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Bergues

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Country
  
France

Department
  
Nord

Intercommunality
  
CC Hauts de Flandre

Area
  
132 ha

Arrondissement
  
Dunkirk

Region
  
Hauts-de-France

Canton
  
Bergues

Population (2009)
  
3,874

Local time
  
Saturday 6:34 PM

Bergues mw2googlecommwpanoramiophotosmedium4469976jpg

Weather
  
8°C, Wind SW at 11 km/h, 86% Humidity

Bergues (Dutch: Sint-Winoksbergen) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.

Contents

Map of 59380 Bergues, France

It is situated 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) to the south of Dunkirk and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the Belgian border. Locally it is referred to as "the other Bruges in Flanders". Bergues is a setting for the 2008 movie Welcome to the Sticks (French original title Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis).

History

The town's name derives from the Flemish groene berg, which means "green hill". According to legend, St Winnoc, son of the Breton king, retired to Groenberg, a hill on the edge of the coastal marshes. His establishment soon developed into a small monastery.

In 882, when the Normans began their incursions, the Flanders count Baudouin II built primitive fortifications. Later, about 1022, count Baudouin IV built Saint-Winnoc church and interred the relics of St Winnoc there. This church formed the basis of an abbey.

Trade was aided by proximity to the sea, which had not yet receded to Dunkirk, and the abbey. Bergues was chartered in 1240, and its independence was later expressed in the construction of a belfry. It became a port and textile center of regional importance, and part of the Hanseatic League. Its wool market began in 1276 and over the following centuries it was fortified and maintained its independence from France. In 1583, Bergues was besieged and conquered by Alexander Farnese, but king Philip II of Spain allowed it to be rebuilt, establishing the present appearance of the town. Bergues became a major port city and eventually was attached to France by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668. Louis XIV later developed Dunkirk, and Bergues was eclipsed as a major port. After the French Revolution, its decline continued.

Bergues was devastated by bombardment in World War I, and again in 1940 during the Battle of Dunkirk. The city was entered on June 2 of that year, and 80% of it was ruined during World War II.

Near industrialized Dunkirk, its many monuments are reminders of a rich past, and tourism has been developed in recent years.

Bergues was the setting for the 2008 French film Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis. The film, which broke French box office records, is credited with triggering a tourism boom in Bergues.

Sights

  • The belfry is the city's most celebrated attraction. Started in the 13th century it was rebuilt after the French invasion in 1383 and again in the 16th century, and restored during the 19th century. Damaged by fire in 1940 and destroyed by dynamiting in 1944, it was again rebuilt in 1961. It was classified as a historic building in 2004 and, as one of the Belfries of Belgium and France, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 16, 2005. A carillon of 50 bells sounds for the Monday market and other festivities.
  • The ramparts, 5,300 metres (17,400 ft) long, are partly medieval and partly constructed by Vauban.
  • The abbey of St Winnoc was destroyed in 1789, and only parts remain: the marble gate and two towers.

    • International relations

    Twin towns
  • Erndtebrück, Germany, since 1973

    • The movie Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (by Dany Boon) is set in Bergues.

    References

    Bergues Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA