Berck
| Berck | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Hauts-de-France | |
| Department | Pas-de-Calais | |
| Arrondissement | Montreuil | |
| Canton | Berck (main town) | |
| Community association | Deux Baies en Montreuillois | |
| Coordinates | 50 ° 24 ′ N , 1 ° 36 ′ E | |
| height | 0-30 m | |
| surface | 14.88 km 2 | |
| Residents | 14,189 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 954 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 62600 | |
| INSEE code | 62108 | |
| Website | www.berck-sur-mer.com | |
Berck , sometimes Berck-sur-Mer called (NDL .: Berg aan de Zee ) is a French municipality with 14,189 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Pas-de-Calais in the region of Hauts-de-France . It is the capital of the canton of Berck . Berck is the westernmost municipality in the Pas-de-Calais department. It is divided into the areas Berck-Ville in the east and Berck-Plage in the west. The former fishing village is a seaside resort in the French sense and a popular bathing and tourist town.
history
Thanks to its almost germ-free and low-particle sea air, the place was an important therapy and recreation center for tuberculosis patients from the Second Empire until the discovery of suitable antibiotics . After the inauguration of the "Hôpital Maritime" by the Empress Eugénie in 1869, further clinics were quickly built, some of which have been preserved to this day and are used for therapeutic purposes. These buildings are characterized by large terraces and balconies , on which the patients spent the day breathing.
The Queen of Serbia, Natalie, converted to Catholicism in the church of the Cazin-Perrochaud sanatorium in Berck-Plage in 1902 , then became a nun and worked there for some time.
Berck-sur-Mer airfield
In the northeast of Berck-sur- Mer is the Aérodrome de Berck-sur-Mer (ICAO: LFAM), an airfield used for general aviation .
At the beginning of the Second World War it served the French naval aviators as the base of a Potez 631 squadron. In addition, there was an air force fighter group , the Groupe de Chasse GC 1/6 equipped with MS.406 .
German fighter planes later opposed von Berck-sur-Mer during the Battle of Britain . Initially it was the II. Group of Jagdgeschwader 53 (II./JG 53), which lay here with their Bf 109E from mid-September 1940 until shortly before Christmas. This was followed on February 10, 1941 for a good two weeks by the II. Group of Jagdgeschwader 52 (II./JG 52) equipped with the same aircraft . The last user was the III. Group of the same squadron (III./JG 53), equipped with the Bf 109F, which lay here with a one-week break in early April between mid-March and mid-April 1941.
Beach
The very flat, fine sandy beach offers a spacious area , especially at low tide, and thus ideal conditions for sand sailing and kite flying . However, the dangers of the rapidly rising tide should not be underestimated. Every year in April the international kite festival (Rencontres Internationales de Cerfs-Volants) takes place here. The surrounding dune landscapes are also very attractive.
Personalities
- Katherine Kath (* 1920 - † 2012), actress
- Philippe Drogoz (* 1937), composer
- Annette Messager (* 1943), painter, photographer and installation artist
- Celine Deville (* 1982), soccer player
Town twinning
Since 1976 there has been a town partnership with Bad Honnef in Germany .
Others
Berck is the main setting in the film Butterfly and Diving Bell .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ De Nederlanden in Frankrijk, Jozef van Overstraeten, 1969