General Notes

OCCU Ct de Boulogne-sur-Mer et de Therouanne, 918New Search :Boulogne,in full BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, city and port,  Pas-de-Calaisdpartement,Nord-Pas-de-Calais rgion, on the coast of northern
France,southwest of Calais at the mouthof the Liane River and 28 miles (45 km) across the EnglishChannel from Folkestone, Eng.Boulogne was the Roman harbour of Gesoriacum, later calledBononia.
Destroyed by theNormans in 882, it was rebuilt about 912. It was the prize indisputes between Flanders andPonthieu; it was a Burgundian possession when Louis XI united itto the French crown in1477.
England held it from 1544 to 1550. When it served asNapoleon's port of embarkationfor his projected invasion of England, its harbour was subjectedto naval bombardment. TheBritish Expeditionary Force
administered Boulogne during WorldWar I. The Germansmade it a submarine base and part of their anti-invasion "WestWall" during World War II;damage to the harbour (now rebuilt) was severe.Atop a
hill, behind 13th-century ramparts on the east bank ofthe Liane, stands Haute Ville,the older part of town. The law courts, cheau, town hall, andbell tower (13th and 17thcenturies) are behind the
old walls. Basse Ville, the moderntown at the foot of the hill, wasrebuilt after World War II. The industrial zone, Capcure, is onthe west bank. The port hasan outer, deepwater harbour and an inner
harbour for smallvessels.Boulogne is an important port for cross-channel passenger andcar-ferry traffic and has aconsiderable import-export trade. It is also the chief fishingport of France,
handling mostlyherring and mackerel. There are canneries, fish-curingfactories, foundries, cement works,and factories making pens, pencils, ropes, canvas, and fishnets.Pop. (1990) 44,244.Copyright
(c) 1996 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All RightsReserved
DATE 10 JAN 1999