking the musicality of the port: "The cry of the seagulls that dance between sky and sea, the mermaids of ships and the melodious song of the waves".^[27]

The date of Foundation of Cherbourg can not be set precisely, although several local historians, including Robert Lerouvillois, trace the origin of the city to Coriallo (for *Coriovallo) of theUnelli. According toPierre-Yves Lambert, the Celtic elementcorio- means "army, troop" and the elementvallo- similar to the Latinvallum, would be "rampart, fortification".^[28]

Mentioned on theTabula Peutingeriana (c. 365), in theAntonine Itinerary and theGesta deFontenelle ("In pago Coriovallinse", 747-753),Coriallo, Latinised then asCoriallum, hosted a Roman garrison during the lateRoman Empire, and the recovered remains would be the village between Cherbourg andTourlaville, on the Mielles.^[29]

The Cotentin Peninsula was the first territory conquered by theVikings in their ninth century invasion. They developed Cherbourg as a port. After the Anglo-Scandinavian settlement, a new name appeared there in a still Latinised form:Carusburg Castellum (1026-1027, Fauroux 58) thenCarisburg (1056–1066, Fauroux 214),Chiersburg (William of Jumièges, v. 1070),Chieresburg (Wace,Roman de Rou, v. 1175).^[30]Carusburg would mean "fortress of the marsh" inOld Norsekjarr (marsh), andborg (castle, fortified town)^[31] or "city of the marais" inOld Englishker (bog) andburgh (town). The elementkjarr /ker is also found in Normandy inVillequier andOrcher. According to François de Beaurepaire, it comes rather from the Old Englishchiriche (spelledċiriċe, Church) or [tch] is reduced to [s], as the commune ofChirbury, in the County ofShropshire, formerly also spelledChirichburig (915) andChiresbir (1226).^[30]

The name of Octeville appears meanwhile, in 1063, in a Charter ofWilliam the Conqueror about allocations made to the Collegiate Church of Cherbourg.^[32] It means: "the rural area ofOtti", aScandinavian male name also found inOcteville-l'Avenel,Octeville-sur-Mer andOtby (Lincolnshire,Ottebi, 11th century).

Cherbourg is also the name of aCanadian township, located betweenMatane andLes Méchins, which gave its name to the communes of Saint-Thomas-de-Cherbourg, merged in 1954 into Les Méchins, andSaint-Jean-de-Cherbourg. This name, including the proclamation date of 7 May 1864, could be due to the impact by the local newspapers of the inauguration of the military port byNapoleon III in 1858.^[33] Cherbourg is also the name of a town inQueensland, Australia.

The Cotentin, conquered byQuintus Titurius Sabinus in 56 BC,^[34] was divided between thepagus constantiensis ("County of Coutances") and thepagus coriovallensis ("County of Coriallo"), withinGallia Lugdunensis. Coriallo housed a small garrison and acastrum was built on the left bank of the Divette as an element of theLitus saxonicum, afterSaxon raids at the beginning of the fourth century.^[29]

In 497, the village was sold with all ofArmorica toClovis. It was evangelised bySaint Éreptiole [fr] in 432, then bySaint Exuperat,Saint Leonicien, and finallySaint Scubilion in 555.^[35] In 870,Saint Clair [fr], landing inKent, was ordained priest of Cherbourg and established a hermitage in the surrounding forest.^[36]

After severalNorman raids in the ninth century, Cherbourg was attached to theDuchy of Normandy along with theCotentin, in 933, byWilliam Longsword. The Danish King Harold moved there in 946.

In the face of English threats,Richard III of Normandy strengthened the fortifications of thecastle at the same time as those of the other major strongholds of Cotentin. In 1053, the city was one of the four main cities of the duchy ofWilliam the Conqueror to receive an annuity in perpetuity for the maintenance of one hundred needy.^[37]

In 1139, during the struggle for succession to the Anglo-Norman Crown, Cherbourg fell after two months of siege to the troops ofStephen of England before being retaken in 1142 byGeoffrey of Anjou, whose wife,Empress Matilda, three years later founded theAbbaye Notre-Dame du Vœu [fr].^[36]

During the conquest of Normandy byPhilip II of France, Cherbourg fell without a fight in 1204. The city was sacked in 1284 and 1293, the abbey and the Hôtel-Dieu looted and burned, but the castle, where the population was entrenched, resisted. Following these ravages,Philip IV of France fortified the city in 1300.^[36]

Its strategic position, a key to the kingdom along with Calais as a bridgehead for invasion by the English and French, the town was much disputed during theHundred Years' War. Having one of the strongest castles in the world according toFroissart, it changed ownership six times as a result of transactions or seats, never by force of arms. The fortress resisted the soldiers ofEdward III in 1346.

In February 1354, Cherbourg was transferred byJohn II of France toCharles II of Navarre with the bulk of the Cotentin.^[38] The city was of Navarre from 1354 to 1378, and Charles II stayed in Cherbourg on several occasions. In 1378, the city was besieged byCharles V of France as the rest of the Norman possessions of the King of Navarre, but in vain. Navarre troops who had dropped the County of Évreux and the Cotentin were entrenched in Cherbourg, already a difficult taking, and defended it against French attacks.^[39] In June 1378, having lost ground in Normandy, Charles II of Navarre rented Cherbourg in 1378 toRichard II of England for a period of three years.Bertrand du Guesclin besieged it for six months using many machines of war, but abandoned the siege in December 1378.^[40] The King of England then refused to return the city to the Navarrese, despite the efforts of Charles II. It was only his sonCharles III of Navarre who recovered it in 1393. In 1404, it was returned toCharles VI of France, in exchange for the Duchy ofNemours.^[41]

Fallen in 1418 to the hands of the English, Cherbourg, the last English possession of the Duchy of Normandy after theBattle of Formigny, was retaken by France following theSiege of Cherbourg in 1450.^[36]

On 28 April 1532, Cherbourg was visited with great fanfare byFrancis I and the dauphin.^[36] At that time, Cherbourg was described byGilles de Gouberville as a fortified town of 4,000 residents, protected by drawbridges at the three main gates which were permanently guarded and closed from sunset until dawn. Inside the city walls, the castle, itself protected by wide moats and equipped with a keep and twelve towers, was south-east of the city. Outside and to the south of the city walls, the suburb along the Divette was frequented by sailors.^[42]

Cherbourg was not affected by the wind of theReformation that divided Normandy, consolidated and heavily guarded byMatignon [fr],Henry III thanked his defence against the troops ofMontgomery, as lieutenant-general of Normandy and Governor of Cherbourg in 1578, and then marshal the following year. The bourgeois also remained loyal to Henry III andHenry IV, when Normandy was mostly held by theCatholic League.^[36]

To complement the two major ports ofBrest on the Atlantic Ocean andToulon on theMediterranean Sea,Louis XIV wished to build a new port on the side of theEnglish Channel, facing England, in order to shelter the passing ships. In 1686,Vauban offered to strengthen the fortifications of Cherbourg, and closeCherbourg Harbour with two sea walls, but preferred La Hogue for the establishment of a major military port.^[43] Fortifications and the castle development work began the following year but were stopped by the King in December 1688, influenced byLouvois and fear of English attacks.^[29] In the absence of these fortifications, the population of Cherbourg attended to the destruction of the three ships ofAdmiral Tourville at the end of theBattle of La Hogue.^[29]

The commercial port dug at the current position of theplace Divette between 1739 and 1742, was devastated in August 1758 by an English attack under the orders ofGeneral Bligh andAdmiral Howe. During theSeven Years' War, the British briefly occupied the town after theRaid on Cherbourg in 1758. The British destroyed military buildings and warehouses before departing. With the development of a new pool of trade in 1769, Cherbourg - a longstanding commercial port of minor importance, a city without a university or cultural activity, regularly looted, and having weak relations with Paris - acquired a weight in the Cotentin which translated, on the eve of the French Revolution, by the creation of networks of sociability by the middle-class united in associations - such as theCherbourg Royal Academic Society [fr] in 1755 and thelodge "Faithful mason". The population increased from 800feus (4,000 inhabitants) in Cherbourg and 95 in Octeville, around 1715, to 7,300 people in Cherbourg by 1778.^[44]

Louis XVI decided to relaunch the project of the port on theEnglish Channel. After many delays, it was decided in 1779 to build a 4 km (2.5 mi)-long sea wall betweenîle Pelée and the tip ofQuerqueville, using a method developed byLouis-Alexandre de Cessart, a pier of 90 wooden cones of 20 m (66 ft) by 20, filled withrubble, connected by iron chains. The first cone was immersed on 6 June 1784, and the King attended thelaunching of the ninth cone [fr] on 22 June. But the technique did not withstand storms and was abandoned in 1788 in favour of scuttling old warships to backfill lost stones touted byLa Bretonnière. However, the reduction of subsidies and the revolutionary events slowed work down, until its suspension in 1792. A newHôtel de Ville (town hall) was completed in 1804.^[45]

First ConsulBonaparte wanted to turn Cherbourg into a major military port, for the invasion of the United Kingdom. He chargedJoseph Cachin with the resumption of the work of the sea wall, the digging ofmilitary outer harbour, and the construction of the new arsenal. After a visit in 1811, Napoleon made Cherbourg amaritime prefecture, achef-lieu of theArrondissements of the Manche department and the seat of acourt of first instance.

The work of the central sea wall, interrupted again between 1813 and 1832, ended in 1853, the east and west sea walls in 1895. TheCharles X docks (begun in 1814 - 290 × 220 × 18 metres) andNapoleon III (started in 1836 - 420 × 200 × 18 m) of the military port were respectively opened on 25 August 1829, in the presence of the Dauphin, and 7 August 1858, by the Imperial couple. The work of the sea wall was concluded by the construction of the small harbour (Homet sea wall, 1899-1914 and sea wall of the Flemings, 1921–1922).

The work of the port led the intensification and spread of a modernising and developing Cherbourg, while contractors, owners, and local merchants were getting richer. Rural village housing scattered in hamlets made up around large farms (La Crespiniere, La Prevallerie, Grimesnil, La Gamacherie, etc.), connected between them and the Saint-Martin Church by a network of paths, Octeville became chef-lieu of the canton in 1801 (Decree of 23 Vendémiaire, year X) and also its population, to increase by the influx of workers who came to build the port of Cherbourg and work at the Arsenal. After the creation of theRoute des Pieux (currentRue Salengro andRue Carnot), the town was formed around an homogenised street-village then urbanising at the beginning of the 20th century.^[32]

On 16 August 1830,King Charles X, dethroned, departed into exile from the military port of Cherbourg aboard theGreat Britain, leaving room for theJuly Monarchy.^[36] After seeing moor in its harbourLe Luxor carrying theObelisk of Luxor in August 1833, Cherbourg welcomed the return of the remains of Napoleon to France aboard theBelle Poule. On 4 August 1858, an equestrian statue of Napoleon by the sculptorArmand Le Véel, was erected on the occasion of the visit ofNapoleon III to the inauguration of therailway line from Cherbourg to Paris.

On 19 June 1864, a naval engagement in theAmerican Civil War was held off the coast of Cherbourg: The warship of the Confederates, theCSSAlabama was sunk by the ship of the UnionUSSKearsarge after two hours of fighting [see theBattle of Cherbourg (1864)], under the eye of thousands of spectators, who had arrived by train for the inauguration of the casino. Visualizing the fight from a sailboat,Manet immortalised it inThe Battle of the Kearsarge and the Alabama. In November 1984, theFrench Navymine hunterCircé discovered awreck under nearly 60 m (200 ft) of water off Cherbourg. The location of the wreck (WGS84) was 49°45'147N / 001°41'708W. Captain Max Guerout later confirmed the wreck to be of the CSSAlabama.

From 1847, the geographical and technical properties of the port of Cherbourg attracted shipping companies linking European ports to the east coast of the United States. At the end of the 1860s, the ships of theRoyal Mail Steam Packet Company and theHamburg America Line anchored in the harbour before crossing the Atlantic.^[46] After leavingSouthampton, England, theRMSTitanic made its first stop at Cherbourg on 10 April 1912,^[47] during its maiden voyage, where an additional 274 passengers embarked. In 1913, Cherbourg received 500 ships and 70,000 passengers.^[48]

On 31 July 1909, TsarNicholas II and French presidentArmand Fallières met officially in Cherbourg to reinforce theFranco-Russian Alliance.

During theFirst World War, traffic was completely suspended. Cherbourg became the place of arrival for equipment and the British and American troops, and for departure on leave and injuries. The military port experienced an increase in activity, and the garrison stationed at Cherbourg was reinforced. The port infrastructures were developed to receive coal and oil required for the conflict. Traffic doubled, reaching 600,000 tons in 1918.^[48]

Transatlantic transit resumed in the aftermath of the war with the British, American and Dutch transatlantic companies. To welcome the best stopovers, the Chamber of Commerce built a deep water port, a new ferry terminal, and an area dedicated to loading, unloading and storage of goods in the field of Mielles. Cherbourg became the first port of migration in Europe, andCunard Line,White Star Line andRed Star Line companies united to build theHôtel Atlantique [Atlantic Hotel] intended to receive emigrants before crossing. At the same time, the downtown was renovated, especially in the architectural projects ofRené Levesque, Drancey andRené Levavasseur [fr]. However, the1929 crisis put an end to the transatlantic peak.

During theSecond World War (1939–1945), theGerman Army occupied the north of France and fortified the coastline against invasion. As a deep-water port, Cherbourg was of strategic importance, very heavily protected against seaborne assault.

German troops arrived in the outskirts of Cherbourg on 17 June 1940, towards the end of theBattle of France. Two days later, the City Council declared thecity open, andGeneralmajorErwin Rommel, commander of the7th Panzer Division, received the surrender of the city from the hands of the maritime prefect, Vice-AdmiralJules Le Bigot [fr], who had earlier destroyed submarines under construction at the arsenal and East Fort.

Four years later, Cherbourg, the only deep-water port in the region, was the primary objective of theAmerican troops who had landed atUtah Beach during theBattle of Normandy. TheBattle of Cherbourg was required to give theAllies a point of logistic support for human resupply and material of the troops. American troops encircled the city on 21 June 1944. At the end of furious street fighting and bitter resistance from theFort du Roule,GeneralleutnantKarl-Wilhelm von Schlieben,KonteradmiralWalter Hennecke and 37,000 German soldiers surrendered on 26 July toMajor GeneralJoseph Lawton Collins,Commanding General (CG) of theU.S. VII Corps. After a month ofdemining and repairs by American and French engineers, the port, completely razed by the Germans and the bombing, welcomed the firstLiberty ships and became, until the victory of 1945, the busiest port in the world, with traffic double that ofNew York.^[49] It was also the endpoint of the gasoline which crossed the English Channel via the underwater pipelinePLUTO (Pipe Line Under The Ocean), and the starting point of theRed Ball Express, truck transport circuit toChartres.

Cherbourg was returned to France by the Americans on 14 October 1945. It was cited in the Order of the Army on 2 June 1948 and received theCroix de guerre with Palm.

The wartime destruction was mainly concentrated around the military port in Cherbourg but had hit 60% of Octeville. Thanks to the urgency of the port reconstruction, economic activity resumed quickly. Cherbourg, headed by formerSFIO MinisterRené Schmitt [fr], built much social housing. The postwar boom led to the modernisation of the economy and a greater role for female employment. Under the leadership ofGeneral de Gaulle, Cherbourg became the hub of nuclearballistic missile submarine construction from 1964, including the first,Le Redoutable, which was launched in 1967.^[50]Félix Amiot's shipyardConstructions Mécaniques de Normandie, specialised in military armaments, became famous during the Christmas of 1969 in an episode of theCherbourg Project.

Incorporated in 1970, theCommunauté urbaine de Cherbourg [fr] gathered together Cherbourg and Octeville,La Glacerie,Tourlaville,Querqueville andÉqueurdreville-Hainneville.

From the end of the 1960s, the nuclear industry emerged through the construction sites of theLa Hague reprocessing plant and theFlamanville Nuclear Power Plant in addition to submarines of theDCN. A union of trade unions, left-wing activists and environmentalists, formed around the fear of the "nuclearisation" of Nord-Cotentin, crystallised in January 1979 when thePacific Fisher landed with the first spent nuclear waste from Japan. On the eve of the 1980s, the Cherbourg agglomeration was hit by several violent social conflicts, particularly due to the closure of the Babcock factories.^[51]

The major decisions of the public authorities, on which Cherbourg has depended for many centuries, and the nuclear industry, caused a deep economic crisis in the 1990s. The Arsenal was drastically downsized, the Northern Fleet (FLONOR) moved toBrest in 1992, and themaritime hospital [fr] closed. UIE, Burty, CMN, Socoval and Alcatel accumulated social plans or closings. Under the auspices of theurban community [fr], the agglomeration developed its academic offerings with theIUT of Cherbourg-Manche, theSchool of Engineers of Cherbourg and a branch of theUniversity of Caen, which complementedINTECHMER [fr] and the School of Fine Arts.

The new millennium began with the creation of a new commune. Cherbourg-Octeville was created on 1 March 2000 through the joining of Cherbourg and Octeville, following a local referendum within"Grand Cherbourg". The city revived its tourist and maritime identity through theCité de la Mer and the opening to the public of theRedoubtable, and became the home of stopovers for cruises and nautical events.^[51] Theurban renewal operation [fr] "between land and sea", with an emphasis on the commercial and touristic attractiveness of the city and the Bassins Quarter, as well as the economic specialisation in boating, emerged. Meanwhile, the traditional activities of the port (passengers, freight and fishing) were in crisis.^[52]

TheNorman language writerAlfred Rossel, a native of Cherbourg, composed many songs which form part of the heritage of the region. Rossel's song "Sus la mér" ("on the sea") is often sung as a regional patriotic song. The local dialect is known asCotentinais.

La Glacerie was named forglassfactory. In 1655,Louis Lucas de Néhou built a glass factory which produced windows and mirrors for such buildings as theGalerie des Glaces andChâteau de Versailles. The factory in La Glacerie was destroyed by Allied bombardments in 1944 during the Normandy invasion.

Cherbourg was the first site outside the United States to be designated as anAmerican Civil War Heritage Site by theCivil War Preservation Trust because a sea battle was fought nearby in 1864 by Union and Confederate warships. See theBattle of Cherbourg (1864).

Cherbourg originally developed on the left bank of the mouth of theDivette [fr], around the castle. Traces of the ancient fortress are rare in the modern city; the fortification was located in the area bounded by theRue de la Marine,Quai de Caligny, theFoch,Gambetta,Albert-Mahieu andFrançois-Lavieille streets, andLa République andLa Trinité squares. The city had five streets:Grande Rue,Rue de la Trinité (today, Tour-Carrée), theRue du Nouet (to the Blé), theRue au Fourdray andRue Onfroy (of trade), and a dozen boëls (alleys).^[53] These five medieval streets were transformed into pedestrian streets in the 1980s. Until the destruction of the city walls, the main road calledrue de-devant-le-château, was built on its west (east is bordered by ditches) with several houses with arcades, calledsoliers. After the dismantling of the walls, inside which lived three-fifths of the population,^[54] the city extended up to its natural boundaries at the end of the 17th century: the Divette in the east, and Chantereine stream in the west. During the 19th century, it extended to the neighbouring annexed territories ofTourlaville andÉqueurdreville. Its rapid growth from the end of the 18th century was spoken of by Jean Fleury, in 1839, in that it"offers almost everywhere the appearance of a new town; the old streets occupy little space, and the others are generally large and airy, the fountains numerous [...]. Cherbourg has 10 squares, 59 streets, 12 cul-de-sacs and 5 passages."^[55]

Damaged during all eras, rebuilt in piecemeal, the city has no architectural unity. Shale, extracted from the quarries of the agglomeration, is the traditional material of construction. With widespread coverage in the northern Cotentin, it is also used in Cherbourg for the walls in the city, apparent or often covered with a grayish or sometimes colourful coating. The frames are then Valognes stone (limestone), pink granite of Fermanville, or brick, and the underpinnings Armorican sandstone of the Roule and the Fauconniere. The expansion of the city from the 18th century contributed to the diversity of materials. The use ofCaen stone and industrial brick was necessary under the Second Empire, while vernacular architecture disappeared gradually in these years in favour of a more homogeneous and Parisian style.^[56]

Cherbourg and its agglomeration urbanised around the ports and along the coast. With post-war reconstruction and the economic development of theTrente Glorieuses, the city is experiencing a crisis of housing due to the demographic boom, having built on the last vacant land. Indeed, a 1954 report evaluated 1,000 inhabitant families living in slums and called for 1,500 housing units. Then out of landCité du Casino in 1957 and theCité Fougère in 1958, then in 1959 all of theAmont-Quentin,Charcot-Spanel andCité Chantereyne to accommodate the families of the engineers and officers of the Arsenal.^[57]

Port Chantereyne and the Mielles lands are reclaimed from the sea, thePlace Divette andBoulevard Schuman are created at the site of the old fairground. However, at that time, the change mainly affected nearby villages that formed an agglomeration in less than forty years. Octeville, a dispersed habitat until the 18th century, and urbanised during the work of the port around a central street,^[32] saw thehousing estate of the Provinces settle on the heights of la Fauconniere and triple its population in 20 years. Several estates also emerging at Tourlaville, La Glacerie, Querquerville and Equeurdreville, amending the physiognomy of a suburb which densified.^[58] This urbanisation resulted in the dilution of the geographic and sociological boundaries of the agglomeration resulting in the creation in 1970 of theurban community [fr] until the merger of Cherbourg and Octeville in 2000.

Following this merger, a plan of urban renewal named "Between Land and Sea" was launched in 2002 on the quarters of Bassins, of the Amont-Quentin and the Provinces to homogenise the territory of the newly alamgamated city.^[59] The Bassins quarter, released by the channelling of the Divette and the filling of the retaining channel, is expected to profoundly transform the commercial landscape of the city, carried by the construction of a new shopping centre and the renovation of downtown. On the heights, seven HLM tower blocks are intended for demolition to improve social housing. A 3-star hotel and the relocation of the casino is also planned.^[60] AtAvenue Carnot, the former Grouard warehouses must leave room for parking and a place through from the wharf from theQuai de l'Entrepôt to the Pasteur Hospital, to 180 dwellings by Presqu'île habitat and ADIM (Vinci company) then 100 extra in a second round of development.^[61]

The administrative quarters are:

• Downtown, historic heart of Cherbourg, with the inner city and the districts of La Polle and the Vœu, dating from the 19th century.
• The Val-de-Saire, annexed in 1811, beyond the Divette and swing-bridge.
• Sud-est, corresponding to the districts of du Roule and Maupas, traditionally for workers.
• The Amont Quentin-Provinces, on the heights of the city, built from the late 1950s (essentially HLM tower blocks).
• Octeville-Bourg, from both sides of the Salengro and Barbusse streets.
• Ouest, western part of the former municipality of Octeville.

Since 1996, Cherbourg-Octeville is covered by asensitive urban zone on the expanded area of the Provinces.

The construction of the dam and the military port has brought an important flow of workers and soldiers. Cherbourg and Octeville have seen their populations quadruple in a century. Cherbourg had 43,000 inhabitants at the beginning of the 20th century. During this century, Cherbourg lost some 15,000 inhabitants, while Octeville grew continuously, with an explosion in the 1960s and 1970s, during the construction of thehousing estates.

According to estimates fromINSEE for 2018, Cherbourg-Octeville has 35,545 inhabitants.^[62] It is the largest city of the Manche department, and second ofLower Normandy (afterCaen), surpassingAlençon, which had been second before the amalgamation. Cherbourg concentrated 7.7% of the departmental population, twice as much as the prefecture,Saint-Lô, while the agglomeration represents 17% and the urban area 23.5%.

The depopulation of the city-centre of the agglomeration was one of the main topics of the campaign for the municipal elections of 2008. In addition to the battle of figures on the number of lost inhabitants, the three candidates, Bernard Cazeneuve (PS), Jean Lemière (UMP) and Hervé Corbin (dissident UMP) indicated a new interest in this problem. The urbanisation of the Grimesnil/Monturbet zone, provided for the coming years, should logically bring extra population, although no one knows if it will be enough to stop the demographic bleeding.

Today, the neighbouring communes of the metropolitan area (Martinvast, Nouainville, Tonneville, Bretteville, etc.) are experiencing a demographic boost: The framework of life, rural and peaceful, in no way prevents the inhabitants from taking advantage of the infrastructure of the urban community. This problem, which is found in many French towns of this size, has led to the constitution of aPays du Cotentin [fr], the urban community who wish to so participate financially in the richCommunity of communes of Les Pieux [fr] and theCommunity of communes of La Hague [fr].

Since the merger between Cherbourg and Octeville, in February 2000, the inhabitants are officially calledCherbourgeois-Octevillais.^[65] Before, the inhabitants of Cherbourg was called theCherbourgeois and those of Octeville were theOctevillais. It is likely^[quantify] that, with the merger, the latter disappears gradually in favour ofCherbourgeois. This would be similar toÉqueurdrevillais (or sometimesÉqueurdrais) for the nearby ofÉqueurdreville-Hainneville, which merged communes in 1965.

Cherbourg and Octeville have two different profiles. The first is the city centre, with varied habitat, the other a commune in suburbs, built quickly from the 1960s.

The second half of the 19th century saw the creation of manyEnglish-style gardens. The first was due toJoseph Cachin created while he was responsible for the construction of the port, a private garden and a pond near theDivette [fr], instead of the current railway line leading to thestation.^[66] The temperate oceanic climate favours the naturalisation of southern and exotic plants such as palm trees, brought back by many Cherbourg sailors and explorers. Then, under the Third Republic, public gardens opened.^[66]

Today the city offers several green spaces:

• ThePublic Garden [fr] of 1.7 ha (4.2 acres), on theAvenue de Paris, was the first park to be offered to the population, in 1887. At the foot of theMontagne du Roule, it hosts many animals (sea lions,aviaries,deer, etc.). A commemorative site preferred by the municipality, it contains the monument to the dead inaugurated in 1924, the old portal of the Abbey of the Vœu, the bust ofJean-François Millet, and the last town bandstand. Two pavilions of angles constructed in 1889 limit the garden on theAvenue de Paris.^[67]
• TheEmmanuel Liais Park 1 ha (2.5 acres) is the former garden of the Mayor of Cherbourg's house, designed in 1881 and opened in 1885. Bequeathed to the city upon his death, it is very wooded and has an observation tower, a plan of water containing water lilies and other aquatic plants and two greenhouses sheltering rare plants, including a rich collection of South American plants brought back from his travels and acclimated by Liais. It is labelled as aRemarkable Garden.^[68]
• The Montebello garden, opened in 1872 in the street of the same name, within the Napoleon III Quarter, was created at the initiative of the Horticultural Society of Cherbourg for its members. Open to the public since its inception, it containsbamboos,camellias andmagnolias, and offers a chalet of bricks with beams.
• The Park of theChâteau des Ravalet [fr] 12 ha (30 acres), a Cherbourg-Octeville property on the territory of Tourlaville, was developed by the VicomteRené de Tocqueville from 1872, with anEnglish garden and a woodland. The park and the greenhouse built between 1872 and 1875, which is home to palm, banana, cactus and lianas have been open since the acquisition by the city of Cherbourg in 1935, and are classified as historical monuments since 4 March 1996. Several water bodies welcome Black Swans and the aviaries are home to rare birds. An artificial waterfall was created in 1921.^[67]
• TheVallon sauvage [fr] [wild valley] contains hedgerows,wetlands, orchards and woodland in the heart of Octeville, in a natural area of 10 ha (25 acres).^[10]

A private garden, theBotanical Garden of the Roche Fauconnière, is also listed in the inventory of Historic Monuments since 29 December 1978.^[69] Established in 1873, it was embellished over generations by the Favier family.^[66]

The commune also hasallotments, managed by associations: Vallon Sauvage, Fourches, Roquettes, Saint Sauveur and Redoute, which gives free land to its members.

In 2007, the municipality was awarded four flowers in thecompetition of flowery towns and villages.^[70] The beautification policy, which dates from 1995, resulted in obtaining a first flower, followed by a second in 2000 and third in 2002. It relies on public gardens, heirs to a local botanical heritage of over a century, 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft) of flower beds and 240 ha (590 acres) of green space on events such asLe Mois des Jardins et Presqu’île en Fleurs [The Month of Gardens and Peninsula in Flowers], and the annual distribution of geraniums to the resident volunteers.

At the instigation ofColbert, the guild of drapers was founded on 16 April 1668, the manufacture of cloth produced two thousand pieces per year.^[53] Two years earlier, Colbert had also promoted the introduction of theglass factory in the forest ofTourlaville.^[71]

In the 18th century, the economic resources came mainly through maritime trade, the preparation of cured meats and the harbour and breakwater works, plus a moribund textile industry. On the eve of the French Revolution, salt was imported fromLe Croisic along with British grain, andLittry coal. Exports were mainly to Britain (sheets and clothes) and the West Indies (cattle and mules, fat and salted butter, salted meats, cod, linens and canvas), but also toLe Havre andLa Rochelle for wood and coal. Lawful or otherwise exchanges also took place with the Channel Islands (tanbark, grain and wool). Cherbourg shipowners were absent from significant fishing, including that of cod on the banks ofNewfoundland, which was a specialty ofGranville. 361 workers (1764) and 69 skilled workers (1778) of the factory annually produced (1760) 2,000 fine linens in green and white strip. Cherbourg also had seven producers of starch.^[44] Opened in 1793 at the location of the current Lawton-Collins Wharf, the arsenal was moved in 1803 on a decision byNapoleon, within the project of themilitary port. Sailing ships were built, the first, thebrigLa Colombe, was launched on 27 September 1797, and then screw-propelled vessels up to the end of the 19th century. From 1898, the Arsenal specialised in theconstruction of submarines [fr]. The first wereLe Morse andLe Narval. Since then, more than 91 vessels have been built there.

L'Annuaire de la Manche [The Yearbook of Manche] in 1829 mentioned several slate quarries in the agglomeration whose product was sometimes exported to Le Havre, two printers, two soda refineries (properties of Mr. Le Couturier and Messrs. Crenier and Co. producing approximately 600 tonnes forOstend,Dunkirk,Rouen andParis, Germany and Russia), a sugar refinery (Mr. Despréaux) whose 50 tonnes were sold in the English Channel, a lace factory run by four nuns on behalf of Messrs. Blod and Lange and several tanners. It is indicated that the port trade was based on exportation of mules toRéunion and theAntilles, salted meat of pigs and eggs inBritain, wine and brandies, and the import ofScandinavian,Polish and Russian wood, linseed, and hemp.^[72] But its use as a place of war hampered the development of Cherbourg as major commercial port, compared to Le Havre. Ten years later, for these exchanges,Jean Fleury [fr] counted 225 to 230 both French and foreign, from 30 to 800 tons, ships each carrying 6 to 18 crew. He added the maritime buildings and armaments and the export of butter ofLa Hague, and the total annual trade was estimated at between 4 or 5 million francs, of which one million for the export of eggs to the United Kingdom, and 850 tons of salted meat.^[55]

At the beginning of the 20th century, Cherbourg was primarily amilitary port. The commercial port was modest, always exporting mules to the West Indies and Réunion and local food products to Britain (butter, meats, eggs, cattle, etc.), but also chemical products of soda extracted from kelp, granite from nearby quarries, and important wood and iron fromNord, tar, hemp, and food from the colonies. At this time the port embraced the transatlantic epic. Cherbourg's industry was then specialised in shipbuilding, as well as in lace-making and the manufacture of rope. The late 19th century also saw Cherbourg develop an aviation industry, through the company ofFélix du Temple, taken over in 1938 byFélix Amiot, another aviation pioneer for the aerospace company of Normandy. Gradually, workers developed a particular skill in metalwork, both for the submarines of the Arsenal, for aircraft and ships of the Amiot shipyards orBabcock-Wilcox boilers.^[73]

In 1916,Nestlé introduced its first French factory in Cherbourg.

The 1960s saw a revival of the local economy through the increase in the female workforce and the decline of agricultural employment in favour of diversification of jobs and a high-tech industry. In 1960, under the leadership of MayorJacques Hébert, Hortson was established in the Maupas quarter. One hundred employees manufactured projectors and film cameras, particularly for theORTF and Russian television. Redeemed, the factory specialised under the name ofThomson-CSF audiovisual in surveillance and medical cameras, then in the production of electronic circuits of computer terminals on behalf ofConstructions Mécaniques de Normandie and the Arsenal. Since 1976, it has been dedicated to the production of microwave electronic devices, employing 260 workers in 1979 contracted for radars of theMirage F1 Army Air and of the NavySuper Etendards, rising to 400 employees at the end of the 1980s, after moving in 1987 into a new modernised factory in Tourlaville. For a decade, the electronic workshop expanded, adding a production line for mobile television relays, and a workshop for mechanical surface treatment.^[74] As part of the internal restructuring ofAlcatel, the site, which has 300 employees, was sold in 2002 toSanmina-SCI, which ceased its activity in March 2008.^[75] TheCompagnie industrielle des télécommunications (CIT), merged the following decade with Alcatel, it also opened an assembly plant for electronic telephone exchanges, atQuerqueville in the 1960s. The unit, seen as a flagship of French industry by the new president of the Republic in 1981, was considered unnecessary after the integration of Thomson's telephony division with Alcatel in 1984 and suffered heavy redundancies from the end of the 1980s, before closing in 1997 at the end of a difficult social conflict.^[76]

Between the 1970s and 1990s, the two major projects of northernCotentin, theLa Hague reprocessing plant and theFlamanville Nuclear Power Plant, accentuated the industrial development of a city that saw a golden age^[51] through what the journalist François Simon called "industries of death", since about two thirds of the local industrial fabric was related to defence and the nuclear industry.^[50]

Cherbourg is also the cradle of theHalley family and society, which becamePromodès in the 1960s (Continent [fr] hypermarkets,Champion supermarkets). In 1999, Promodès merged withCarrefour. The old buildings of Halley House became the technical centre of the Cachin vocational school, onAvenue Aristide-Briand.

In 1999, the economically active population of Cherbourg and Octeville was 18,671 inhabitants in a total population of 42,288 inhabitants.^[77]

Cherbourg-Octeville supports an unemployment rate (19.6% in 1999), double that of its job base (9.3% in 2006, a decrease of 1.1% in one year) which itself has the highest unemployment of the basins of employment of the department. At 31 December 2004, there were 3,700 jobseekers. Therefore, the annual average household income is lower than the national average (€13,730 for the city, compared with €15,027 in France) despite an average monthly salary (€1,590 in 2001) highest job growth of the department and higher than that ofCaen-Bayeux (€1,550).^[17][77]

Cherbourg is the seat of theChamber of Commerce and Industry of Cherbourg-Cotentin [fr] particularly manages the airport, the fishing ports of Cherbourg and the trade, and, together with theChamber of Commerce and Industry of Centre and Sud-Manche [fr], the FIM group training organisation.

• Major Employers on 1 January 2001^[78]

• Maritime sector

The Cherbourg economy derives a large part of its activities from its maritime position.^[79] Cherbourg indeed hasfour ports [fr]: A military port, a fishing port, a port of commerce (passenger traffic and cross-border goods) and a marina.

Weakened since the 1990s, the commercial port sees the transit of 110,000 trucks to or from Ireland and Great Britain.Project Fastship, involving container transport fromPhiladelphia (United States) by high-speed vessels and oped for fifteen years, has been forgotten in favour of theMotorways of the Sea in the context of the Ena (Eurocoast Network Association), withCuxhaven (Germany),Ostend (Belgium),Rosslare (Ireland) andFerrol (Spain), with no more effect at the moment.^[75]

In recent years, the cross-Channel passenger traffic has declined, with competition fromCaen-Ouistreham and thePas-de-Calais. The withdrawal of theP&O company, which served Poole and Southampton, has left two companies with cross-Channel links:Brittany Ferries toPortsmouth andPoole andIrish Ferries toRosslare (Ireland). In the first eleven months of 2007 compared with the same period of 2006, passenger traffic declined by 3.84% to 750,000 units, while freight fell 4.43% with 87,000 trucks landed. For comparison, the port had 1.7 million passengers and 138,000 trucks in 1995.^[80]

Property, with thePort of Caen-Ouistreham, of the joint association Ports Norman Associates, involving theRegional Council of Lower Normandy [fr] and the Departmental Councils ofManche andCalvados, port trade is managed by a joint company of theChamber of commerce [fr] andLouis Dreyfus Armateurs [fr]. The construction of a terminal dedicated to the traffic of coal from South America and destined for the United Kingdom will put an end to the haemorrhage of the activity of the port.^[81]

The fishing industry is affected by the crisis affecting the entire industry, and the port has seen its fleet decline.^[75]

Cherbourg was the first French marina by number of visitors in 2007, having 10,117 boats for 28,713 overnight stays in 2007, and the total impact estimated at €4 million for the Cherbourg agglomeration.^[82]

A tradition of local industry, shipbuilding is based on the two pillars of theDCNS Cherbourg forsubmarines andConstructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN), famous for their speedboats. This sector has been widely restructured over the past twenty years. The military arsenal saw the end of the construction of theRedoutable-class submarines and expanded its customer base, until then exclusively of the Navy, prior to being privatised in 2007. With dieselAgosta submarines, developed since 1994 for Pakistan, and theScorpène, in collaboration with the shipyards ofCartagena, sold to Malaysia, Chile and India, 25% of the total turnover of the establishment is of foreign origin. Partnerships with Pakistan and India have concluded to make the construction term at home. The CMN, which employed 1,200 people at the beginning of the 1980s, modernised and automated, and now has 500 employees. The company diversified into large luxury yachts, without abandoning the military market, and has signed such contracts with theUnited Arab Emirates andQatar through the Franco-Lebanese businessmanIskandar Safa, owner since 1992.^[79]

While these two military companies have experienced reductions in loads (the number of jobs at the Arsenal increased from 6,000 including 1,000 subcontracted, in 1988, to 2,600 including 500 subcontractors), and the companies have repositioned in the nautical industry.JMV Industries [fr], a subsidiary of CMN with 100 employees, built racing yachts. Originally hosted by CMN to build aluminium hulls designed by James Ébénistes (Saint-Laurent-de-Cuves), Allures Yachting has specialised in cruising sailboats. The Allais shipyard, of Dieppe, has established a subsidiary, ICAN, dedicated to civilian boats and pleasure craft.^[79]

A network of subcontractors and specialists formed around this hub through Ameris France (established in 1994 under the name ofCap 50 export, specialised in the research and the supply of spare parts for ships and military aircraft), the Efinor group (founded in 1988, specialising in metallurgy, nuclear decommissioning and engineering), MPH (help in project control, 140 employees). AtSaint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Facnor has become a global specialist of sailing reels.^[83]

The Navy employs nearly 3,000 officials in the agglomeration, especially in the context of administration (maritime prefecture), maritime safety (customs, CROSS, Abeille), logistical support of theFrench Navy and foreign passage, and of training.^[84]

• Metallurgy

Metallurgy has long represented a large source of employment in the agglomeration. Around the Arsenal and itsboilermakers, several metalworking and mechanical industries were formed from the early 1900s. This is the case of the oldest business the city, the Simon Brothers company, founded in 1856, which went from being a mechanical workshop to a steam agricultural machinery manufacturer and then to an agribusiness in a half a century.

Manufacturing guns in 1870 and 1939, the company became a world leader inchurns and mixers for the butter industry.^[85] Similarly, the Babcockboiler manufacturer was implanted in Cherbourg in theinterwar period and closed its doors after a protracted labour dispute, in 1979. Later, theUIE began business in Cherbourg in 1973, for the construction ofoil platforms, but closed in 1985.^[50]

• Agri-food

The food industry, essential in Lower Normandy, is not absent from the employment pool. A farm raising salmon in the harbour, abattoirs handling farmed livestock of Nord-Cotentin, and several processing companies exist. The Simon Brothers (50 employees) have supplied equipment for the cider and dairy industries for more than a century.

• Electronics

Alcatel had two units in the 1980s, one in Cherbourg, then Tourlaville (formerlyThomson-CSF) the other in Querqueville (Alcatel CIT). Both, regarded as flagships of the group, specialised respectively in microwave and electronic telephone exchanges. However, Alcatel decided to close the Querqueville factory in 1997, Codifur then took over part of the business with hundreds of employees. In 2002, it also offloaded the Tourlaville unit toSanmina-SCI, which relocated its production six years later. Codifur resumed the after-sales service business of Alcatel, or 5% of the initial activity, and a few dozen employees.^[86]

• Other industries^[87]

Socoval, a manufacturer of menswear of the Cantoni Group from Italy, is the last textile factory of the Cotentin and employs about 100 employees, since the social plan of 2001, which resulted in the loss of about 40 employees.

Economic partners now rely on the "mastery of atmosphere", i.e. the control of contamination from industrial processes, through theCherbourg-Normandy technopole [fr] created in 2001. Having experience of work involving nuclear risk, it wants to transfer these skills to the food, electronics and pharmaceutical industries. Two courses have been designed for this purpose: A BTS in nuclear maintenance at the Lycee Tocqueville and a DESS in mastery of atmosphere at theCherbourg School of Engineering.

• Commerce

The urban community, the main commercial centre of the Cotentin, has fourhypermarkets covering 26,780 m² (288,300 sq ft)^[23] - of which one,Carrefour (260 employees), located in the Cherbourg area, represents the third largest private employer of the commune - as well as several large specialist stores. Trade employs nearly 1,400 people in the city centre,^[87] but the decline in cross-Channel traffic has caused a big shortfall, exacerbated by the fragile local economy.^[75]Although downtown Cherbourg is the main commercial centre of the agglomeration, with 340 establishments, its dominance is lower in the urban community, when compared to Caen towards its agglomeration. Indeed, Cherbourg focuses 35% of commercial activities and 45% of retail trade in the agglomeration, against 40% and 55% for the centre of Caen respectively, particularly two-thirds of the human equipment stores against 90% in Lower Normandy's capital. Grocery chains, equipment and home appliances have left the city centre for out-of-town shopping centres. The number of fast food outlets doubled between 1995 and 2005, while the strength of the traditional catering has stagnated.^[88]

• Services^[87]

Cherbourg-Octeville, the largest city of the department, is the main centre for administration and services for theCotentin. Health is an important provider of jobs with thePasteur hospital [fr] (470 beds, second of Lower Normandy, merged since 2006 with the Hospital of Valognes) and the Cotentin Polyclinic. The same goes for the education sector with four public and four private schools, a marine high school and aquaculture, a university campus and several graduate schools. The branches of public enterprises are also located there (EDF, with 120 officers and SNCF, with 50 officers). Public employment represents an important part with, in addition to the hospital and schools, municipal and community staff.

Business service companies are also present in computer science (Euriware, 85 employees), cleanliness (Onet, 240 employees, and Sin&Stes, 100 employees) and advertising (Adrexo, 50 employees).

Cherbourg-Octeville hosts the headquarters ofFrance Bleu Cotentin [fr] public radio, and the departmental dailyLa Presse de la Manche (120 employees with his CES press), successor to the Libération deCherbourg-Éclair [fr], and subsidiary of theGroupe SIPA - Ouest-France [fr] since 1990.France 3 Normandie boasts a local editorial office in the city; Cherbourg's edition ofLa Manche libre [fr] covers the agglomeration,La Hague and theVal de Saire; local television5050 TV [fr] has installed its headquarters and its main studio in the area.

Jobs in the construction sector are divided between Faucillion (80 employees),Eiffage (75 employees) andColas (60 employees).

Since its opening, theCité de la Mer is the tourist engine of Nord-Cotentin. The cruise terminal also attracts liners each year. The marina of 1,500 spaces is the first French port of call (11,000 per year). The capacity of the city was, as of 1 January 2007, 15 hotels and 429 rooms. The casino, owned by the Cogit Group is the 109th in France, with a turnover of €6.7 million.^[87]

In 2010, the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville was awarded a 3-star equivalent "Ville Internet [fr]"label^[89] and was upgraded to a 4-star equivalent rating in 2012.

The city has thecentral office [fr] of two cantons:Canton of Cherbourg-Octeville-1 (to the west) andCherbourg-Octeville-2 (in the east, which also includes the town of La Glacerie).Departmental advisors [fr] are theSocialists Frédéric Bastian, Anna Pic, Karine Duval and Sébastien Fagnen.

Thearrondissement of Cherbourg has 189 municipalities and 190,363 inhabitants. The sub-prefect is Jacques Troncy, former sub-prefect ofMontbéliard, appointed 17 March 2014.^[90]

Since 1986, thefifth constituency of Manche [fr], known as Cherbourg, covered the three cantons of Cherbourg-Octeville, and those ofEqueurdreville-Hainneville,Saint-Pierre-Église [fr] andTourlaville. In the context of the legislative redistricting of 2010, the two cantons ofBeaumont-Hague andQuettehou integrated the constituency of Cherbourg-Octeville, becoming the4th constituency. Despite this redistribution often perceived as advantageous for the right, the outgoingSocialist deputy of the 5th constituency,Bernard Cazeneuve, was re-elected in the first round with 55% of the vote.

Cherbourg-Octeville also has the headquarters of themaritime prefecture of theEnglish Channel and theNorth Sea, whose authority extends from the Bay ofMont Saint-Michel to theBelgian border. Themaritime prefect [fr] is the Vice Admiral of the Squadron,Bruno Nielly. Themaritime quarter of Cherbourg (initials: CH) is restricted to the limits of the department.

Since 1971, Cherbourg-Octeville has belonged to theUrban community of Cherbourg [fr], presided over byAndré Rouxel since 2012, Mayor of Tourlaville, to which the municipality delegates urban transport, management of space and the quality of life, the environment and development strategies (higher education, research, major projects, andCité de la Mer, etc.).

The postal codes from prior to the merger of 2000 have been preserved: 50130 for addresses of the former territory of Octeville, 50100 for Cherbourg.

Cherbourg is historically, with the Arsenal and the port, the main focus of labour and trades unions of the department of Manche. However, the Cherbourg workers do not lean towards radical or revolutionary movements, nor toyellow unionism, traditionally preferring the reformist tendencies. These choices are reflected politically into a strong center-left anchor, dominated by Socialist-radicals and independent Socialists, before whom theSFIO and theSocialist Party are not imposed.^[91] Since the Liberation, with the exception of a Gaullist period of 18 years withJacques Hébert followingRené Schmitt's [fr] death, the city of Cherbourg has voted in favour Socialist forces.

Similarly, the right won the town hall of Octeville in 1989, for a term, by the division of the left. Since the redrawing of the electoral district of Cherbourg in 1986, covering the urban population of the agglomeration and the rural district of theCanton of Saint-Pierre-Église [fr], the left-right alternation is the rule in every legislative election.

Presidential elections, results of the second rounds

• Election of 2012^[92] (77.28% participation): 60.00% forFrançois Hollande (PS, elected), 40.00% forNicolas Sarkozy (UMP).
• Election of 2007^[93] (83.27% participation): 52.03% forSégolène Royal (PS), 47.97% for Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP, elected).
• Election of 2002^[94] (76.82% participation): 86,81% forJacques Chirac (RPR, elected), 13.19% forJean-Marie Le Pen (FN).

Parliamentary elections, results of the second rounds (1 round, unique for 2012)

• Elections of 2012^[95] (54.48% participation), candidates who have collected more than 5% of the vote: 56.57% toBernard Cazeneuve (PS, elected), 39.23% David Margueritte (UMP), 8.80% for Jean-Jacques Christmas (FN), 5.55% for Ralph Lejamtel (EELV).
• Elections of 2007^[96] (61.28% participation): 60.77% for Bernard Cazeneuve (PS, elected), 39.23%Jean Lemière [fr] (UMP).
• Elections of 2002^[97] (62.49% participation): 50.78% for Bernard Cazeneuve (PS), 49.22% for Jean Lemière (UMP, elected).

European elections, results of the two scores or more than 15%

• 2014 election^[98] (41.70% participation): 20.59% forJérôme Lavrilleux [fr] (UMP), 20.38% forGilles Pargneaux (PS-PRG), 19.85% forMarine Le Pen (FN).
• 2009 election (37.63% participation): 24.98% forDominique Riquet (UMP), 22.51% for Gilles Pargneaux (PS), 14.2% forHélène Flautre (Europe Écologie).
• 2004 election^[99] (40.81% participation): 37.75% forHenri Weber (PS), 16.74% forTokia Saïfi (UMP).
• 1999 election^[100] (45.52% participation): Cherbourg, 25.12% forFrançois Hollande (PS), 13.98% toCharles Pasqua (RPF), 12.54% forNicolas Sarkozy, 45.09% of participation; Octeville 29.79% for François Hollande (PS), 11.55% for Charles Pasqua (FPN), 8.08% for Nicolas Sarkozy.

Regional elections

• 2004 election^[101] (61.90% participation): 58,27% forPhilippe Duron (PS), 31.06% forRené Garrec (UMP), 10.67% forFernand Le Rachinel (FN).
• 1998 election^[102] (53.71% participation): Cherbourg 42.06% forJean-Pierre Godefroy (PS), 18.13% forPierre Aguiton [fr] (UDF), 51.08% participation. Octeville 44.33% for Jean-Pierre Godefroy (PS), 15.50% for Pierre Aguiton (UDF).

Cantonal elections

• 2008 election:Canton of Cherbourg-Octeville-Sud-Ouest 54.43% for Michel Lerenard (PS), 15.37% for Alain Estève (DVD), 53.22% of participation;^[103]Canton of Cherbourg-Octeville-Nord-Ouest 63.03% for Jean-Michel Houllegatte (PS), 36.97% forJean Lemière [fr], 39.32% participation^[104]
• 2004 election:^[105]Canton of Cherbourg-Octeville-Sud-Est, 65.69% for Michel Louiset (PS), 34.31% for M Héry, 59.04% participation.
• 2001 election:^[106] Canton of Cherbourg-Nord-Ouest (2nd round), 56.15% for Jean Lemière, 43.85% for Jean-Michel Houllegatte, 52.35% of participation; Canton of Cherbourg-Octeville-Sud-Ouest (1st round), 53.12% for Michel Lerenard, 25.29% for Guillemeau, 52.28% participation.
• 1998 election:^[107] Canton of Cherbourg-Sud-Est, 65.76% for Michel Louiset, 34.24 percent Ponthou, 41.5% participation.

Municipal elections

• 2014 election:^[108] 39.19% for Jean-Michel Houllegatte (PS), 34.06% for David Margueritte (UMP), 15.56% for Jean Levallois (DVD), 11.17% for Ralph Lejamtel (FG), 52.28% participation.
• 2008 election:^[109] 66.82% forBernard Cazeneuve (PS), 19.64% forJean Lemière [fr] (UMP), 13.55% for Hervé Corbin (dissident UMP), 55.48% of participation.
• 2001 election:^[110] 55.09% for Bernard Cazeneuve, 23.98% for Jean Lemière, 55.57% participation.

Referendums

• 2005 European Constitution referendum:^[111] 43.39% for Yes, 56.61% for No, 68.95% participation.
• Local referendum on the Grand Cherbourg:^[65] Cherbourg 83.72% for Yes; Octeville 55.88% for Yes.

With the merging of the municipal councils of Cherbourg and Octeville on 1 March 2000,Jean-Pierre Godefroy (PS), the Mayor of Cherbourg, took the helm of the new administration, andBernard Cazeneuve (PS), Mayor of Octeville, became the first Deputy. Bernard Cazeneuve was elected Mayor of Cherbourg-Octeville during the2001 municipal election, and re-elected in March 2008 with 66.82% of the vote. Appointed Minister Delegate for European Affairs in May 2012, he gave way to Jean-Michel Houllegatte the following month. The latter was re-elected following the victory of his list with 51.81% at the second round of the2014 municipal election.

Themunicipal council is composed of 39 members including the mayor and eleven assistants.^[114] Thirty Councillors represent a leftist majority, nine represent the opposition.^[114]

The main initial budget for 2007 amounted to €73,994,364, divided between the operating section (€54,126,712) and investment section (€19,867,652).^[115] Personnel expenses exceeded half (60%) of operating expenses. Almost all of the resources were fuelled by grants (49%) and tax (44%).^[116] Of the seven budgets of the municipal mandate (2001-2007), this budget increased overall by 22% (43% for investments, 15% for operation).^[117]

The investment budget is included in the multiannual programme "Unite the city" (2003-2007), presented in December 2002 by Bernard Cazeneuve. It sees a transformation of the newly amalgamated city through refurbishment of the pool and Port Chantereyne, development of the Bassins zone, filling the retaining channel, and the construction of the sailing school.^[118] It is mainly financed by borrowing, increasing the debt of the city (the charges multiplied by two-thirds between 2002 and 2007), lower than the average per capita of the stratum.^[119]

Cherbourg istwinned with:^[120]

• Poole, United Kingdom,^{[120][121][122]} since 1977
• Bremerhaven, Germany^[120]
• Deva, Romania
• La Somone [fr],Senegal,^[120] since 2013^[123]

Cherbourg maintains decentralised co-operation with:

• Sarh,Chad,^[120] since 2001
• Coubalan,Senegal,^[124] since 1995
• Veles, North Macedonia^[124]

Twinning projects:

• Hann,Senegal, a quarter ofDakar
• La Unión,Honduras
• Kalaat M'Gouna,Morocco

Louis XVI removed the viscountcy of Cherbourg by edict in November 1771, and transferred the rights of justice to the Bailiwick of Valognes.^[125] In 1785, asub-delegation [fr] was created, however it was smaller than the Viscountcy, essentially coveringLa Hague, as far asHéauville and included Helleville, Tourlaville, and Bretteville, Digosville and Martinvast, and always under the authority of the electoral district of Valognes.

Cherbourg became a town and district in January 1790, seat of a justice of the peace and a civil and criminal court. Under the Directory, they were replaced by a simple police court, attended by a justice of the peace, and a police correctional court. The correctional court closed after the Act of 17 February 1800 and Cherbourg was made a town and township of theArrondissement of Valognes [fr]. After his arrival in the city,Napoleon established aCourt of first instance by the Decree of 19 July 1811.^[126]

The city is today one of the three main judicial hubs of Manche, along withCoutances andAvranches. It hosts ahigh court [fr] (arrondissement of Cherbourg-Octeville), acourt (Canton of Beaumont-Hague, Cherbourg-Octeville-Nord-Ouest, Cherbourg-Octeville-Sud-Est, Équeurdreville-Hainneville, Cherbourg-Octeville-Sud-Ouest, Les Pieux, Saint-Pierre-Eglise and Tourlaville), acouncil of tribunals and atribunal of commerce. Aremand prison is located in the city centre, behind the buildings of the court. As a result of the justice reform presented in 2007 by Rachida Dati, the jurisdiction of the Court of Valognes will be integrated to that of Cherbourg.

TwoZEP [fr] have been defined, one being on Cherbourg territory in the Quarter of Maupas, the other straddling Cherbourg and Octeville, in the quarter of the Provinces.

Cherbourg-Octeville has six high schools:

• The former college, which became high school in 1886, is known by the name of Lycée Victor Grignard (830 students: General and TSG, as well asscientific preparatory classes [fr]).
• The Lycée Jean-François Millet (1,210 students: General sector, preparatory health,preparatory literary classes).
• The Lycée Alexis de Tocqueville (1,480 students: General sector, technical, professional and higher education -BTS-).
• The Ingénieur-Cachin private professional high school (320 students).
• The Thomas Hélye private high school, the Sainte-Chantal private lycée and the La Bucaille technological lycée (1,005 students, courses) general and technical.
• The aquaculture and marine high school (102 pupils). On 28 June 2013, this became the professional maritime and aquaculture lycéeDaniel Rigolet [fr].

The university campus, installed on the heights of Octeville, focuses theCherbourg School of Engineering, theIUT Cherbourg-Manche (which hosts approximately 1,000 students in initial or continuing education through four DUT departments, four pro licenses, one DU, a DCEF and a DAEU), as well as two branches of theUniversity of Caen (UFR sciences and UFR modern foreign languages). The Pasteur hospital houses the Institute of training in nursing of Cherbourg-Octeville. The Group FIM, training service of the twochambers of commerce and industry of la Mancha, manages the school of trade and distribution, and since 2007, the Institute of promotion and marketing boating, forming alternating a fortnight of accreditation in the field of boating (shipbuilding, nautical services company, marinas, etc.).

The Institute of the Film Industry of Normandy is installed as a result of theInternational School of Audiovisual Creation and Realisation (EICAR) on the site of the formermaritime hospital [fr]. It is complemented by the training of apprentices of the Performing Arts and Audiovisual Centre, while theSchool of Fine Arts [fr] (Esbaco), founded in 1912 by Henri Buffet design Professor and Professor of modelling Félix Delteil, is located in the former convent of theLittle Sisters of the Poor (Bassins zone) since 1976.^[128]

Cherbourg-Octeville welcomes theSchool of the Military Applications of Atomic Energy [fr] (EAMEA, 351 students) and theNational Institute of Science and Nuclear Technology - remains of the importance of the army in the city - while the School of the Quartermasters (between 600 and 700 students) is located atQuerqueville.

The town also hosts theNational Institute of Science and Technology of the Sea [fr] (Intechmer), Tourlaville.

The first horse race organised in Normandy took place in Cherbourg in September 1836 on the (now gone) beachfront along theboulevard maritime, at the initiative ofÉphrem Houël [fr], the officer of the stud. The races settled in 1931 on the Lande Saint-Gabriel Racecourse in Tourlaville, the work ofRené Levavasseur [fr], and theHippodrome de La Glacerie [fr] from 1990.^[129]

Infootball,AS Cherbourg Football, after decades at the national level, is changing, as a result of bad sports results and financial problems, since 2014 in theLigue de Basse-Normandie de football [fr], equivalent to the 6th division, and is based at theMaurice-Postaire stadium [fr]. The club has also two other senior male teams in the League of Lower Normandy.^[130]

Three other clubs have teams indistrict divisions [fr]:^[131]

• ThePatronage laïque d'Octeville [Secular Patronage of Octeville] (three teams)
• TheAssociation sportive de l'Arsenal maritime de Cherbourg [Sporting Association of the Marine Arsenal of Cherbourg] (one team)
• Gazélec Football Club (two teams)

The Association sportive Amont-Quentin, which had two district teams until June 2013,^[132] had to cease its activities. The Octeville Hague Sport, which was developing its teams in 2013–2014, was unable to present any team for the 2014–2015 season.^[133]

In cycling, Cherbourg has been a city of arrival for theTour de France on sixteen occasions: 1911 to 1914 (four consecutive years), from 1919 to 1929 (eleven consecutive years), and finally in1986. Cherbourg was a departure city in1994. The second stage of the2016 Tour de France finishes at Cherbourg.^[134]

Cherbourg regularly hosts stages of sailing competitions such as theSolitaire du Figaro, theCourse de l'Europe [fr], theChallenge Mondial Assistance, theTour de France à la voile, and theTall Ships' Race.

TheChallenger La Manche is a professional tennis tournament ($50,000 plus accommodation) held annually in Cherbourg since 1994.

In ice hockey, NC'HOP (Nord Cotentin Hockey Plus [fr], theCherbourg Vikings) was based in the city. The team was the successor to CHOC (Cherbourg Hockey Club), who played inFFHG Division 1 until filing for bankruptcy in 1996. NC'HOP left the competition in 2010.

AS Cherbourg men's basketball team plays inNational 2 [fr] and the women's team in the Prenational league.

TheJeunesse sportive de Cherbourg [fr] has a male handball team inPro D2 [fr] and a women's team inNationale 3 [fr] (agreement withTourlaville). The club has also implemented a structured training programme for young people, from the 2009/2010 season, around a partnership with colleges of the city.

Cherbourg-Octeville has two hospitals:

• The Pasteur Central Hospital, public, second establishment of Lower Normandy with 711 beds and places.^[135] With a joint medical project since 2001 and a communal direction since 2003, the Pasteur Centre and the Central Hospital of Valognes merged in 2006 within theCentre hospitalier public du Cotentin [fr] (2,000 officials, more than 1,000 beds, and a 2005 budget of €133 million)^[136]
• The Polyclinic of the Cotentin, at the border between Octeville andÉqueurdreville-Hainneville (102 beds).

The Gros Hêtre medicalised residence for elderly (a branch of the public hospital in the Cotentin) and, since 1999, the Jean-Brüder Community Health Centre are located on the territory of Octeville.

In 1859, following the Imperial visit, the State decided upon the construction of aMaritime Hospital [fr] of a thousand beds to accommodate the troops in garrison. Opened on 15 February 1869, it was renamed René-Le-Bas, named after the first doctor who joined the Free Naval Forces and died in 1942 aboard the submarineSurcouf. It was closed in 2002 and renovated as a university campus.

Attached to theDiocese of Coutances-Avranches, until 1 September 2009 the deanery of Cherbourg covered the territory of the urban community and the bordering communes ofTonneville,Urville-Nacqueville, and those of the formerCommunauté de communes de la Saire, and theCommunauté de communes de Douve et Divette. To this date, it is merged to the deanery ofLa Hague, to become theDeanery of Cherbourg-Hague [fr], therefore adding the parishes covering theCommunity of communes of La Hague [fr] and ofLes Pieux. Jean-XXIII parish unites Cherbourg and La Glacerie, with the Cherbourg churches of La Trinité (long only parish church), Notre-Dame-du-Roule, Notre-Dame-du-Vœu, St-Jean-des-Carrières and Saint-Clément. The parish of Saint-Sauveur of Octeville, which also coversNouainville has three sites in the commune: Saint-Martin, the historic site, Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul, at Provinces, and the Chapel of Saint-Barthélemy.^[137]

Protestants have a temple of theReformed Church (since 1835, rebuilt after the war in 1964), and aPentecostalEvangelical church affiliated with theAssemblies of God. The EvangelicalBaptist Church has been present since 1985 in the agglomeration and is currently located in Tourlaville.

Cherbourg and Octeville experienced two major waves of immigration ofMuslim population, the late 1950s and during the 1960s, after the construction of the neighbourhoods of Amont-Quentin, Provinces and Maupas, and then in the 1980s, with the major construction sites of theLa Hague reprocessing site and theFlamanville Nuclear Power Plant. The Muslim community then opened three mosques (the Mosque of Omar in Octeville, the Mosque de la Gare, on theAvenue de Normandie, and then the Turkish mosque, on theBoulevard de l’Atlantique).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Parish of Cherbourg, has its chapel on theRue du Commerce.

• Masseot Abaquesne (c. 1500–1564), ceramicist
• Jean Nicolet (1598–1642), explorer of New France
• Philippe Mius d'Entremont (c. 1601 – c. 1700), Baron of Pobomcoup and coloniser
• Jean Hamon (1618–1687), medical doctor andsolitaire of Port-Royal;
• Nicolas d'Orange des Roches [fr] (1626–1705), brigadier of the Armies of the King underLouis XIV, Governor of the Hôtel des Invalides
• Gilles Le Hédois [fr], known asDu Bocage (b. 1658), French corsair then vice-admiral of Brazil
• Jean Baptiste de Beauvais (1731–1790), preacher and representative to theEstates General of 1789
• Louis Vastel [fr], (1746–1819), lawyer at theParlement of Rouen, and author of works of law
• Amable Troude (1762–1824), General of the Empire
• Pierre-Adrien de La Chapelle [fr] (1780–1854), botanist
• François Leconte [fr] (1791–1872), sailor
• Lizinska de Mirbel (1796–1849), miniaturist
• Alfred Charles Ernest Franquet de Franqueville [fr] (1809–1876), engineer
• Allyre Bureau (1810–1859), politician, musician
• Hippolyte Vallée [fr] (1816–1885), founder of theFondation Vallée, for mentally retarded children inGentilly
• Joachim Menant (1820–1899),Assyriologist
• Emmanuel Liais (1826–1900), astronomer and mayor of Cherbourg
• Alfred-Alexandre Quentin (1827–1895), trombonist
• Alfred Rossel [fr] (1841–1926), songwriter in theNorman language
• Georges Sorel (1847–1922), political thinker
• Louise Rousseau [fr] (b. 1854), writer
• Henry Moret (1856–1913), painter of thePont-Aven School
• Charles-Émile Bertin [fr] (1871–1959), colonel, eminent specialist inMeiji period Japan
• Victor Grignard (1871–1935), Nobel chemist laureate of the Nobel Prize in 1912
• Lortac (1884–1973), writer and French pioneer of animated cartoons
• Joseph Noyon (1888–1962), compositeur, arrangeur (Hymne à la nuit [fr] [Hymn to the night],Il est né le divin enfant [He is born the divine child])
• Louis-Amédée Lefèvre [fr] (1890–1968),Archbishop of Rabat
• Félix Amiot (1894–1974), aircraft builder and creator ofConstructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN)
• Paul-Auguste Halley [fr] (1907–2002) andPaul-Louis Halley (1934-2003), founders of thePromodès Group
• Louis Gallien [fr] (1908–1976), biologist and zoologist
• André Defrance [fr] (1908–1952), member of the Resistance

• Jean Marais (1913–1998), actor and stuntman
• Roland Barthes (1915–1980),semiologist
• Jean-Charles Tacchella (b. 1925), filmmaker, author ofCousin Cousine (1975);
• Maurice Séveno [fr] (b. 1925), journaliste, former television news presenter, and politician
• Annie Saumont (b. 1927), writer, laureate of thePrix Goncourt de la nouvelle [fr] in 1981
• Jacques Rouxel (1931–2004), animator, creator ofLes Shadoks
• Michel Besnier (b 1945), writer
• Billy Bridge [fr] (1945–1994), singer who has imported themadison into France in the 1960s
• Patrick Thuillier [fr] (b. 1951), poet
• Daniel Lacotte [fr] (b 1951), writer
• Halvard Mabire [fr] (b 1956), sailor
• Élisabeth Ballet (b 1957), sculptor
• François Galgani [fr] (b 1958), oceanographer
• Joseph de Metz-Noblat [fr] (b 1959), Bishop of Langres
• Rosette (b 1959), film actress
• Olivier Thiébaut [fr] (b 1963), writer and illustrator
• Wilfried Gohel (b 1968), footballer
• Laurent Leflamand (b 1968), rugby player
• Françoiz Breut (b 1969), singer
• Julie Raynaud [fr] (b 1971), television presenter
• Émilie Loit (b 1979), tennis player
• Julie Quéré [fr] (b 1982), comedian
• Amaël Moinard (b 1982), cyclist
• Élodie Godin (b 1985), basketball player
• Lise de la Salle (b 1988), pianist
• Ernst Umhauer (b 1989), actor

• Édouard Lebas [fr] (1897–1975), prefect and French politician.

• Jean-Baptiste Digard de Lousta [fr] (1803–1879), historian and poet.
• Prosper Payerne (1806–1886), physician, scientist and inventor.
• Armand Le Véel (1821–1905), statue sculptor.
• Alexandre Marie du Crest de Villeneuve [fr] (1813–1892), Rear Admiral.
• Jean-Charles-Alexandre Sallandrouze de Lamornaix (1840–1899), Admiral, Commander in Chief of the Squadron of the North, died in harbour on the battleshipFormidable.
• Louis Corbière (1850–1941), botanist.
• Heinz Hellmich (1890 – 17 June 1944) German General who served in theWehrmacht duringWorld War II.
• Jean Simon [fr] (1912–2003), one of the negotiators of theÉvian Accords for the abandonment of French Algeria
• Louis Darinot [fr] (1925–2006), politician, deputy mayor of Cherbourg

The work of the seawall and the military port in Cherbourg led many soldiers and engineers, for whom this step was often an important moment in their career. Thus,Charles François Dumouriez (1739–1823), Governor of Cherbourg who was responsible for the first work, at the dawn of the French Revolution,Joseph Cachin (1757–1825), engineer assigned byNapoleon to the general direction of the maritime work of Cherbourg in 1804. For twenty years, he realised the improvement of the commercial port, and the digging of the docks of themilitary port, constituting the New Arsenal.Henri Rieunier (1833–1918) who was twice major of the Navy in Cherbourg (1872/1875) andLouis-Émile Bertin (1840–1924) who lived in Cherbourg from 1863 to 1879, and is buried in the cemetery ofLa Glacerie.Charles-Eugène Delaunay (1816–1872), Director of theParis Observatory, drowned while visiting the harbour. Among the engineers of theDirectorate of construction and naval weapons, includedAugustin-Louis Cauchy (1789–1857) and alsoMaxime Laubeuf. Under theAncien Régime, the safeguarding of the Château de Cherbourg was already the task of illustrious figures of the Kingdom, such asPierre des Essarts [fr], thefamily of Matignon [fr] andJacques de Callières [fr] (d. 1697). At the origin of the military port,Napoleon (1769–1821), who visited the city in 1811,"Revient" in Cherbourg in 1840 during thereturn of his remains to France, aboardBelle Poule, before being taken toLes Invalides.

A transatlantic port of the 20th century, Cherbourg saw Hollywood stars arrive, such asCharlie Chaplin, who organised his disembarkation in 1952 to a press conference in thegare maritime, critical of theMcCarthyist America that he left. The port saw a lot of famous people, including businessmanBenjamin Guggenheim (1865–1912) for his fatal voyage on theTitanic. Cinema then gave Cherbourg another lasting reputation, through the images ofJacques Demy (1931–1990) and music byMichel Legrand (1932-2019), inThe Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Earlier,Frida Boccara (1940–1996), knew great success in 1961 with her songCherbourg avait raison. The letters were not left withacademicianGeorges Grente (1872–1959), superior of the Saint-Paul Institute, andErnest Psichari (1883–1914), soldier and writer, whose garrison stay in Cherbourg in 1914 with the 2nd colonial artillery regiment inspiresL'Appel des armes.

WithCaen, Cherbourg-Octeville is the main cultural centre ofLower Normandy.

The city is the seat of severallearned societies, including theNational Academic Society of Cherbourg [fr] founded in 1755,National Society of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of Cherbourg [fr] formed in 1851, and the Artistic and Industrial society of Cherbourg, incorporated in 1871.

The creation and dissemination of the performing arts are ensured by theTrident,national stage [fr] of Italian theatre, the theatre of Octeville and theVox. Amateur theatre is celebrated byLes Téméraires.

Thevocation prioritaire du Centre régional des arts du cirque [Priority Mission of the Regional Centre of Circus Arts] (CRAC) of La Brèche, opened in October 2006, is the residence of circus troops, but instead also offers programming for the public.^[138] CRAC participates in the festival of street arts,Charivarue.

In addition, the provision of artistic education is rich, with the Film Industry Institute of Normandy, the school of fine arts and the municipal music school, labelled as a conservatory for communal influence, which has 800 registrants.

After the closure ofUltrasound inÉqueurdreville-Hainneville, a unique room of contemporary music of Nord-Cotentin, several associations have come together within the network"La Voix des oreilles" ["The voice of the ears"] and of the placeÉpicentre, in the former yacht club onQuai Lawton-Collins,^[139] where the festivalLa Terra Trema takes place.

However, the city lacks a large capacity venue, the theatre can accommodate only 700 spectators. After the bitter failure ofCherbourg-Land, this problem has not been resolved at the level of the Cotentin.^[138] The Great Hall of the Cité de la Mer, with a space for over 6,000 people, has hosted several concerts, but it is primarily dedicated to the organisation of fairs and exhibitions. Today, the main welcoming complex of large-scale concerts is the Jean-Jaurès Centre of Équeurdreville-Hainneville.

Octeville has retained its patronal festival, the Sainte-Échelle, with holiday fair and parades. Cherbourg restarted its carnival in the 1980s, heir of theConfrérie des Conards [fr], similar to that ofRouen andÉvreux.

Cherbourg has several museums.

The former home ofEmmanuel Liais, mayor of Cherbourg, astronomer and explorer, houses since 1905 the Museum of Natural History and Ethnography, the oldest museum in Cherbourg (founded in 1832), with curio cabinet, collection of stuffed animals, fossils, minerals and ethnographic objects (Egypt, Asia, Oceania, America and Africa), archaeological treasures and library science. It is also the headquarters of theNational Society of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of Cherbourg [fr].

TheThomas-Henry Fine Arts Museum, named afterits first patron, was inaugurated in 1835 and is now the third collection of Normandy with 300 paintings and sculptures from the 15th to the 20th century. Located in the cultural centre, at the back of the theatre, it presents paintings by French, Flemish, Spanish and Italian artists, as well as sculptures. Presentations of works byFra Angelico,Simon Vouet,Camille Claudel, and one of the largest collections of works byJean-François Millet, as well as paintings byGuillaume Fouace native ofRéville or the Navy painters. Sculptures byArmand Le Véel are also included.

The Museum of the War and the Liberation, the first of its kind when it was inaugurated byRené Coty on 6 June 1954, traces the daily life of Cherbourg civilians during the Occupation and the course of the Liberation of Cotentin, particularly theBattle of Cherbourg. It is installed in the Fort du Roule, centrepiece of the defence of Cherbourg taken by the Americans on 25 June 1944 .

TheCité de la Mer, is a large museum devoted to scientific and historical aspects of maritime subjects. Dedicated to oceanographic exploration, it is a complex installed since 2003 in a part of the remains of the old transatlantic station. It offers giant aquariums, a collection of underwater vehicles, such as those ofCOMEX, thebathyscapheArchimède andRedoutable, the first FrenchSSBN built in Cherbourg, fully open to the public.

ThePoint du jour [fr], a unique contemporary art centre in France, dedicated to photography, was inaugurated in the Bassin zone in November 2008.^[138]

The Jacques Prévert Municipal Library, founded in 1831 and opened in 1832, holds the second largest collection in the region, after that of Caen. The purchase of the library of the local scholar Henri-François Duchevreuil, in 1830, complements the 1,855 volumes of the district's library, created at 24Rue Tour-Carrée, in application of the decree of the Convention of 8 pluviôse year II^[140] and composed essentially of works seized from emigrants and deportees.^[141] Several donations were then made, including a legacy of 3,000 works byAugustin Asselin [fr] in 1844 (with twenty-sixincunabula and a ninth-century manuscriptDe bello iudaico [The Jewish War] ofFlavius Josephus, which remains the oldest document in the library) and a gift in 1877 from Jérôme-Frédéric Bignon, Mayor ofLe Rozel and heir to the king's librarians. It also has a Normanfonds, an old fonds devoted to botany and another to travel.^[140] Housed in a wing of the City Hall in 1855, and then at 9Rue Thiers (Rue Talluau) from 1896, the library moved into the cultural centre in June 1981, taking the name ofJacques Prévert, who had died four years earlier inLa Hague.^[141] The library also participates in theNormannia project of the Norman digital library.

The former barracks of the Abbey, dating back to the start of the works of the large dam in 18th-century, has housed one of the five regional centres of history of the National Navy, alongsideBrest,Lorient,Rochefort andToulon, since 1970. The archives of the maritime district of theChannel and theNorth Sea are grouped here, and the library of the Navy founded in 1836 in Cherbourg and specialising in maritime history with its 23,000 works.

Each year, a network of writing workshops are organised in the metropolitan area, theMercurielles, and the Festival of the Book and of Youth Comic Books (since 1987).

The Biennial of the 9th Art exhibits the works ofcomic cartoonists (Enki Bilal in 2002,François Schuiten andBenoît Peeters in 2004,André Juillard in 2006, andLoustal in 2008). In 2002, with the support of the City Hall of Cherbourg, Enki Bilal had planned to create a mural in the oldgare maritime to represent the history of migration in the place; This project was rejected on the basis of an official complaint byBernard Cauvin [fr], president of theCUC [fr] and theCité de la Mer.^[142]

Cherbourg-Octeville is the seat of two publishing houses,Isoète founded in 1985 andLe Point du jour [fr] established in 1996.

• Honoré de Balzac cites the engineer Joseph Cachin, constructor of the port of Cherbourg, among the men of genius inLe Curé de village [The Village Priest] andLa Duchesse de Langeais [The Duchess of Langeais].^[143] Cherbourg is also present inLe Réquisitionnaire [The Recruit].^[144]
• Octave Mirbeau,Le Journal d'une femme de chambre [The Diary of a Chambermaid], 1900: In the final chapter, Celestine became the owner of a cafe in Cherbourg
• Remy de Gourmont,Un cœur virginal [A Virginal Heart], 1907
• Ernest Psichari,L'Appel des armes [The Call to Arms], 1913
• Gilles Rosset,Le Vent dominant [The Prevailing Wind], Grasset, 1979
• Alexis Salatko,Vingt deux nuances de gris [Twenty-two Shades of Grey], 1990
• Jean-Philippe Arrou-Vignod,L’omelette au sucre [The Omelette with Sugar], Gallimard, Folio Junior, 1999
• Robert Sinsoilliez,Une balle pour rien à Cherbourg [A Bullet for Nothing to Cherbourg], 2000
• Salatko, Alexis (2007).Un fauteuil au bord du vide [A Chair at the Edge of the Vacuum] (in French). Paris: Fayard.ISBN 978-2-213-62615-4.
• Ken Follett's novelThe Pillars of the Earth features Cherbourg as the hometown of Jacques Cherbourg, a Frenchman washed ashore in England during theEuropean Middle Ages. His son, Jack Jackson, travels to France as an adult and meets his father's family in Cherbourg.
• Kimberly Brubaker Bradley set her novel,For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy in Cherbourg. The narrator, Suzanne Hall (née David), is a spy for theFrench Resistance.
• Cherbourg (or to be precise its analog in theLord Darcy universe) is the setting forRandall Garrett's short story "A Case of Identity" and is part of the backdrop for his novelToo Many Magicians.

The cinema occupies a significant place in the life of Cherbourg. Many classics of French cinema have been filmed there, such asLa Marie du port directed byMarcel Carné and starringJean Gabin. In 1981,Claude Miller also located the action filmGarde à Vue there, though shot in the studio. However, the most emblematic is undoubtedlyThe Umbrellas of Cherbourg directed byJacques Demy, a story about Madame Emery and her 17-year-old daughter Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve) who sell umbrellas at their tiny boutique. The film was shot in the summer of 1963, and still contributes to the international renown of the city. Yet long before, at the time of the splendor of the transatlantic liners, Cherbourg was a port of arrival, departure or transit for many stars, includingCharlie Chaplin andBurt Lancaster. The city was also birthplace of the filmmakerJean-Charles Tacchella and the actorJean Marais.

Festival of cinemas of Ireland and Great Britain [fr], theCinemovida (festival of the cinema of Spain and Latin America), and Images d'Outre-Rhin (German cinema), as well as Cin'étoiles, screenings of films outdoors in July, animate the local cultural life.

In 2003, theEICAR film school was located in the old buildings of themarine hospital [fr]. After three years of loss and liabilities estimated at €1.5 million, it was placed into liquidation in September 2006 and replaced the following month, under the leadership of elders of its teachers by the Institut des métiers du cinéma de Normandie (IMC Normandie) that itself closed its doors in 2011.

The city has a fleet of 17 permanent cinema rooms, distributed over two sites, including one labelled asArt et essai (Revival house).

• Odéon (5 rooms)

Following the opening of theCGR [fr]multiplex, the withdrawal of theSoredic [fr], which operatedClub 6 (Rue de la Paix) since 1983 and theOdeon (Rue Foch) since 1991, resulted in the closure in 2004 of the first and the revival of the latter city centre cinema, labelled asArt et essai by Fadila Chambelland, the former manager. The cinema had 90,000 admissions in 2006.

The damaged façade of the old cafe of the Grand balcon, which then becameLe Central cinema, is in the style of the Second Empire, withcaryatids and garlands of flowers.

• Méga CGR (12 rooms)

Opened in 2003 near theboulevard maritime with 2,557 seats; 400,000 admissions in 2006.

• Omnia (1 room)

The historic cinema operated byPathé, located on theRue de la Paix, it was bought in the 1990s by the municipality and no longer welcomes any more than rare events. The interior frescoes of R. Lecoq, representingAeolus andVulcan, were distinguished in 2006 by the label "20th century heritage" of theMinistry of Culture.^[145]

Several cinemas have disappeared, such as theEldorado (destroyed,Place de la Republique), theEden (Rue Cachin), theVox (formerpatronage room which became a second room ofLe Trident (theatre)), and theSaint-Joseph (Rue des Ormes), etc.

• Le p'tit Parigot (1926), byRené Le Somptier
• La Marie du port (1950), byMarcel Carné, withJean Gabin
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), byJacques Demy, starringCatherine Deneuve
• La Course à l'échalote (1975), directed byClaude Zidi, withPierre Richard andJane Birkin
• Roads to the South (1978),Joseph Losey, withYves Montand
• The Green Ray (1986) ofÉric Rohmer
• Foon [fr] (2005), directed in part at the EICAR-Cherbourg
• La Boîte noire (2005), byRichard Berry
• Lili and the baobab (2006),Chantal Richard, withRomane Bohringer
• Rumba (2008)Fiona Gordon, Dominique Abel,Bruno Romy [fr], etc.
• Love Me No More (2008), byJean Becker, withAlbert Dupontel
• Q (2011), byLaurent Bouhnik

The Cherbourg population spokele haguais, a variant ofCotentinaisNorman, while having some specifics regarding the pronunciation of certain words.

In Cotentinais Norman, Cherbourg is calledTchidbouo[tʃidbwu:] and Octeville,Otteville[ɔtvil]. Their inhabitants are theTchidbouorqŭais and theOttevillais[tʃidbwuʁtʃje:] and[ɔtvile:].

While French was necessary inRouen in the 19th century, Norman remained widely used from Cherbourg toCaen, up to theFirst World War.^[146]

Alfred Rossel [fr] was the leading local figure of the dialect authors of the 19th century. He published hisChansonnettes normandes, among whichSus la mé became an anthem of theCotentin Peninsula. At that time,Jean Fleury [fr] was critical of its approximate spelling and poor mastery of the language.^[147]

Various actors are now trying to promote the local use of the Norman. The Alfred Rossel society makes live folklore and language.Le Boué-jaun a Cherbourg-based magazine, published his texts in Norman, and one of three popular Norman universities is based here.^[146]

A large fishing port, Cherbourg-Octeville offers a wide variety of fish (yellowtail,bar,plaice,mackerel,rays,red mullet,pollock,lemon sole,small-spotted catshark, etc.), crustaceans (brown crab,spider crab,lobster) and shellfish (Saint-Jacques,scallops,mussels), caught off the coast of the Cotentin peninsula.^[148] The so-calledDemoiselles de Cherbourg [fr] are small lobsters. Cherbourg is also located near threeoyster areas (Blainville,Saint-Vaast andIsigny). The most traditional preparation is thematelote.^[149]Alexandre Dumas also presented the recipe of the"queue de merlan à la mode de Cherbourg " [tail of whiting in the Cherbourg manner], with butter and oysters.^[150]

From 1464, the bakers of Cherbourg held Royal permission to develop their breads based on seawater, thus avoiding paying for the salt and thegabelle [salt tax]. On the occasion of the visit ofNapoleon, they would have created folded bread, country bread ball, oval, which is folded back on itself to be cooked, thus offering a tighter bicorn-shaped sandwich which came to be called"pain Napoléon" [Napoleon bread].^[149] Fleury indicated that at the beginning of the 19th century, the principal food of Nord-Cotentin wasbarley bread,buckwheat porridge and pork-based products, and on feast days, thegalette, a "type of dough composed of buckwheat flour, milk and eggs, and cooked in a thin film on the tile with butter", watered, of course, with cider.^[55]

The agglomeration is located in theAOC areas of thePont-l'Évêque and of theCamembert of Normandy [fr] as well as being partially within theCalvados,Pommeau de Normandie [fr] and thecider of Normandy. It also benefits from theIGP of the cider of Normandy, Normandy pork andNormandy poultry [fr].^[151] More broadly, the kitchen of Nord-Cotentin isthat of Normandy [fr], in which dairy products (butter, cream, milk, cheese, etc.) and apples (as fruit or alcohol) dominate.

Since 2010, the restaurantle Pily, of theValognes restaurateur Pierre Marion, holds a star in theMichelin Guide.^[152]

TheItalian Theatre is one of the lastItalian theatres built in France (1880). Opened in 1882, it was built on the plans ofCharles de Lalande [fr], on the site of thegrain market. The façade pays homage toMolière,Boieldieu andCorneille. It has been classified a historical monument since 1984 with its two side returns and corresponding roofing; also classified are the vestibule, the grand staircase, the hall and foyer, as well as the 13 original decorations. The ceiling is the work ofGeorges Clairin. With three galleries, it accommodates up to 600 spectators.

The Mouchel Fountain, named after the patron and director of the journalLe Phare de la Manche, stands at the centre of thePlace Général-de-Gaulle. A monumental fountain in cast iron, it was created byLouis Eugène Gutelle in 1895.

The Hotel Epron de la Horie (named after the Vice Admiral and Marine MinisterJacques Epron de la Horie, owner under the first Empire) or ancient customs is located at the corner ofRue de Val-de-Saire and the wharf of the Old Arsenal. Built in 1781 by Jacques Martin Maurice, "contractor of the King's works" inschist (cover and body of the building) and red brick (window frames), registered as a historical monument since 16 February 1965.^[153] Successively barracks of the Swiss, auxiliary Hospital of the work of the harbour, home of shipowners Richer, Cousin, Despréaux and Lias in the 19th century and a customs house during the interwar period, it is now the headquarters of theGroupe Caisse d'Épargne.^[56]

The formerGare Maritime de Cherbourg is the largest FrenchArt Deco monument. Built byRené Levavasseur [fr] from 1928 and inaugurated in 1933 byPresident Lebrun, it could accommodate two ships simultaneously. Listed as anhistorical monument in 1989 and 2000, it was redeveloped in 2002 to become an oceanographic complex, theCité de la Mer, where one can visit theSNLELe Redoutable, and host since December 2006 of a cruise terminal.^[154]

Thehôtel Atlantique [Atlantic Hotel], opposite the maritime station, was also built byRené Levavasseur [fr], in iron and cement and in theArt Deco style, for the three transatlantic companies which served Cherbourg, theCunard Line, theWhite Star Line and theRed Star Line, grouped into theSociété anonyme de l’Hôtel Atlantique. It hosted on 5,400 m² (58,000 sq ft) the emigrants (third class passengers), mainly from Eastern Europe, who stayed there for an average of 12 days to undergo sanitary and customs controls. The building thus included a section for infected and a section for disinfected with a capacity of 2,000 people. Begun in 1920, opened in 1926, it closed eight years later. Requisitioned under the Occupation and Liberation, it was bought byFélix Amiot to accommodate some of its shipyard employees.^[155] It has hosted the services of theChamber of commerce and industry of Cherbourg-Cotentin [fr] since 1991. The central pavilion is included in the inventory of historic monuments since October 2001.^[10]

Statues of Themis and Minerva, Roman goddesses of justice and war respectively, ofHoudon andRoland and which were stored in the courtyard of thePalais Bourbon during their replacement on the frontispiece of the Chamber of Deputies by casts during the renovation of the façade, were available to the city in June 1989, throughOlivier Stirn [fr], Minister of Tourism, and President of theCommunauté urbaine de Cherbourg [Urban community of Cherbourg]. After restoration by Pierre Bataille ofPoclain, they were each placed in 1990 and 1993 on a roundabout, theMinerva of Philippe-Laurent Roland, near theCité de la Mer, theThemis of Jean-Antoine Houdon at the foot of the Montagne du Roule. Carved around 1810, they have been classified as historic monuments since June 1990.^[156]

The town hall was built at the beginning of the 19th century; It was enlarged twice, first in 1850 by a south-west wing forming an L-shape with the first building, and then under theSecond Empire (salon of the Empress), and reworked after the Liberation. Inside, a staircase serves the Grand Lounge and the lounge of the Empress, which houses portraits of Napoleon III and Eugénie byWinterhalter, with - between the two – a rotunda room for the paintings of Michel-Adrien Servant recalling the major events in the history of the city. Since 1858, the Council Chamber contains the 16th century chimney of the abbot's house of theAbbey of Notre-Dame-du-Vœu, purchased by the municipality in 1841 and classified as a historical monument since 1905.^[56] The three lounges and the stairs have been registered since 13 August 2004.

Themaritime hospital [fr], a former regional hospital of the armies of René-Le-Bas, built by a decision ofNapoleon III and opened 15 February 1869, it was decommissioned in 2000 and rehabilitated as an academic and cultural centre in 2002. TheNapoleon III style buildings are surrounded by a large park.

The docks and Port Chantereyne are regularly brought to life by various events: Stopovers of prestigious liners (Queen Elizabeth 2,Queen Mary 2, etc.), armada, sailing races and such. The docks were constructed in 1994 with the lighting byYann Kersalé. The marina, first French port of call, extends beyond thePlage Verte, old beach redeveloped into lawn after the creation of the port. Recreational and leisure facilities are located here (pool, skating rink, bowling, services for boaters, etc.). In the commercial wet dock is theJacques-Louise, the last wooden trawler built in the shipyards of Cherbourg Bellot in 1959, the former CherbourgBlue Riband, decommissioned in 1991, registered in 1996, then classified as a historic monument in 1999. A trawler in oak wood of the Orne, designed for lateral fishing off the coast, it has been open to the public since summer 2004.^[157]

TheEquestrian Statue of Napoleon I [fr] faces the basilica, on thePlace Napoléon. The work ofArmand Le Véel, it represents the Emperor contemplating theharbour and themilitary port. On the base, reads an excerpt from theMemorial of Sainte-Hélène, dated 15 July 1816:I had resolved to renew to Cherbourg the wonders of Egypt, i.e. a pyramid with central fort and a newLake Moeris, for the outer harbour, dug into the rock. The statue, erected in 1858 on the occasion of the visit ofNapoleon III, recalls the importance of the Emperor in the expansion of Cherbourg. Around this emblematic monument of the city, registered in August 2006 and classified as anhistoric monument on 31 January 2008, extends thePlage verte, the old artificial beach until the postwar period, which runs along the marina.^[158]

The monument of theDuke of Berry, in thePlace de la République, commemorates the landing of the son of the futureCharles X, back in France on the British frigateEurotas on 13 April 1814, after the fall of the Empire. Completed in 1816, it consists of an obelisk of 25 ft (7.6 m) in pink granite of Flamanville, surmounting a fountain of grey granite, where four bronze lions' heads spew water into a basin dug in the same block.^[56]

The bust ofColonel Bricqueville [fr], on theQuai de Caligny, was inaugurated on 12 May 1850, in homage to the Colonel of the Imperial Dragons and Bonapartist deputy of Cherbourg who died in 1844. This 1.45 m (4.8 ft) bust of Hermes^[159] is a bronze ofDavid d'Angers on a 4 ft (1.2 m) column of granite of the architect Lemelle, on which one can read the name of four battles where Bricqueville is illustrated:Wagram,Krasnoi,Antwerp andVersailles. Two bronze reliefs evoke the military (a sword) and parliamentary (a forum), were melted by the Germans in 1944. The monument has been listed as anhistorical monument since August 2006.^[160]

The statue ofJean-François Millet, inaugurated in thepublic garden [fr] on 22 September 1892, for the centenary of theFirst Republic, honours the "painter of peasants", student at the Museum of Cherbourg. Funded by a subscription launched by the municipality in 1886 and taken over by Parisian circles, the realisation of themarble bust (1.05 m (3.4 ft) high) was entrusted toHenri Chapu; after his death, it was completed by his pupilJean-Ernest Bouteiller who had assisted him in the allegorical group in bronze (2.95 m (9.7 ft) high) of a peasant woman with her daughter in arms and laying flowers of the fields on the bust, supported on a pedestal and granite rocks (4.45 m (14.6 ft) high, 2.55 m (8.4 ft) wide, 2.6 m (8.5 ft) of depth). The monument is inscribed since August 2006.^[160]

The monument to the dead of theSurcouf, inaugurated at the end of the marina pier on 23 September 1951 by General de Gaulle, commemorates the memory of 130 sailors from theFree French Naval Forces submarine, built at Cherbourg and which sank on 18 February 1942 in the Pacific.^[161]

Cherbourg Harbour is the largest artificial harbour of the world. Begun in 1783, the central wall was completed in 1853 and equipped with three forts in 1860. Built 4 km (2.5 mi) from the coast, the offshore seawall is 3.64 km (2.26 mi) long, with an average width of 100 m (330 ft) at its base and 12 m (39 ft) at its peak, and a height of 27 m (89 ft). The three sea walls cover over 6 km (3.7 mi) combined.

The fort de l’Île Pelée [fort of Pelée Island], a defensive element to the east of the sea wall, was designed by Ricard and Decaux and built between 1777 and 1784. It was namedfort Royal, fort National, fort Imperial, before taking the name of the island on which it was built. It served as a prison during the Revolution.

Fort du Roule (Museum of the War and Liberation) is located on theMontagne du Roule. The location in 1650 of the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Protection, abandoned during the Revolution, razed in 1870, this highest point of the city [117 m (384 ft)] welcomed a redoubt to protect the harbour in 1793. In 1853, the present fort was built. The place of the last fighting in 1940, it was reinforced by the Germans in 1943 with a battery located on the hillside overlooking the harbour, below the fort. Composed of fourcasemates for 105 mm (4.1 in) guns and a position for the direction of firing, with several tunnels and access dug into the rock, for the Germans it became the strong point of thefortresse de Cherbourg and of theAtlantic Wall. On 6 June 1954,René Coty inaugurated the first French Museum of Liberation there. At the end of a winding road namedchemin des Résistants [Path of Resistants], the fort offers a panoramic view of the city and the harbour. The battery and a part of the German ammunition storage tunnels were classified as a historic monument in 1995, and another part is converted into an underground laboratory for measurement of radioactivity for the school of military application of atomic energy.^[162]

TheAbbey of Notre-Dame-du-Vœu [fr] was founded in 1145, on the coast ofÉqueurdreville, at theCroûte du Homet, byEmpress Matilda. Located outside the city walls, it was regularly looted and burned during the incessant Anglo-French battles, then during theWars of Religion. Subject to the regime of acommendatory abbot in 1583, it declined until its closure in 1774. Its lands were annexed in 1778 for the construction of themilitary port, and it became the residence of theDuke of Harcourt, who sheltered the King in 1786. The place was then transformed into a hospital, into aprison, and into the Martin des Pallières Barracks for themarine infantry.

Thecompany town of Chantereyne was built in 1928, until its destruction in June 1944. Bought by the Town Hall in 1961, the Abbey has been slowly restored since 1965. The smokestack of the Abbey House (16th century) is kept in the council room of the city hall, the west portal of the Church (13th century) is placed in thepublic garden [fr]. The remains of Martin des Pallières barracks were classified in 1913, then all of the buildings, remains and soil of the abbey, in September 2002. The grave slab of Guillaume de Margerai, priest ofQuerqueville, who died in the 1280s, uncovered, has been classified as anhistoric monument since 1995.

TheBasilica of Sainte-Trinité [fr], begun in the 11th century at the request ofWilliam the Conqueror, remained the only parish church of the city until the 19th century. The stately church dedicated toOur Lady in the castle was destroyed along with the fortress, in the 17th century. The Trinité was enlarged and transformed significantly in the 13th century, thenave was rebuilt, thechoir and the bell tower is recorded from after 1450. After a rampage by January 1794, it had added a new square bell tower 26 m (85 ft) in 1828 and restored in neo-flamboyant style in 1865. Registered as a historical monument since March 1944, Trinité has a rich religious furniture, including a highaltar of 1809, a woodpulpit carved byPierre Fréret [fr] (1767), aretable ofArmand Fréret (1814) and the greatorgans byCavaillé-Coll.

The church of Notre-Dame du Roule was built at the foot of theMontagne du Roule between 1832 and 1842 under the leadership of the "poet-Barber" Michel Legoupil and by the subscription of the faithful of the peripheral quarters of Roule which grew, such as the districts of the Vœu and the Polle.

The church of Notre-Dame-du-Vœu, begun in 1850 on subscription of the parishioners and in theRomanesque style due to the scarcity of resources, was erected on a pasture, known asles briques, offered by Mr. de Virandeville. In 1855, the municipality completes the nave inaugurated in 1852 by atransept and a more ornate choir, and in 1862 the façade and two bell towers. A work of 61.5 m (202 ft) in length, the church houses a large organ by Duputel (1885), classified as a historic monument since 1990 and the stained glass windows of 1834, 1858–60 and 1949–58.^[163]

The Church of Saint-Clément was built within the quarter of the Val-de-Saire, facing the Pasteur hospital, between June 1853 and 1856 by the architect of the city, Geufroy. 52 m (171 ft) long, it is of Greco-Roman inspiration, with a porch in the triangular pediment supported by four columns withDoriccapitals. It houses the altars of the Virgin (1863) by François Fréret and Saint-Clément (1864) by Louis-Victor Fréret, acquired from the Basilica of Sainte-Trinité in 1846, an organ (1881), painting of thetwelve apostles (1935) the Rock of Césigné and stained glass (1953) of Mauméjean.^[164]

The Church of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul, on the area of Octeville, was built between 1967 and 1969 while the "grand ensemble" of Provinces was born. The triangular and irregular modern architecture ofPaul Vimond symbolises "the tent of God in among the houses of men", a sacred art inspired by theSecond Vatican Council (1962-1965).^[165] Another Church was built on Octeville during those years: The Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine-Postel opened in 1966 in the quarter of Fourches and decommissioned in 1990.

The Church of Saint-Martin of Octeville, dating from the 12th century, is the historic parish church of Octeville which depended on theAbbey of Notre-Dame-du-Vœu [fr]. Romanesque, it has an octagonalsaddleback steeple [fr]. The nave was remodelled in the 18th century. Arelief depicting theLast Supper has been classified as a historic monument since 1908.^[166]

During the Middle Ages, Cherbourg, a stronghold of the Cotentin peninsula, was home to a small garrison for the protection of the fortress. With the implementation of the harbour and military port, Cherbourg became a port of war at the end of the 18th century, with a large garrison. In 1798, it had 1,332 men, or a tenth of the population, divided mainly between the barracks of the Abbey, current historical Service of the Navy, which housed 542 men of the 4th brigade and the Maurice Quarter, in theHôtel Epron de la Horie, home to 227 men.^[167] Numbers were brought to 3,000 men for the completion of the work, by a decree of germinal year XI.

During the 20th century, Cherbourg, a strategic point during both world wars, adapted to new threats. It then hosted a large garrison of the Navy, an artillery regiment and aHôpital des Armées known locally as "marine hospital". In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the presence of the army weakened by the transfer of the northern fleet to Brest and the closure of the maritime hospital renamed René-Le-Bas.

Yet Cherbourg remained a base of the first order of theNational Navy, as the seat of theMaritime Prefecture of Manche and the North Sea [fr] and of the Maritime Gendarmerie grouping of Manche. The naval base is the homeport of five patrol vessels of the Navy and the coastguard, group of the clearance divers sleeve and its building-base theVulcain, the tugAbeille Liberté and various support vessels. It is also the headquarters of the Operational Training of Surveillance and Territorial Information of Cherbourg (Cherbourg FOSIT) which brings together thirteen semaphores and the lookout of the maritime district. In addition, a flotilla 35 FDauphin helicopter is based atCherbourg – Maupertus Airport. The operation of the military port is borne by the directions of the Commissioner of the Navy, maritime works and information systems of the Navy, as well as the branch of the support service of the fleet and the military workshop of the Cherbourg fleet.^[168]

Cherbourg is also a training hub of the armed forces through theSchool of Military Applications of Atomic Energy [fr] (EAMEA), in charge of the joint education of military specialists in material sciences, of techniques and of nuclear safety and theÉcole des fourriers deQuerqueville, devoted to education of the officers of the three armed forces in business administration, management, human resources and the restoration to the training of specialists of the restoration of the national gendarmerie and the homes of the Navy staff.

Proposals for reform on the organization and the distribution of the French Army, presented in the spring of 2008 in theWhite Paper on Defence and National Security planned in the context of theFrench General Review of Public Policies raise the concern of civilian personnel of the defence of the city, including theconstruction of submarines [fr]. According to projects, Cherbourg-Octeville would become one of 90 defence bases around 2010. In a pooling of means and the establishment of support for the armed forces, the city would retain military and civilian activities, and would host new regiments for the army and of the air force to constitute one of the largest bases of defence.^[169] However, the Navy in Cherbourg-Octeville would lose 220 jobs, including civilians, through including the division of half of the staff of the Directorate of maritime works, the abolition of 30 posts including 5 civilians in theÉcole des fourriers and the Atomic school, the loss of 27 posts including 14 civilians in the direction of information systems, and the disarmament of theVulcain,Acharné,Coralline andÉlan. National orders forDCNS could be spread over several years, also reducing human needs there, especially among the subcontractors.^[170]

Several military units were stationed at Cherbourg during the 20th century:

• 8th Infantry Regiment [fr], 1939 - 1940
• 25th Infantry Regiment [fr], 1870 - 1914
• 119th Infantry Regiment [fr],
• 77th Territorial Infantry Regiment, 1870 - 1914
• 2nd Artillery Regiment of Foot [fr], 1914
• 1st Marine Artillery Regiment, 1906
• 2nd Colonial Artillery Regiment [fr], 1906
• 5th Colonial Artillery Regiment [fr], 1906

• 
  Town centre
• 
  Charles de Gaulle delivering a speech in liberated Cherbourg from the Hôtel de Ville (town hall)
• 
  Gare de Cherbourg
• 
  Haven
• 
  Current view of the city

• History of Cherbourg [fr]
• Cherbourg Harbour
• History of the French Navy
• List of submarines built at Cherbourg [fr]
• List of maritime prefects of Cherbourg [fr]
• Gare de Cherbourg
• Gare Maritime de Cherbourg
• Battle of Cherbourg, 1944
• Cité de la Mer
• Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), amusical film
• Demoiselles de Cherbourg [fr]
• Severodvinsk
• Groton

• Results of the census of 1999INSEE

Published in the 19th century

• Mémoires de la Société nationale académique de Cherbourg [Memoirs of the national academic society of Cherbourg] (in French), 1833-1995
• de Berruyer (1833).Guide du voyageur à Cherbourg [A traveller's guide to Cherbourg] (in French). Cherbourg: Boulanger.
• Voisin La Hougue (1835).Histoire de la ville de Cherbourg (continuée depuis 1728 jusqu'à 1835 par Vérusmor) [History of the city of Cherbourg (continued from 1728 until 1835 by Vérusmor)] (in French). Cherbourg: Boulanger.
• de Tocqueville, Alexis (1848).Notice sur Cherbourg [Notice on Cherbourg] (in French). Paris: Furne et Cie.
• "Cherbourg",A Handbook for Travellers in France, London: John Murray, 1861,OL 24627024M
• Pelloquet, Th. (1866).Cherbourg et ses bains de mer [Cherbourg and its sea baths] (in French). mprimerie Vallée, Paris.
• Liais, Eugène (1871).Cherbourg, la ville, son port et son commerce [Cherbourg, the city, its port and its trade] (in French). Mouchel.
• C.B. Black (1876),"Cherbourg",Guide to the North of France, Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black
• Bertin, Émile (1879).Fondation de l'ancien Port de Cherbourg (notes et plans) [Foundation of the old Port of Cherbourg (notes and plans)] (in French). Paris: Dunod.
• Leroy, Abbé (1885).Le Vieux Cherbourg [The old Cherbourg] (in French). Mouchel.
• "Cherbourg",Northern France, Leipsic: Karl Baedeker, 1899,OCLC 2229516,OL 24872324M

Published in the 20th century

• Cherbourg et le Cotentin [Cherbourg and the Cotentin] (in French). Cherbourg: imprimerie Émile Le Maout. 1905.
• "Cherbourg" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 82.
• Avoine, Émile (1927).Histoire de Cherbourg [History of Cherbourg] (in French). Cherbourg: Périgault.
• Quoniam, C. Th. (1933).Le Port de Cherbourg [The Port of Cherbourg] (in French). Cherbourg: Imprimerie centrale.
• Lefèvre, Raymond (1941).L'Histoire anecdotique de Cherbourg à l'intention de nos écoliers [The anecdotal history of Cherbourg for our school children] (in French). Cherbourg: herbourg-Éclair.
• Lefèvre, Raymond (1946).La libération de Cherbourg (26 juin 1944) [The Liberation of Cherbourg (26 June 1944)] (in French). Cherbourg: Imprimerie commerciale.
• Contre-amiral Lepotier (1972).Cherbourg, port de la Libération [Cherbourg, Port of the Liberation] (in French). Paris: éditions France-Empire.
• Henrot-Brouhon, Thérèse (1975).Cherbourg à la Belle époque [Cherbourg to the Belle époque] (in French). Bruxelles: éditions SPRL Sodim.
• Launey, Bernard (1976).Cherbourg 1900-1975 [Cherbourg 1900-1975] (in French). Cherbourg: Imprimerie La Dépêche.
• Masson d’Autume, Madeleine.Cherbourg pendant la guerre de Cent ans (de 1354 à 1450) [Cherbourg during the Hundred Years' War (from 1354 to 1450)] (in French). Saint-Lô: imprimerie Jacqueline.
• Demangeon, A.; Fortier, B. (1978).Les Vaisseaux et les villes [Vessels and cities] (in French). Liège: Mardaga.
• Ingouf, Paul; Greneville, R. (1979).La bataille de Cherbourg [The Battle of Cherbourg] (in French). éditions Heimdal.
• Le Jeune, Jean (1981).Documents historiques sur le Vieux Cherbourg et sa région [Historical documents on old Cherbourg and its region] (in French). Cherbourg: éditions La Dépêche.
• Picquenot, André (1983).Cherbourg sous l'occupation [Cherbourg under the occupation] (in French). Rennes: éditions Ouest-France.
• Letourneur, Guy (1985).Cherbourg… histoire d'une ville et de son peuple [Cherbourg... story of a city and its people] (in French). Cherbourg: Pierre Boulland-La Dépêche.
• Besnier, Michel (1993).Cherbourg [Cherbourg] (in French). coll. Des villes: Champ Vallon.ISBN 978-2-903528-72-0.
• Lecœur, Maurice (2001).Cherbourg au fil du temps [Cherbourg over time] (in French). Cherbourg-Octeville: Isoète.ISBN 978-2-913920-15-6.
• Patard, Frédéric (2004).Une ville, un pays en guerre, Cherbourg et le Haut-Cotentin, novembre 1918-mai 1944 [A city, a country at war, Cherbourg and the Haut-Cotentin, November 1918 – May 1944] (in French). Cherbourg-Octeville: Isoète.ISBN 978-2-913920-35-4.
• Patard, Frédéric; Léonard, Gérard (2007).Le Guide du Promeneur, Cherbourg-Octeville, Équeurdreville-Hainneville, La Glacerie, Querqueville, Tourlaville [The Guide of the Walker, Cherbourg-Octeville, Équeurdreville-Hainneville, La Glacerie, Querqueville, Tourlaville] (in French). Cherbourg-Octeville: Isoète.
• Ramirez de Palacios, Bruno (January 2015).Charles dit le Mauvais, Roi de Navarre, comte d'Evreux, prétendant au trône de France [Charles, known asthe Bad, king of Navarre, Count of Evreux, pretender to the throne of France] (in French). Bruno Ramirez de Palacios.ISBN 978-2-9540585-2-8. 530.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCherbourg.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide forCherbourg.

• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911)."Cherbourg" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 82.
• Cherbourg on Titanic-Titanic.com
• Official website (English/French/German)
• Visit of Queen Victoria to CherbourgVisit of Queen Victoria
• Photographs of Tsar Nicholas II and familyvisiting Cherbourg in 1909 from Illustration Magazine.

• Cherbourg-Octeville
• Former communes of Manche

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