Lauwin-Planque: Nestled just outside Lille, this charming town offers a quaint atmosphere with beautiful parks such as Le parc Fenainor the green network, with its 200km of hiking trails open to the public. With its cobbled streets and traditional French charm, Lauwin-Planque is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Ideal for those looking to experience authentic French village life while enjoying the excitement of the Tour de France.
Boulogne-sur-Mer: Capital of the Opal Coast, this charming coastal town is known for its fine sandy sweeping beaches, fresh seafood, and the renowned Nausicaá aquarium—one of the largest in Europe. Whether you're enjoying mussels and fries by the sea or exploring the town’s maritime history, Boulogne-sur-Mer is the perfect balance between coastal charm historical richness with its medieval ramparts. The highlight of this 13th-century fortified town is undoubtedly the former château comtal, a fascinating site that offers a veritable world tour of cultures.
Hauts-de-France Region
Departments: Aisne, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, Somme.
Population: 6 million
Prefecture: Lille
Surface area: 31,813 km²
Specialities: beer, chicory, cheeses (Maroilles, Vieux Lille, Boulette d'Avesnes), fried mussels, carbonade, bêtises de Cambrai, potjevlesch, fricadelle.
Sports clubs: Lille OSC, Amiens SC, RC Lens, Valenciennes-Anzin (football), BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque, ESB Villeneuve d'Ascq (basketball), US Dunkerque (handball), Gothiques d'Amiens (ice hockey)
Competitions: Paris-Roubaix, Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, Grand Prix de Denain and Fourmies, Liévin athletics meeting, 2019 Women's Football World Cup, Davis Cup in Lille, Enduropale of Le Touquet, Hauts-de-France Golf Open, Trail Côte d'Opale.
Festivals: Arras Main Square Festival, Amiens International Film Festival, Lille European Film Festival, Amiens Archaeology Film Festival, Arras Film Festival, Côte d'Opale Festival, Amiens Comics Festival (Rendez-vous de la BD), etc.
Economy: mechanical engineering and metallurgy, chemicals, plastics, glass, textiles, transport, logistics, mail order, food processing. France's leading region for crop production, with half of the nation's sugar output.
Tourist sites: cathedrals of Amiens, Beauvais, Laon, Soissons, Abbeville, Saint-Omer; belfries of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and the Somme; citadels of Arras, Lille, Amiens and Montreuil; coalfields; castles of Chantilly, Pierrefonds, Hardelot, Olhain, Rambures.
Websites and social networks:www.hautsdefrance.fr
NORD (59)
Population: 2,616,909
Prefecture: Lille
Sub-prefectures: Avesnes-sur-Helpe, Dunkerque, Cambrai, Douai, Valenciennes
Surface area: 5,743 km²
Number of communes: 648
Specialities: potjevleesch, waterzooï, hochepot, Flemish carbonnade, Welsh rarebit, petit salé (bacon), moules frites (mussels and chips); desserts and pastries: tarte au sucre (sugar pie), tarte au libouli, waffles. Local produce: potatoes (30% of national production), beetroot, chicory, smoked garlic from Arleux (PGI); cheeses: Bergues, Boulette d'Avesnes, Maroilles (PDO), Mont des Cats, Vieux-Lille; charcuterie: Lucullus tongue, Cambrai andouille; confectionery: Bêtises de Cambrai, Babeluttes de Lille, Chuques du Nord; drinks: chicory, beer, juniper.
Sports clubs: LOSC, VAFC (football), LMR (rugby), Vélo Club Roubaix Lille Métropole (cycling), BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque, AS Aulnoye-Aymeries, ESBVA-LM, Saint-Amand Hainaut Basket (basketball), TLM, Volley club de Marcq-en-Barœul Lille Métropole, Cambrai Elan (volleyball), USDK, Saint-Amand Handball Porte du Hainaut (handball), Les Corsaires de Dunkerque (ice hockey), Douai Hockey Club, Cambrai Hockey Club, Lille Métropole Hockey Club (hockey)
Competitions: Paris-Roubaix, Grand Prix de Denain, Grand Prix de Fourmies, Lille-Hardelot (cycling), Ch'ti Bike Tour (mountain biking), Tour Voile (sailing), Play In Challenger (tennis)
Festivals: Dunkirk Carnival (February), Nuits Secrètes in Aulnoye-Aymeries (August), Braderie de Lille (September), Name Festival (September), Maubeuge Beer Fest (October)
Economy: automotive industry, transport and logistics, retail, mail order, steel, petrochemicals, agriculture. Seven universities, including the largest in France.
Websites / FB:www.lenord.fr / www.jadorelenord.fr / @departement59 / @nordtourisme
Douai (Pop: 40,000)
History: Douai's position as a crossroads between the kingdom of France and the county of Flanders, near a ford on the Scarpe, enabled it to develop during the Middle Ages. The sale of grain and cloth quickly made it a prosperous and populous city. Along with Bruges, Ghent, Ypres and Lille, it was one of the five "good cities of Flanders". An imperial city under Charles V and Philip II, it was taken by Vauban on behalf of Louis XIV in 1668 and became French. A short-lived prefecture of the Nord region, it later gave way to Lille but retained a court of appeal and the Nord military command. Douai was severely affected by the two world wars, suffering from the end of coal mining and the expansion of Lille at its expense. The arrival of the Tour coincides with the Gayant festivities (the giant of Douai, a UNESCO World Heritage site), which take place on the first weekend after 5 July.
Belfry of Douai
Built: 1380.
Style: Gothic.
History: The belfry was built as a watchtower. A Gothic building was also erected on the west side of the tower, along with a chapel on the south side. Construction of the belfry was completed in 1410. In the 19th century, major restoration work was undertaken and a new building, identical to the 15th-century one, was added to give the town hall its current symmetrical appearance.
Characteristics: Its sublime spire, featuring the great lion of Flanders and 54 golden suns, is a real architectural gem.
Special features: The carillon was installed in 1390 and now comprises 62 bells, covering five octaves.
Trivia: Moved by the beauty of the belfry, Victor Hugo drew a picture of it in 1837, which is kept in his museum on the Place des Vosges in Paris.
Listed as: Historical monument in 1862. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 (Belfries of Belgium and France).
Chartreuse Museum in Douai
Built: 1559
Museum opening: 1951
History: Built by the d'Abancourt family, this mansion was sold to the Carthusian monks in 1662. It subsequently became a cartridge factory, then a munitions and war material depot until 1940. Damaged by the bombardments of 11 August 1944, the building was bought by the town of Douai in 1951, which installed the collections of the former museum, which had been completely destroyed.
Characteristics: The building is notable for the beauty of its facades and the wing dominated by the high square tower, built by the de Montmorency family. Built in the Flemish Renaissance style, they are a subtle blend of stone and brick. You can also admire the mullioned windows topped with pediments. A small and a large cloister, a refectory, a chapter house and a classical-style chapel - completed in 1722 - were also built with the arrival of the Carthusian order.
Collections: The museum houses works by renowned artists. Paintings by Van Scorel, Bellegambe, Rubens, Veronese, Ruisdael, Renoir and Pissarro. Sculptures by Carpeaux, Rodin and Bra. The collections also include photos from the Augustin Boutique-Grard photo library and a relief map of 18th-century Douai.
Listed as: Historical monument in 1930.
Website:http://www.museedelachartreuse.fr/
PAS-DE-CALAIS (62)
Population: 1,460,184
Prefecture: Arras
Sub-prefectures: Béthune, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais, Lens, Montreuil, Saint-Omer
Surface area: 6,671 km²
Specialities: beer, endives, chicory, herring, scallops, cheeses (Fleur d'Audresselles, Abbaye de Belval, Wimereux), Andouillette d'Arras
Personalities: Raymond Kopa (Nœux-les-Mines), first French Ballon d'Or; Georges Carpentier (Liévin), former world boxing champion; Guy Drut, Olympic gold medallist and former Minister of Sports (Oignies); Camille Cerf, Miss France 2015 (Calais); Louane, singer (Henin-Beaumont); Franck Ribéry, professional footballer (Boulogne-sur-Mer); Gérard Houllier, football coach (Thérouanne); Nando De Colo, basketball player (Sainte-Catherine); Maurice Garin, first winner of the Tour de France (1903), died in Lens in 1957
Sports clubs / Major events: RC Lens, Lille-Hardelot gran fondo, Grand Prix d'Isbergues and Lillers (cycling), Croix-en-Ternois racetrack, Côte d'Opale Trail, Enduropale of Le Touquet, Pas-de-Calais international athletics meeting in Liévin, International Kite Festival in Berck
Main tourist sites: Côte d'Opale, Two Capes Site (Blanc-Nez and Gris-Nez), Le Touquet Paris-Plage and its convention centre, Saint-Omer Marshes (Unesco), Aa Valley Tourist Railway, La Coupole in Helfaut, Olhain departmental park, amusement parks (Bagatelle, Dennlys Parc), Bours Keep, Great War sites and memorials (Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial, Ring of Remembrance in Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Bullecourt, etc.), Belval Abbey, Mont-Saint-Eloi Towers, Liévin twin slag heaps (highest in Europe)
Culture / Festivals: Louvre-Lens, mining heritage (Unesco), Sainte Barbe celebrations, 6 Unesco-listed belfries, Arras citadel (Unesco), Main Square Festival, Calais Dragon, Arras Film Festival, Entente Cordiale Cultural Centre and Elizabethan theatre (Condette-Hardelot), Nausicaá National Sea Centre, Maréis fishing museum, Azincourt 1415 Centre
Economy: 35,000 active businesses; major companies: Roquette Frères, Arc International, Française de Mécanique; strong agricultural sector (beet, cooperatives like UNEAL), food industry (Herta, McCain, Ingredia, Pasquier, Licques poultry), automotive suppliers (Faurecia), fertilisers, seafood processing. Boulogne: France’s leading fishing port. Calais: leading passenger port, Channel Tunnel, world's busiest strait. Projects: Seine-North Europe Canal, Delta 3 logistics hub (Dourges), Aquimer competitiveness cluster
Websites and social media: pasdecalais.fr / @DepartementduPasdeCalais / @pasdecalais62 / @le_pasdecalais
Km 17.7
Plouvain (Pop: 450)
Former President François Hollande's family is originally from Plouvain, where his grandfather (1893) and great-grandfather (1858) were born.
Km 25.2
Saint-Laurent-Blangy (Pop: 6,500)
Saint-Laurent-Blangy was heavily scarred by the two world wars, and has four British and one German military cemetery, where more than 30,000 soldiers killed in the fighting south of Arras are buried. Saint-Laurent-Blangy is the birthplace of Gilbert Scodeller (1931-1989), who took part in three Tours de France in 1954, 1955 and 1956 and won Paris-Tours in 1954.
Km 29
Arras (Pop: 42,620)
History: The historic and administrative capital of the Pas-de-Calais, Arras is the second most populous town in the department after Calais. Along with the towns of the former coalfield located a little further north, it is directly influenced by the Lille metropolitan area. Historically, under the Ancien Régime, Arras was the capital of the Artois province, a major religious centre and a prosperous town known for its cloth-making industry. Now a university town, Arras is characterised by its youth: 33 pc of its inhabitants are under the age of 25. Arras is famous for its two magnificent Baroque squares, which form a unique architectural ensemble in Europe, its belfry and its citadel, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. With 225 buildings protected as historical monuments, Arras has the highest density of listed historic monuments in France. Arras first appeared on the Tour map in 1991 for the start of a stage to Le Havre. That day, Thierry Marie was definitely looking forward to seeing his Normandy again. The prologue winner escaped on the 25th kilometre of this long 259km stage and stayed on his own for 234 km to win in Le Havre with a 1:54 lead over the peloton and take the Yellow Jersey from Greg LeMond. Marie thus completed the second longest solo stage in the history of the Tour, behind Albert Bourlon's 253 km between Carcassonne and Luchon in 1947. In 2018, a stage to Roubaix enabled John Degenkolb, back after a terrible injury, to win on the cobbles three years after his victory in Paris-Roubaix. Arras is also the birthplace of Adrien Petit, who took part in five Tours de France between 2014 and 2023.
Main Square Festival
Description: The Main Square Festival is a music festival held in the citadel of Arras during the first weekend in July. Created in 2004, it has welcomed around 130,000 spectators each year since 2013. Some of the world's biggest bands and artists have performed here, including Prince, Sting, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Coldplay, Pearl Jam, Kendrick Lamar, Pharell Williams, Iggy Pop and David Guetta.
Grand-Place and Place des Héros
Description: Linked by Rue de la Taillerie these two squares were designed to host markets as early as the 11th century, and form a unique architectural ensemble with 17,000 m2 of cobblestones. They are surrounded by 155 Flemish Baroque-style facades.
Arras Belfry
Construction: 15th and 16th centuries.
Characteristics: Begun in the 15th century, work was completed in 1554 to plans by Jacques le Caron. Built in the flamboyant Gothic style, the belfry was destroyed and then rebuilt identically on two occasions. The first time was in 1833, when it was in danger of collapsing, and the second was in 1914, following German bombing raids during the First World War. A symbol of communal freedoms, the belfry also serves as a watchtower and houses the bells that set the rhythm of life in Arras. In 1914, at a height of 75.36 m, the belfry offered French observers an unobstructed view of the front line, which had stabilised 3 km to the east of Arras. This dominant French position was the focus of German artillery fire. On 21 October 1914, the belfry was hit by a shell and collapsed. Its identical reconstruction, entrusted to Pierre Paquet, was unanimously approved.
Listed as: Historical monument in 1840. Since 2005, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the belfries of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Somme regions, for which the application was led by Arras.
Km 31.1
Sainte-Catherine (Pop: 3,530)
This is the hometown of Mathilde Gros, 2022 world sprint champion and European keirin champion in 2018 and 2019. Holder of fifteen French track titles, she finished 8th in the keirin and 9th in the sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Km 32.5
Anzin-Saint-Aubin (Pop: 2,530)
Mayor of Arras from 1929 until his death in 1937, Désiré Delansorne, born in Anzin-Saint-Aubin in 1862, was also a cycling pioneer. In 1894, he won the Lille-Boulogne race ahead of Maurice Garin before becoming a cycle and car dealer.
Km 38.7
Mont-Saint-Eloi (Pop: 1,020)
A stele in the village pays homage to François Faber, winner of the 1909 Tour de France, who died for France in the village in 1915. Enlisted in the Foreign Legion, the Giant of Colombes, a Luxembourg national, disappeared on 9 May 1915 and his body was never found. He was officially declared dead three years after his disappearance. In addition to his overall victory in 1909, François Faber won 19 stages in the Tour de France, including second place in 1908 and 1910. He also won Paris-Roubaix (1913), two Paris-Tours (1909 and 1910), the Tour of Lombardy (1908), Paris-Brussels (1909) and Bordeaux-Paris (1911). Two menhirs in the commune, the Twin Stones, are listed, as is the former abbey, razed to the ground during the French Revolution.
Mont-Saint-Éloi Abbey
Construction: 11th century.
Style: Romanesque and classical.
History: Mont-Saint-Éloi Abbey was an abbey founded by St. Vindicianus, which was destroyed following its sale as national property in 1793. According to legend, St. Eligius came to the mountain to pray in the 7th century. The abbey was home to a community of Canons Regular of the Rule of Saint Augustine, who were very active in the field of literature. The towers still standing on the site were the façade of the abbey church, rebuilt in the 18th century and then demolished in the early 19th century and during the First World War. In 2008, the towers were sold in their entirety to the Pas-de-Calais department, which thus became their sole owner. A restoration campaign and archaeological work were carried out between 2008 and 2013 and again between 2010 and 2015.
Characteristics: all that remains of the abbey itself are two towers on the west façade. While the first two storeys were built in sandstone, the next two are in "white stone", i.e. chalk, which is abundant in the region.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 1921 and 2015.
Km 47.7
Villers-Châtel (Pop: 130)
Villers-Châtel Castle
Construction: 14th and 15th centuries.
History and features: quadrangular fortress surrounded by round towers and a rectangular keep. On the western flank, a round tower, known as "the fort", is the surviving part from the medieval period. In 1750, part of the castle was demolished and a new building rebuilt, of which the entrance facade remains. The château was sold several times during the 19th century. In 1860, the castle chapel was built by Baron Béthune, a Belgian architect and champion of the neo-Gothic style. He later added a troubadour-style gallery to the 18th-century façade, and built a wing with a square keep at the junction of the two buildings. During the First World War, the château was used as an infirmary. The building was occupied by the British and then the Germans during the Second World War. A model farmhouse, rebuilt after the First World War, faces the château. A large walled orchard and vegetable garden encloses the space between the castle and the farm. A Lourdes grotto has been built in the grounds.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 2004.
Km 69.7
Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise (Pop: 4,760)
Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise is the seat of the Ternois Community of Communes, which comprises 103 communes and had a population of 37,469 in 2021. Its castle, razed to the ground in the 16th century by Charles V's troops, has never been rebuilt. Its remains, listed as Historical Monuments in 1979, were bought by the town council to create a public park. It was the birthplace of Jean Wadoux, a middle-distance runner who was an Olympic finalist in the 1,500 m in Tokyo in 1964 and in the 5,000 m in Mexico City in 1968. He was also European record-holder in the 1,500 m in 3:34 in 1970. In 2016, the town hosted a finish of the Dunkirk Four Days, won in a bunch sprint by Bryan Coquard.
Bruno Danvin Museum of Art and History
Construction: 18th century (chapel)
Opening: 1838.
History: it was created on the initiative of Bruno Danvin, a doctor, scholar and patron of the arts. In 1907, it was relocated to the town hall, then in 1967 to the former chapel of the "Black Sisters" (Franciscans), an 18th-century brick and stone building with French MH listing.
Characteristics: the museum houses paintings from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, some of which have been donated by the French government, lithographs bequeathed by Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, sculptures, earthenware, religious objects and artefacts from archaeological digs, including a necropolis unearthed at Magnicourt-en-Comté.
Listed as: historical monument in 1945. Museum of France
Km 93.1
Rollancourt (Pop: 270)
Rollancourt Castle
Construction: 18th century.
History: the current building stands on the site of a medieval castle, several remains of which have survived. The most striking feature is the round corbelled turret in the grounds, which has been converted into a dovecote. At the end of the 17th century, Claude-François de Marnix took possession of the estate. It was his son, Count Baudry-Aldebert, who had the present château built. Around 1850, the Count of Bertoult bought the estate. Between 1856 and 1867, he had the façade restored and added the sculptures to the pediment. Used by the German army between 1940 and 1944, the château was deserted in 1948.
Characteristics: Built of chalk on a sandstone base, the château has two storeys topped by a mansard slate roof. It is eleven bays wide, separated by colossal pilasters running the full height of the façade. The three central bays, which form a forecourt, have semi-circular arched openings. A pediment carved with decorative motifs and coats of arms crowns the forecourt.
Current purpose: since 1976, it has been home to the Maison familiale et rurale (Family and country house), which provides work-linked training for young people in farming and horse-riding.
Km 98.5
Wamin (Pop: 240)
Wamin Castle
Construction: 18th century.
History: The manor house may have been built after Hesdin became part of France (1641). Elements dating from before the 17th century remain, in particular a large basement room. The second Marquis de Wamin is thought to have built the present château. A map from 1714 shows a château consisting of a wing flanked by two square pavilions with a common wing to the west. Construction of the outbuildings around the bailey began in 1782. In 1794, the entire estate was sold as national property. The Fléchin family recovered the building before selling it on in 1811. It is now privately owned.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 2009.
Km 143.8
Neuville-sous-Montreuil (Pop: 630)
The municipality is home to the Notre-Dame-des-Prés charterhouse, a monastery founded in 1325 by the Carthusian order. It is the largest surviving Carthusian monastery in France.
Notre-Dame-des-Prés charterhouse
Founded: 1325 (closed in 1901)
History: From 1539 to 1571, the Carthusian monastery was attacked by the Imperials. In 1584, the Huguenots devastated the buildings. In 1790, the Church's property was nationalised and put up for auction. After another destruction during the war of 1870, architect Clovis Normand rebuilt the monastery using the original structure of the site: the work lasted from 1872 to 1875. At the time, the Carthusian monks were very active in the printing industry and had built up a large library. The law of 1901 led to the closure of monasteries and the Carthusian monks were expelled. They went into exile in England at the Carthusian monastery of Parkminster. They took their library with them and it is still there. The Carthusian monastery then became a hospital until 1997. During the First World War, around 5,000 Belgian civilians fleeing the fighting took refuge at the Carthusian monastery in Neuville, where they stayed from March 1915 to April 1919. Typhus and Spanish flu were rife: the Carthusian monastery became a Belgian civilian hospital with almost 700 beds, and 599 people (587 civilians and 12 soldiers) died there. Their story was forgotten until 2014, when a tribute was paid to them.
Current use: the Carthusian monastery has been undergoing major renovation since 2016, with completion scheduled for 2026.
Listed as: historical monument in 1993.
Km 148.2
Montreuil-sur-Mer (Pop: 1,900)
Despite its small population, Montreuil-sur-Mer is a sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais alongside major towns such as Calais, Boulogne and Lens, as well as being the administrative centre of an arrondissement comprising 164 communes, some of which are much more populous, such as Berck and Étaples. It is the 5th least populated sub-prefecture in France and one of the few sub-prefectures not to be among the most populous towns in its département (Montreuil-sur-Mer is only the 145th town in the Pas-de-Calais, which is a record for a sub-prefecture). A typical town with a rich history, best known for its fortifications and ramparts dating back to the 13th and 16th centuries, it has become one of the region's main tourist attractions. Part of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables is set in Montreuil-sur-Mer.
Montreuil-sur-Mer Citadel
Construction: from 1200 to 1845.
History and features: in 1200, Philip Augustus had a castle built on the site of the current citadel. It was polygonal in shape, flanked by eight towers and had no keep. What remains of the Philipine castle is the châtelet flanked by two massive towers, elements of the curtain walls and two other towers. The castle gate or Queen Bertha tower was built at the beginning of the 15th century. It has a guardhouse and a large room on the upper floor, which was remodelled in the 16th or 17th century. This tower marks the beginning of the town wall. In 1537, Montreuil-sur-Mer was destroyed by Charles V's army. In response, Francis I transformed the ramparts using bastioned architecture. In 1567, it was the castle's turn to be reinforced on the orders of Charles IX. Around 1600, the site was completed by Jean Errard, forming an irregular star of five bastions. In the 17th century, the citadel lost some of its strategic importance. However, it was reinforced by Vauban around 1670. In 1916, the town of Montreuil-sur-Mer was chosen to house the British Grand Headquarters. In 1924, the site lost its military vocation. An association was formed in 1927, which assembled a museum collection, installed a library and a monument to the knights who died at Azincourt. The Germans looted the site during the Second World War.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 1913 and 1926. Listed site in 1926. Natura 2000 site.
Km 160.9
Étaples-sur-Mer (Pop: 10,700)
A port town with a population of 10,000, Étaples is located on the right bank of the River Canche, opposite the seaside resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage. In the Middle Ages, Étaples was the main port for the northern fleets. Its strategic importance was illustrated by the Treaty of Étaples, signed in 1492 between Charles VIII and Henry VII of England. Under Napoleon, Étaples served as a base for Marshal Ney's troops. During the First World War, Étaples hosted a huge British army training camp, which was marked by a violent mutiny in 1917. Its economic life revolves around its fishing and yachting harbour. The Navy Museum and the Maréis Sea Fishing Discovery Centre bear witness to this vocation. Between 1880 and 1914, the town welcomed painters from all over the world, who came together in what was then known as the "Étaples School".
Km 178
Neufchâtel-Hardelot (Pop: 4,000)
The municipality is divided into two geographically distant and socio-economically very different areas: the village of Neufchâtel and the seaside resort of Hardelot-Plage. At the request of some of the residents of the seaside resort, which is very popular with Belgian, British and French tourists, the two areas are considering splitting. Aviator Louis Blériot owned a house in Hardelot and trained there for his successful crossing of the English Channel in July 1909.
Hardelot Castle
Construction: 12th to 20th centuries
Style: neo-Tudor
History: the first castle was built of wood by the Counts of Boulogne in the 12th century. The current castle was built by Count Philip Hurepel de Clermont, son of King Philippe Auguste, from 1222 to 1231. Taken and retaken, the fortress saw French, English and Burgundian troops pass through its walls. In 1615, Marie de Medici laid siege to the castle because it was occupied by Protestants. The château was put up for sale as national property in 1791. In 1848, the castle was acquired by Sir John Hare, a Bristol magistrate, who attempted to restore the medieval ruins. In 1865, Captain Henry Guy bought the castle and built a neo-Tudor-style manor house over the 13th-century underground passages and one of the best-preserved towers. In 1897, Englishman John Robinson Whitley bought the estate. He helped create the seaside resort of Hardelot to attract wealthy socialites and aristocrats from France and England.
Trivia: writer Charles Dickens came regularly to Condette in the mid-19th century, in particular to discreetly share his affair with Ellen Ternan. In 1979, the château was used as a film location for Roman Polanski's Tess.
Current use: In 1987, the château was sold to the municipality of Condette to house a cultural centre. In 2009, the Entente Cordiale Cultural Centre was created. It develops high-quality cultural programming around British culture, through all art forms, and organises the Midsummer Festival in June. In 2016, an Elizabethan theatre was installed here.
Km 191.2
Samer (Pop: 4,640)
The municipality is part of the Caps et Marais d'Opale Regional Nature Park. Samer is famous for its outdoor strawberries and its strawberry festival.
Jean-Charles Cazin Museum
Opening: 1939
History: The museum opened in 1939 on the initiative of the family and friends of Jean-Charles Cazin, a local realist painter (1841–1901) with a national and international reputation (his paintings can be found in New York and Chicago in the United States). Many works disappeared during the war. The museum reopened in 1962 and was labelled a Musée de France in 2003.
Characteristics: the museum contains around 200 works by the "singer of the Opal Coast", known for having completed the frescoes of the Panthéon begun by Puvis-de-Chavanne. His paintings have also been exhibited in the United States and at the Musée d'Orsay.
Label: Musée de France.
Km 202.1
Saint-Etienne-au-Mont (Pop: 5,050)
Opal Coast
Côte d'Opale is the part of the north-west coastline of mainland France north of the Picardy coast, opposite the cliffs of south-east England, bordering the English Channel and the North Sea. Édouard Lévêque, a painter, writer and botanist from Le Touquet, invented the name "Côte d'Opale" in February 1911. He named the coastline between Le Crotoy (in the Baie de Somme) and Équihen-Plage (in the Boulonnais region) after its distinctive, ever-changing light. Of all the names proposed, this is the only one that has survived, making the seaside resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage the "Pearl of the Opal Coast". Subsequently, and still today, this name is used to designate the entire coastline of the Pas-de-Calais department, and even that of the Nord department.
Km 205.6
Outreau (Pop: 13,400)
A former steelworks, Outreau is now associated with the economic hub of Boulogne-sur-Mer and includes two industrial estates and the Garromanche logistics platform. A Socialist stronghold, Outreau boasts statues of former French president François Mitterrand and Prime ministers Pierre Bérégovoy and Pierre Mendès-France. From 2001 to 2005, the town was the focus of considerable media attention in France due to the Outreau affair, a sexual assault case that shook public opinion and, following a death in prison and the acquittal on appeal of the majority of the accused, who had been held in pre-trial detention for several years, led to the French judicial system being called into question.
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