Boulogne-sur-Mer

Boulogne -sur -Mer ( Bonen larger needles or Beunen ) is a commune with 42.680 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the Pas -de- Calais ( 62), in the Nord -Pas -de -Calais. It is sub-prefecture of the district of the same name.

Geography

The northern French port town of about 45,000 inhabitants located on the Côte d' Opale, and on the very site where the coastal river Liane empties into the English Channel.

Climate

Benefiting from the lake and the gulf stream falling from the winter mild. The summer months are dry.

History

The Celtic name of the port was Gesoriacum; The Romans called it Portus Portus Itius or Britannicus. The higher-lying city founded by the Romans was newly baptized Bononia, in memory of Bologna. Due to the strategic importance of the port for the conquest of Britain Caligula in 39 AD, according to the model of Pharos in Egypt to build a lighthouse at Boulogne -sur -Mer. This was under Charlemagne 811 further improved, but collapsed due to a landslide in 1644. Until 1930, you could still see the ruins of the lighthouse.

From the 4th century the entire city in the Roman Empire was known only as Bononia. It served as the main port for the Classis Britannica, and as a link between Britain and the mainland. Julius Caesar and Claudius used the city as a base for the Roman invasion of Britain.

In the Middle Ages Boulogne was the center of the county of the same name. A member of the family, Count of Boulogne, Baldwin of Boulogne ( Baudouin de Boulogne ), brother of Godfrey of Bouillon ( Godefroy de Bouillon ), was at the time of the Crusades under the name of Baldwin I, the first king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Real Meaning won Boulogne -sur -Mer after Baldwin II, Count of Flanders, 918 had built a castle that was built by descendants in the 13th century castle, which now houses a history museum. From the time of Baldwin II, who also wrote the Flemish name Boonen.

The Marian pilgrimage in Boulogne -sur -Mer was so successful that the French King Philip V ordered the construction of a similar church near Paris in Menus- lès -Saint-Cloud, to shorten the way for the inhabitants of Paris. In 1330 the church was completed and the city was Boulogne- la -Petite, called today Boulogne -Billancourt.

The alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, King of England Henry VIII seized the 4th Italian war during the reign of King Francis I. northern France, and the British occupied Boulogne in 1544 after a brief siege. After ingestion, the French besieged the city for its part, to Boulogne in 1550 was finally French.

1567-1801 Boulogne was the seat of the Bishop of Boulogne.

On 17 August 1850, the South African freedom fighter José de San Martín died in Boulogne -sur -Mer. For this reason, a village about 15 km north of Buenos Aires (now in the big city risen ) named after the French town and a street in Buenos Aires.

In 1905 the first World Esperanto Congress was held in the city. For the centenary of this event took place in 2005, the Boulogne2005 again in Boulogne -sur -Mer instead.

Attractions

Boulogne -sur -Mer is the largest fishing port in France. At the beach you can visit an impressive marine aquarium, Nausicaa. In Wimille, about 3-4 km north of the city, built in 1804 reminds the column Colonne de la Grande Armée of Napoleon I to the planned invasion of England. There, for the first time the Legion of Honor was awarded.

Palace of Justice

Belfry of the 11th century

Colonne de la Grande Armée

The port

Marine Aquarium Nausicaä

Sons and daughters of the town

• Mathilda of Boulogne (1105-1152), Countess of Boulogne and by marriage Queen of England
• Charles -Augustin Sainte -Beuve (1804-1869), poet and critic
• Guillaume- Benjamin Duchenne (1806-1875), a neurologist and describer of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• Edmond Hédouin (1820-1889), French painter, etcher, lithographer and illustrator.
• Auguste Mariette (1821-1881), Egyptologist
• Etienne Prosper Berne-Bellecour (1838-1910), painter, etcher and illustrator
• Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) organist and composer
• Georges Docquois (1863-1927), writer
• Maurice Boitel (1919-2007), painter
• Georges Mathieu (1921-2012), painter
• Olivier Latry (* 1962), organist, improviser and teacher
• Michel Ligonnet (* 1962), race car driver
• Jean -Pierre Papin ( born 1963 ), football player and football coach
• Stéphane Lannoy ( b. 1969 ), football referee
• Mickaël Bourgain ( born 1980 ), cyclist
• Franck Ribéry ( b. 1983 ), football player
• Antoine Lavieu (* 1990), cyclists

Twinning

• Germany Zweibrücken, Rheinland -Pfalz, since 1959
• Argentina La Plata, Argentina, since 2000
• Romania Constanta, Romania
• England Folkestone, Kent, England

Since 1963 there was a twinning arrangement with Germany Stralsund (Mecklenburg- Vorpommern), which is no longer maintained. In addition, the city is a member of the Federation of European cities Napoleon.