Le Portel

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Le Portel
Turbodingem
Commune
Fort de l'Heurt
Fort de l'Heurt
Coat of arms of Le Portel
Coat of arms
Location of Le Portel
Le Portel is located in France
Le Portel
Le Portel
Coordinates: 50°42′27″N 1°34′28″E / 50.7075°N 1.5744°E / 50.7075; 1.5744Coordinates: 50°42′27″N 1°34′28″E / 50.7075°N 1.5744°E / 50.7075; 1.5744
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentPas-de-Calais
ArrondissementBoulogne-sur-Mer
CantonBoulogne-sur-Mer-2
IntercommunalityBoulonnais
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Olivier Barbarin[1]
Area
1
3.85 km2 (1.49 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2018)[2]
9,157
 • Density2,400/km2 (6,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
62667 /62480
Elevation0–59 m (0–194 ft)
(avg. 27 m or 89 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Le Portel (French pronunciation: ​[lə pɔʁtɛl]; West Flemish: Turbodingem) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Geography[]

Le Portel is a tourist, fishing and light industrial town situated about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) southwest of Boulogne town centre, at the junction of the D236 and D119 roads. It has a beach and the white cliffs of the English coast can be seen across the sea on clear days.

History[]

Le Portel translates as "the little port." The original Le Portel was a hamlet east of the town of Outreau. It became an independent municipality on 13 June 1856 by an imperial decree of Napoleon III.
In the 19th century, flint tools were discovered in the centre of the village, by the river near the Hamel Bridge, evidence of the long occupation of the site. A Gallo-Roman cemetery has been excavated in the hamlet of Châtillon.

Of agricultural origin, it grew rapidly during the 19th century because of fishing, along with the nearby port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Sailors of Portel were as numerous as those of Boulogne before World War I. In 1841, two Le Portel sailors were on the ship Belle Poule, that brought back the remains of Napoleon.

During the Second World War, on 8 and 9 September 1943, Le Portel suffered as part of Operation Cockade, a diversionary manoeuvre by the Allies to fool the Germans into believing the possibility of a landing on the English Channel. The bombings, which destroyed 93% of the village, also killed 376 civilians.[3] On 12 August 1944, Charles de Gaulle was at Le Portel for its liberation. The town received the Croix de guerre with silver star for its sacrifice.

Population[]

Historical population of Le Portel
Year1962196819751982199019992010
Population11,19811,37911,11210,98410,61510,7209,569
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places of interest[]

  • Two twentieth century churches.
  • Fort de l'Heurt, built from 1803/1805 by order of Napoleon Bonaparte.
  • Fort d'Alprech, built in 1883.
  • The lighthouse.
  • The Fort de Couppes 1883 .
  • The Atlantic Wall German fortress.

Notable people[]

  • Alfred Desenclos, composer, was born here.
  • Lucien Leduc, football player, was born here.

Twin towns[]

Sport[]

The ESSM Le Portel is a French basketball club, based in Le Portel.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
  3. ^ Talty (2012), pg. 146

Bibliography[]

External links[]

  • Le Portel Plage

  • Statue of the Madonna

  • The beach and in the distance, Fort de l'Heurt

  • Town hall

  • The fort de Couppes

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