Calais
The Strait of Dover narrows to just 21 miles between Calais and England. On a clear day, the White Cliffs of Dover stand visible from the French coast. This proximity made Calais the closest French town to Britain since ancient times. The Channel Tunnel now connects Calais directly to Folkestone, having opened in 1994. More than 10 million people visit the city annually today. It serves as a major port for ferries crossing between France and England. Ships sail from this harbor every 30 minutes on average. In 2018 alone, passenger numbers reached over 9 million on the Dover route. The port handles millions of tonnes of cargo each year. Over 41 million tonnes passed through Calais in 2007. Some 11.5 million passengers used the ferry services that same year. The location remains central to many railway and highway networks connecting northern France.
Edward III captured Calais in 1347 after a long siege. He demanded six citizens surrender bareheaded with ropes around their necks. Queen Philippa of Hainault begged him to spare their lives instead. King Edward agreed but expelled most French inhabitants afterward. The Treaty of Brétigny assigned Calais to English rule in 1360. For two centuries it became known as the brightest jewel in the English crown. Customs revenues sometimes amounted to one third of all English government income. As many as 5,400 of its 12,000 residents worked in wool production. Dick Whittington served simultaneously as Lord Mayor of London and Mayor of the Calais Staple in 1407. Henry VIII visited the town in 1532 and found about 2,400 beds available for his men. The Pale sent representatives to Parliament starting during Henry's reign. Francis Duke of Guise recaptured Calais on the 7th of January 1558. Queen Mary I reportedly said Philip and Calais would lie in her heart when she died. The region was renamed Pays Reconquis to commemorate its recovery by France.
German forces targeted Calais heavily in May 1940 during World War II. A siege lasted from May 22nd to May 27th that year. Three thousand British troops and eight hundred French soldiers held out against the 10th Panzer Division. Only thirty members of the 3,800-strong defending force escaped before the town fell. This delay helped Operation Dynamo evacuate over 330,000 Allied troops at Dunkirk between late May and early June. Germans built massive bunkers along the coast preparing missile launches toward England. The town became a command post for German forces in the Pas-de-Calais region. V1 flying bombs launched from here throughout much of the war. Railway guns bombarded southeastern England from this location until liberation. General Daniel Spry's Canadian division liberated Calais between September 25th and the 1st of October 1944. A final bombing raid occurred on the 27th of February 1945 by mistake targeting what they thought was occupied Dunkirk. Most historic buildings were destroyed or damaged beyond repair after the conflict ended.
The name Calais first appears historically in the twelfth century AD. Count Gerard of Guelders mentioned it in a charter issued by his father Matthew of Alsace. Medieval Latin sources used Calesium as early as the ninth century without providing proof. The Gaulish ethnonym Caletoi meant hard ones or stubborn people derived from Proto-Celtic kaletos-. Early French records show spellings ranging from Kaleeis to Kalais to Calays alongside Latin forms like Calaisiacum. The modern French spelling emerged officially in 1331. English speakers called it Caleis during Anglo-Norman times. Middle English variants included Caleys, Calais, Calays, Callis and Cales. Shakespeare wrote Callice while later centuries favored Cales. Some European languages retained archaic versions: Portuguese Calêsio, German Kalen, Dutch Kales. The pronunciation shift began in the nineteenth century when pedantic Englishmen tried saying kăl′is instead of kal-ay. By the early twentieth century the stress settled firmly on the first syllable. Towns named Calais in Maine and Vermont preserve this older English sound today.
Since 1999 thousands of illegal immigrants arrived near Calais living in makeshift camps called the Jungle. People came from Darfur Afghanistan Syria Iraq Eritrea and other conflict zones across Africa and Asia. They attempted entering Britain by hiding inside lorries ferries cars or trains using the Port of Calais or Eurotunnel Terminal. Diplomatic tensions escalated sharply between UK and France during summer 2015. British Prime Minister David Cameron stated illegal immigrants would be removed even if they reached the island. The UK supplied fencing around the Eurotunnel complex to stop migrants boarding train shutles. French authorities cleared the camp officially on the 26th of October 2016. Yet by January 2017 five hundred to one thousand migrants mostly unaccompanied minors had returned to live rough again. A presence has remained ever since despite repeated clearance efforts. The situation continues generating ongoing diplomatic friction between neighboring nations.
The Tour du Guet watchtower dates back to 1229 when Philip Count of Boulogne built early fortifications. It served as a lighthouse until the 15th of October 1848 when replaced by a new structure. Abraham Chappe installed a telegraph office here in 1816 announcing Napoleon's death to France three years later. Église Notre-Dame stands nearby with elements from Flemish Gothic Anglo-Norman Tudor styles combined. General de Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux inside this church on the 6th of April 1921. Auguste Rodin erected his sculpture Les Bourgeois de Calais in 1895 funded by ten thousand francs public grant. The lace industry still employs about three thousand people working roughly seven hundred looms across two major factories today. The town hall clock tower reaches seventy-four meters high and chimes daily protected by UNESCO since 2005. Over thirty museums including the World War II museum housed in former Nazi bunkers attract visitors yearly. The Cité internationale de la Dentelle et de la Mode displays fashion shows alongside historical exhibits.
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Common questions
When did Edward III capture Calais after the long siege?
Edward III captured Calais in 1347 after a long siege. He demanded six citizens surrender bareheaded with ropes around their necks before Queen Philippa of Hainault begged him to spare their lives.
Who recaptured Calais on the 7th of January 1558 and what happened afterward?
Francis Duke of Guise recaptured Calais on the 7th of January 1558. The region was renamed Pays Reconquis to commemorate its recovery by France following this event.
How many British troops held out during the siege of Calais from May 22nd to May 27th 1940?
Three thousand British troops and eight hundred French soldiers held out against the 10th Panzer Division during the siege that lasted from May 22nd to the 27th of May 1940. Only thirty members of the 3,800-strong defending force escaped before the town fell.
What year did the modern French spelling of Calais emerge officially?
The modern French spelling emerged officially in 1331. Early records show spellings ranging from Kaleeis to Kalais to Calays alongside Latin forms like Calaisiacum before this date.
When did French authorities clear the migrant camp known as the Jungle in Calais?
French authorities cleared the camp officially on the 26th of October 2016. Yet by January 2017 five hundred to one thousand migrants mostly unaccompanied minors had returned to live rough again.
Who married inside Église Notre-Dame on the 6th of April 1921?
General de Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux inside Église Notre-Dame on the 6th of April 1921. The church features elements from Flemish Gothic Anglo-Norman Tudor styles combined and stands near the Tour du Guet watchtower.