:''For the bomber, see
Vickers Vimy''

East of Pas-de-Calais (Béthune, Lens, Hénin-Beaumont)
'Vimy' is a town and
commune in northern
France, in the
Pas-de-Calais ''
département''. Population: 4,700.
It belongs to the ''
communauté d'agglomération'' of
Lens-
Liévin (
Communaupole) which gathers 36 communes, with a total population of 250,000 inhabitants.
A one square kilometer section of land southeast of Vimy is considered Canadian soil. This section was gifted to Canada by the French government in 1922, in recognition of Canada's contributions in World War I, especially during the
Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Canadian government is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the
Vimy Memorial that is located on this site.
It is twinned with the English town of
Horley in
Surrey.
History
The
Battle of Vimy Ridge took place southeast of Vimy and was an important battle of the
First World War for Canadian military history.