Dunkerque - Dunkerque

Dunkerque (German Dunkirk) is the northernmost city in France. She lies in North department in the region Hauts-de-France.

background

Dunkirk (Dutch: Duinkerke, West Flemish: Duunkerke) traditionally had a Dutch or Flemish-speaking population. The place was initially a fishing village, in the High Middle Ages it developed into a city that had a wall from 960 and a town hall from 1233. At that time, Dunkirk did not belong to France, but to the county of Flanders, then to Burgundy, and later to the Spanish Netherlands. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Dunkirk was a base of corsairs who - supported by Spain - attacked Dutch ships.

Because of its strategic location, the city was sought after by various rulers. United Franco-British troops wrested the city from the Spanish in 1658 and it was contractually awarded to England. It was not until 1662 that the French King Louis XIV bought Dunkirk from his English counterpart. Under French rule, corsairs from Dunkirk went on raids against Dutch ships. The legendary "Man in the Iron Mask" (real role model for Alexandre Dumas ’fictional character) was temporarily imprisoned at the fortress Dunkirque.

During the First World War, Dunkirk was shelled with the German battery Pomerania ("Langer Max"), the largest cannon in the world. Today, however - especially in France and England - Dunkirk is primarily associated with the Second World War. Here took place in May and June 1940 the Battle of Dunkirk instead of. There were 400,000 Allied soldiers (French, British and Belgians) against 800,000 Germans. When it became clear that the Allies could not hold the city, they were under the Operation Dynamo over 330,000 soldiers evacuated across the sea to England, which went down in British military history as a “miracle of Dunkirk” and as a myth in the general consciousness, last filmed in 2017 by Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk”). At the end of the war, Dunkirk was again besieged from September 1944 to May 1945 - now with reversed roles. 70% of the city was destroyed in the course of the war.

getting there

By plane

The small 50.960833331.951388891 Calais – Dunkerque Airport(IATA: CQF) is located approx. 40 km west of Dunkerque. There are no line connections there.

On the Belgian side is the 51.2002782.8702782 Ostend-Bruges Airport(IATA: EAST) approx. 55 km east of Dunkerque. This is mainly used by TUI fly for holiday flights to the Mediterranean and North Africa; there are no connections with German-speaking countries.

The Lille airport (LIL) is about 90 km south of Dunkerque; Brussels-Zaventem (BRU) 165 km west.

By train

Dunkerque station is served 11 times a day by high-speed trains (TGV) from Paris (Gare du Nord; travel time 1:45 to 2:20 hours) via Lille Europe or Arras and Hazebrouck. Coming from Germany you can drive from Cologne, Frankfurt or the Ruhr area via Brussels and Lille.

From the direction of Calais, a regional express line (TER) leads to Dunkerque.

By bus

Flixbus offers a long-distance bus connection from Paris (journey time just under 5 hours) via Boulogne-sur-Mer and Calais. With Ouibus, the long-distance bus subsidiary of the French state railway SNCF, you can travel from Paris (4½ hours) via Lille to Dunkerque.

In the street

Dunkerque is on the A16 motorway (Calais – Ostend). The A25 leads here from Lille. Coming from Germany, you travel through Belgium (Eindhoven – Antwerp or Brussels – Gent – ​​Bruges).

By boat

The port of Dunkerque is the destination of the operator's ferries DFDS of Dover.

By bicycle

The international EuroVelo 4 long-distance cycle route ("Central Europe Route") runs through Dunkerque. On this you can z. E.g. from Frankfurt, Cologne or Düsseldorf (via Eindhoven, Breda, Ostend) to Dunkirk.

At Ostend there is a connection from North Sea Cycle Route (from Hamburg, Bremerhaven, The Hague). The European cycle route R1 (from Münster, Utrecht, The Hague) leads about 20 km south of Dunkirk through Wormhout. To get to Dunkerque you can go to Nieuwpoort switch to EuroVelo 4.

On foot

Dunkerque is on European long-distance footpath E9.

mobility

The city has a network of public buses that have been free of charge since September 2018.^[1]

Tourist Attractions

• 51.035662.376181  Belfry, Rue de l'Amiral Ronarc'h, 59140 Dunkerque. .The Belfrywho was in the 2005 list UNESCO world cultural heritageBelfries in Belgium and France is the bell tower of the Saint-Éloi church across the street. The tourist information is located on the ground floor.Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

• 51.035592.376972  Église Saint-Éloi, 2 Rue Clemenceau, 59140 Dunkerque. .Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

• 51.037682.376763  town hall, Place Charles Valentin, 59140 Dunkerque. .The tower of the town hall is also part of the UNESCO world cultural heritageBelfries in Belgium and France.Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

• 51.037842.37194  Portuaire Museum, 9 Quai de la Citadelle, 59140 Dunkerque. Tel.: 33(0)3.28.63.33.39, Fax: 33(0)3.28.65.06.62, Email: [email protected]. .The port museum shows exhibits related to work in the port. In the harbor basin in front of the museum there are three ships that can also be viewed.Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)
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• 51.046142.381225  Musée Dunkerque 1940 - Operation Dynamo, Rue des Chantiers de France, 59140 Dunkerque. Tel.: 33(0)3.28.66.79.21. .Museum about World War II, especially about Operation Dynamo, during which over 300,000 Allied soldiers were evacuated from the city by ship.Open: probably from June 2019^[outdated] : Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (currently closed due to construction work!).Price: € 5.Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)
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• 51.046032.382516  Lieu d’Art et Action Contemporaine, 302 avenue des Bordées, 59140 Dunkerque. Tel.: 33(0)3.28.29.56.00, Email: [email protected]. .Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

• 51.048872.364387  lighthouse, Route de l'Écluse Watier, 59140 Dunkerque. .Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

activities

shop

kitchen

• Croc de Cumlast change: Jun. 2019

nightlife

accommodation

• 51.047152.377391  Auberge de Jeunesse l'Escale, 351 avenue Bancs de Flandres, 59140 Dunkerque. Tel.: 33(0)3.28.63.36.34, Fax: (0)3.28.63.88.35. Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

• 51.038172.370162  All Suites Appart Hôtel, 1 avenue de l'Université, 59140 Dunkerque. Tel.: 33(0)3.28.69.70.40. Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

• 51.0312.369233  B&B hotel, 15 Rue Belle Vue, 59140 Dunkerque. Tel.: 33(0)8.92.70.22.60. Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

• 51.030262.369794  Hotel de Bretagne, 4 Place de la Gare, 59140 Dunkerque. Tel.: 33(0)3.28.27.38.53, Email: [email protected]. Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

• 51.040752.379935  Hotel ibis Dunkerque Center, 13 Rue du Leughenaer, 59140 Dunkerque. Tel.: 33(0)3.28.66.29.07, Fax: (0)3.28.63.67.87, Email: [email protected]. Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

• 51.0518942.4204146  Camping La Licorne (Inexpensive campsite), 1005, boulevard de l'Europe 59240 Dunkerque (On the beach of Malo-les-Bains). Tel.: 33 3 28 69 26 68. Inexpensive campsite right on the dunes of Malo-les-Beins. You can also rent tents and bungalows there. On the beach you can easily walk to Dunkerque.last change: Feb. 2018 (information may be out of date)

security

health

Practical advice

• 51.035662.376181  Office de Tourisme et des Congrès de Dunkerque Dunes de Flandre, Le Beffroi, Rue de l'Amiral Ronarc'h, 59140 Dunkerque. Tel.: 33(0)3.28.66.79.21. Last change: Jan. 2017 (information may be out of date)

trips

literature

Web links

• http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr (fr) - Official website of Dunkerque