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(Redirected from Dunkerque)
'Dunkirk' (French: ''Dunkerque'', pronounced or ; Dutch: ) is a harbour city and a commune in the northernmost part of France, in the department of Nord, 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the Belgian (Flemish) border. Population of the city (commune) at the 1999 census was 70,850 inhabitants (71,300 inhabitants as of February 2004 estimates). Population of the whole metropolitan area (''aire urbaine'') was 265,974 inhabitants at the 1999 census.
Its name is derived from Dutch "duin" (dune) and "kerke" (church). Until the middle of the 20th century the city was situated in the Dutch language area; today the local Dutch dialect (West Flemish) still can be found but has been largely replaced by French.
The commune has grown substantially by absorbing several neighbouring communes:
★ 1970: Merger with Malo-les-Bains (which had been created by being detached from Dunkirk in 1881)
★ 1972: Fusion with Petite-Synthe and Rosendaël(the latter had been created by being detached from Téteghem in 1856)
★ 1980: Fusion-association with Mardyck (which became an associated commune, with a population of 372 in 1999)
★ 1980: A large part of Petite-Synthe is detached from Dunkirk and included into Grande-Synthe
★ 2003: Project of fusion with Saint-Pol-sur-Mer (commune created by its territory being detached from Petite-Synthe in 1877). On December 19, 2003, the municipal councils of Dunkirk and Saint-Pol-sur-Mer decided in favour of a fusion-association, which would create a new entity with a population of 94,187. The prefect requested a referendum, although this procedure was not mandatory (it became mandatory on January 1, 2005). The referendum took place on December 5, 2004, actually covering 3 communes: Dunkerque, Saint-Pol-sur-Mer and Fort-Mardyck. Although the ''yes'' won with 54 % of the votes, it did not gather 25% of the potential electorate, as required by the law. The prefect rejected the fusion proposal as a consequence.
Dunkirk was first mentioned in 1067 as ''Dunkerk'' (Dutch: “Church of the Dunes”). The area was much disputed between Spain, England, the Netherlands and France. In the Eighty Years' War the port was the base of the infamous Dunkirker Raiders until the city was conquered by Louis XIII of France in 1646. Private shipping magnates (''reders'' in Dutch) operated whole privateer fleets to intercept Dutch merchants. At the Peace of Münster in 1648 it was again ceded to Spain. In 1658 it was conquered by the Commonwealth. It became definitively French when Charles II of England sold it to France for £40,000 on 17 October 1662. During the reign of Louis XIV, a large number of commerce raiders had again their base at Dunkirk; Jean Bart was the most famous, known for attacking Dutch ships. The Man in the Iron Mask was also arrested in Dunkirk.
In World War II, heavy fighting took place around Dunkirk during the German invasion in 1940, but a lull in the action unexpectedly allowed a large number of French and British soldiers to escape to England. Only 50,000 or less were expected to escape but amazingly 338,226 men were evacuated amidst constant bombing (the ''miracle of Dunkirk'', as Winston Churchill called it). It took over 900 vessels to evacuate the British and French soldiers and more than 40,000 vehicles were abandoned. The British evacuation of Dunkirk through the English Channel was codenamed Operation Dynamo.
The city was again contested in 1944, and the Second Canadian Division attempted to liberate the city in September, as Allied forces surged northeast after their victory in the Battle of Normandy. German forces refused to relinquish their control of the city, which had been converted into a fortress, and the garrison there was "masked" by Allied troops, notably 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. The fortress under command of German Admiral Friedrich Frisius eventually unconditionally surrendered to commander of the Czechoslovak Brigade General Alois Liška on May 9th 1945.[1]
During the war, Dunkirk was largely destroyed by bombing.
On 14 December 2002, the Norwegian auto carrier ''Tricolor'' collided with the Bahamian-registered ''Kariba'' and sank off Dunkirk harbour, causing a hazard to navigation in the English Channel.
Dunkirk has the third largest harbour in France, after those of Le Havre and Marseille. It is also an industrial city, heavily dependent on the steel, food processing, oil refining, ship building and chemical industries.
★ The ''Musée Portuaire'' hosts exhibits images about the history and presence of the port.
★ The ''Musée des Beaux-Arts'' has a large collection of Flemish, Italian and French paintings and sculptures.
★ The Carnival of Dunkirk
Dunkirk has a ferry connection with Dover in England.
★ The Quatre Jours de Dunkerque (or ''Four Days of Dunkirk'') is an important elite professional road bicycle racing event.
★ Stage 2 of the 2007 Tour de France departed from Dunkirk.
Dunkirk is twinned with:
★ Riga, Latvia since 1960
★ Krefeld, Germany since 15 June 1974
★ Middlesbrough, United Kingdom since April 12, 1976
Dunkirk has cooperation agreements with:
★ Dartford district, United Kingdom since March 1988
★ Thanet district, United Kingdom since June 18, 1993
★ City council website
★ Tourist office website
★ Dunkerque in Old Postcards
★ Visit Dunkirk and French Flanders
1. Czech army page
'Dunkirk' (French: ''Dunkerque'', pronounced or ; Dutch: ) is a harbour city and a commune in the northernmost part of France, in the department of Nord, 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the Belgian (Flemish) border. Population of the city (commune) at the 1999 census was 70,850 inhabitants (71,300 inhabitants as of February 2004 estimates). Population of the whole metropolitan area (''aire urbaine'') was 265,974 inhabitants at the 1999 census.
Its name is derived from Dutch "duin" (dune) and "kerke" (church). Until the middle of the 20th century the city was situated in the Dutch language area; today the local Dutch dialect (West Flemish) still can be found but has been largely replaced by French.
| Contents |
| Administration |
| History |
| Dunkirk in World War II |
| Postwar Dunkirk |
| Economy |
| Tourist attractions |
| Miscellaneous |
| Transport |
| Sport |
| Twin towns |
| External links |
| References |
Administration
Location of Dunkirk in the arrondissement of Dunkirk.
The commune has grown substantially by absorbing several neighbouring communes:
★ 1970: Merger with Malo-les-Bains (which had been created by being detached from Dunkirk in 1881)
★ 1972: Fusion with Petite-Synthe and Rosendaël(the latter had been created by being detached from Téteghem in 1856)
★ 1980: Fusion-association with Mardyck (which became an associated commune, with a population of 372 in 1999)
★ 1980: A large part of Petite-Synthe is detached from Dunkirk and included into Grande-Synthe
★ 2003: Project of fusion with Saint-Pol-sur-Mer (commune created by its territory being detached from Petite-Synthe in 1877). On December 19, 2003, the municipal councils of Dunkirk and Saint-Pol-sur-Mer decided in favour of a fusion-association, which would create a new entity with a population of 94,187. The prefect requested a referendum, although this procedure was not mandatory (it became mandatory on January 1, 2005). The referendum took place on December 5, 2004, actually covering 3 communes: Dunkerque, Saint-Pol-sur-Mer and Fort-Mardyck. Although the ''yes'' won with 54 % of the votes, it did not gather 25% of the potential electorate, as required by the law. The prefect rejected the fusion proposal as a consequence.
Dunkirk's seafront
History
Dunkirk was first mentioned in 1067 as ''Dunkerk'' (Dutch: “Church of the Dunes”). The area was much disputed between Spain, England, the Netherlands and France. In the Eighty Years' War the port was the base of the infamous Dunkirker Raiders until the city was conquered by Louis XIII of France in 1646. Private shipping magnates (''reders'' in Dutch) operated whole privateer fleets to intercept Dutch merchants. At the Peace of Münster in 1648 it was again ceded to Spain. In 1658 it was conquered by the Commonwealth. It became definitively French when Charles II of England sold it to France for £40,000 on 17 October 1662. During the reign of Louis XIV, a large number of commerce raiders had again their base at Dunkirk; Jean Bart was the most famous, known for attacking Dutch ships. The Man in the Iron Mask was also arrested in Dunkirk.
Dunkirk in World War II
Map of Dunkirk surroundings, during Allied re-taking of the zone in 1944
In World War II, heavy fighting took place around Dunkirk during the German invasion in 1940, but a lull in the action unexpectedly allowed a large number of French and British soldiers to escape to England. Only 50,000 or less were expected to escape but amazingly 338,226 men were evacuated amidst constant bombing (the ''miracle of Dunkirk'', as Winston Churchill called it). It took over 900 vessels to evacuate the British and French soldiers and more than 40,000 vehicles were abandoned. The British evacuation of Dunkirk through the English Channel was codenamed Operation Dynamo.
The city was again contested in 1944, and the Second Canadian Division attempted to liberate the city in September, as Allied forces surged northeast after their victory in the Battle of Normandy. German forces refused to relinquish their control of the city, which had been converted into a fortress, and the garrison there was "masked" by Allied troops, notably 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. The fortress under command of German Admiral Friedrich Frisius eventually unconditionally surrendered to commander of the Czechoslovak Brigade General Alois Liška on May 9th 1945.[1]
During the war, Dunkirk was largely destroyed by bombing.
Postwar Dunkirk
Carnival in Dunkirk
On 14 December 2002, the Norwegian auto carrier ''Tricolor'' collided with the Bahamian-registered ''Kariba'' and sank off Dunkirk harbour, causing a hazard to navigation in the English Channel.
Economy
Dunkirk has the third largest harbour in France, after those of Le Havre and Marseille. It is also an industrial city, heavily dependent on the steel, food processing, oil refining, ship building and chemical industries.
Tourist attractions
★ The ''Musée Portuaire'' hosts exhibits images about the history and presence of the port.
★ The ''Musée des Beaux-Arts'' has a large collection of Flemish, Italian and French paintings and sculptures.
★ The Carnival of Dunkirk
Miscellaneous
Transport
Dunkirk has a ferry connection with Dover in England.
Sport
★ The Quatre Jours de Dunkerque (or ''Four Days of Dunkirk'') is an important elite professional road bicycle racing event.
★ Stage 2 of the 2007 Tour de France departed from Dunkirk.
Twin towns
Dunkirk is twinned with:
★ Riga, Latvia since 1960
★ Krefeld, Germany since 15 June 1974
★ Middlesbrough, United Kingdom since April 12, 1976
Dunkirk has cooperation agreements with:
★ Dartford district, United Kingdom since March 1988
★ Thanet district, United Kingdom since June 18, 1993
External links
★ City council website
★ Tourist office website
★ Dunkerque in Old Postcards
★ Visit Dunkirk and French Flanders
References
1. Czech army page
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Featured Companies
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Dunkirk Companies
Below is the list of travel companies in Dunkirk we have in our travel directory
- Travel Agents (1)
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