Hondschoote Hondschote | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Hondschoote | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Hondschoote | |
  Hondschoote  Hondschoote | |
| Coordinates:50°58′49″N2°35′10″E / 50.9803°N 2.5861°E /50.9803; 2.5861 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Nord |
| Arrondissement | Dunkirk |
| Canton | Wormhout |
| Intercommunality | CC Hauts de Flandre |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Hervé Saison[1] |
Area 1 | 23.66 km2 (9.14 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 4,010 |
| • Density | 169/km2 (439/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 59309 /59122 |
| Elevation | 0–19 m (0–62 ft) (avg. 5 m or 16 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Hondschoote (French pronunciation:[ɔ̃(t)skɔt];[3][4] fromDutch;Hondschote in the modern Dutch spelling) is acommune of theNorddépartement, in northernFrance.[5]
Hondschoote bordersFlanders, the Dutch-speaking part ofBelgium. It lies 12 km from theNorth Sea coast.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 2,722 | — |
| 1975 | 2,964 | +1.22% |
| 1982 | 3,716 | +3.28% |
| 1990 | 3,654 | −0.21% |
| 1999 | 3,815 | +0.48% |
| 2007 | 3,879 | +0.21% |
| 2012 | 4,072 | +0.98% |
| 2017 | 4,083 | +0.05% |
| Source: INSEE[6] | ||
Hondschoote used to have severalwindmills, but only theNoordmeulen and theSpinnewyn survive. The church dates from the 14th century. Its tower was completed in 1513, burned during religious troubles in 1582 and restored in the early 17th century. The church is a surprisingly large building for this small town. On the square are several fine old buildings, particularly the town hall. The tourist office is a tiny structure near the front of the church.
Before 1659, Hondschoote was part of theSpanish Netherlands. A thriving wealthy cloth-town, it had thousands of small workshops makingserge cloth from locally grownflax. Events such asBeeldenstorm,conquest by France and theWar of the Spanish Succession, however, brought an end to prosperity. The cloth-makers fled to what is now Belgium and England, taking their skills to benefit France's rivals.
Thebattle of Hondschoote in 1793 was a key event in saving theFrench First Republic from an invasion by English,Hanoverian andAustrian troops that had been sent in order to rid France of revolutionaries. During the battle, windmillSpinnewyn served as look-out post and first-aid station.
_1.JPG)
_1.JPG)
| The arms of Hondschoote areblazoned : Ermine, on a bend gules, 3 escallops bendwise Or. (Ghyvelde andHondschoote use the same arms.) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
 | ThisArrondissement of Dunkirk geographical article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
