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Calais
Calais (UK: /ˈkæleɪ/ KAL-ay, US: /kæˈleɪ/ kal-AY, traditionally /ˈkælɪs/ KAL-iss, French: [kalɛ] ⓘ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,625 (2020). Calais overlooks the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the English Channel, which is only 34 km (21 mi) wide here, and is the closest French town to England. The White Cliffs of Dover can easily be seen from Calais on a clear day. Calais is a major port for ferries between France and England, and since 1994, the Channel Tunnel has linked nearby Coquelles to Folkestone by rail.
Because of its position, Calais has been a major port and an important centre for transport and trading with England since the Middle Ages. Calais came under English control after Edward III of England captured the city in 1347, followed by a treaty in 1360 that formally assigned Calais to English rule. Calais grew into a thriving centre for wool production, and came to be called the "brightest jewel in the English crown" because of its importance as the gateway for the tin, lead, lace and wool trades (or "staples"). Calais remained under English control until its recapture by France in 1558.
During World War II, the town was virtually razed to the ground. In May 1940, it was a strategic bombing target of the invading German forces, who took it during the siege of Calais. The Germans built massive bunkers along the coast, in preparation for launching missiles at England.
The old part of the town, Calais-Nord, is on an artificial island surrounded by canals and harbours. The modern part of the town, St-Pierre, lies to the south and south-east. In the centre of the old town is the Place d'Armes, in which stands the Tour du Guet, or watch-tower, a structure built in the 13th century, which was used as a lighthouse until 1848 when a new lighthouse was built by the port. South east of the Place is the church of Notre-Dame, built during the English occupancy of Calais. Arguably, it is the only church built in the English perpendicular style in all of France. In this church, former French President Charles de Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux. South of the Place and opposite the Parc St Pierre is the Hôtel-de-ville (the town hall), and the belfry from the early 20th century. Today, Calais is visited by more than 10 million annually. Aside from being a key transport hub, Calais is also a notable fishing port and a centre for fish marketing, and some 3,000 people are still employed in the lace industry for which the town is also famed.
The name Calais first appears in the historical record late in the twelfth century AD in a mention by Count Gerard of Guelders of a charter by his father Matthew of Alsace, Some references mention the Latin name Calesium being used as early as the ninth century but without providing sources for the claim. Medieval Latin Calesium derives ultimately from Latin Caletum, in turn from Caletes, a Belgic or Gallic tribe dwelling in Pays de Caux, in present-day Normandy. The Gaulish ethnonym Caletoi literally means "the hard ones", that is to say "the stubborn" or "the tough" and derives from the Proto-Celtic stem *kaletos- ("hard, cruel, strong") Early French sources use a bewildering array of spellings from Kaleeis to Kalais to Calays together with Latin-based Calaisiacum, Calesetum and Calasium. The modern French spelling of Calais first appeared in 1331.
The earliest English name for the city was the Anglo-Norman Caleis. In Middle and Early Modern English, variants including Caleys, Calais, Calays, Callis and Cales were used. In later Middle English, the name of the city was most commonly spelt Cales, and this spelling survived well into the modern period, but Shakespeare for example used the spelling Callice. Confusingly, the name Cales found in the sarcastic rhyme beginning "A gentleman of Wales, a knight of Cales" and the ballad "The Winning of Cales" collected by Thomas Percy refers not to Calais, but to Cadiz in Spain.
The Cales spelling was also used in other European languages at the time, including Spanish, Italian and German and it is reflected in the city's name in the local Picard language, Calés.
Other archaic names for the city are Portuguese Calêsio and German Kalen. Kales, the city's historic name in Dutch and West Flemish (once spoken in the area) was retained until more recently in the name for the Strait of Dover, Nauw van Kales, and is still used in Dutch sources wishing to emphasise former linguistic ties to the area.
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Calais
Calais (UK: /ˈkæleɪ/ KAL-ay, US: /kæˈleɪ/ kal-AY, traditionally /ˈkælɪs/ KAL-iss, French: [kalɛ] ⓘ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,625 (2020). Calais overlooks the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the English Channel, which is only 34 km (21 mi) wide here, and is the closest French town to England. The White Cliffs of Dover can easily be seen from Calais on a clear day. Calais is a major port for ferries between France and England, and since 1994, the Channel Tunnel has linked nearby Coquelles to Folkestone by rail.
Because of its position, Calais has been a major port and an important centre for transport and trading with England since the Middle Ages. Calais came under English control after Edward III of England captured the city in 1347, followed by a treaty in 1360 that formally assigned Calais to English rule. Calais grew into a thriving centre for wool production, and came to be called the "brightest jewel in the English crown" because of its importance as the gateway for the tin, lead, lace and wool trades (or "staples"). Calais remained under English control until its recapture by France in 1558.
During World War II, the town was virtually razed to the ground. In May 1940, it was a strategic bombing target of the invading German forces, who took it during the siege of Calais. The Germans built massive bunkers along the coast, in preparation for launching missiles at England.
The old part of the town, Calais-Nord, is on an artificial island surrounded by canals and harbours. The modern part of the town, St-Pierre, lies to the south and south-east. In the centre of the old town is the Place d'Armes, in which stands the Tour du Guet, or watch-tower, a structure built in the 13th century, which was used as a lighthouse until 1848 when a new lighthouse was built by the port. South east of the Place is the church of Notre-Dame, built during the English occupancy of Calais. Arguably, it is the only church built in the English perpendicular style in all of France. In this church, former French President Charles de Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux. South of the Place and opposite the Parc St Pierre is the Hôtel-de-ville (the town hall), and the belfry from the early 20th century. Today, Calais is visited by more than 10 million annually. Aside from being a key transport hub, Calais is also a notable fishing port and a centre for fish marketing, and some 3,000 people are still employed in the lace industry for which the town is also famed.
The name Calais first appears in the historical record late in the twelfth century AD in a mention by Count Gerard of Guelders of a charter by his father Matthew of Alsace, Some references mention the Latin name Calesium being used as early as the ninth century but without providing sources for the claim. Medieval Latin Calesium derives ultimately from Latin Caletum, in turn from Caletes, a Belgic or Gallic tribe dwelling in Pays de Caux, in present-day Normandy. The Gaulish ethnonym Caletoi literally means "the hard ones", that is to say "the stubborn" or "the tough" and derives from the Proto-Celtic stem *kaletos- ("hard, cruel, strong") Early French sources use a bewildering array of spellings from Kaleeis to Kalais to Calays together with Latin-based Calaisiacum, Calesetum and Calasium. The modern French spelling of Calais first appeared in 1331.
The earliest English name for the city was the Anglo-Norman Caleis. In Middle and Early Modern English, variants including Caleys, Calais, Calays, Callis and Cales were used. In later Middle English, the name of the city was most commonly spelt Cales, and this spelling survived well into the modern period, but Shakespeare for example used the spelling Callice. Confusingly, the name Cales found in the sarcastic rhyme beginning "A gentleman of Wales, a knight of Cales" and the ballad "The Winning of Cales" collected by Thomas Percy refers not to Calais, but to Cadiz in Spain.
The Cales spelling was also used in other European languages at the time, including Spanish, Italian and German and it is reflected in the city's name in the local Picard language, Calés.
Other archaic names for the city are Portuguese Calêsio and German Kalen. Kales, the city's historic name in Dutch and West Flemish (once spoken in the area) was retained until more recently in the name for the Strait of Dover, Nauw van Kales, and is still used in Dutch sources wishing to emphasise former linguistic ties to the area.