Nord-Pas-de-Calais - Historic Region of France
Nord-Pas-de-Calais is a former region of France. At the very northern ti of France and sharing an international border with Belgium, and at the narrowest point of La Manche / the English Channel, Calais provides easy access between the United Kingdom and continental Europe, as it has since at least Roman times. The region included the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. With the re-ordering of the administrative regions at the end of 2015, from 2016 Nord-Pas-de-calais was combined with Picardy to form the region now known as Hauts-de-France.
Hauts-de-France
As the name implies, this is the northern most region of France. It is made up of five administrative departments: Aisne, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais and the Somme. The region lies between the coastal city of Calais and Paris, a popular destination for visitors from the UK visiting by car. Charming historic villages are dotted about an area that is rich in history, from the early Stone Age to the calamitous events of the beginning of the 20th century.
Highlights of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region
Roman Bavay - Bagacum
The Roman city of Bagacum was an important junction of seven major roads that linked northern France to Germania, southern and western France. One of these went to present-day Boulogne-sur-Mer, from where boats set sail for Britain. The ruins of a 2.5 hectare forum, that is relatively well preserved, make this the largest surviving Roman Forum in France. From the end of the 3rd century and through the 4th century the forum was heavily fortified with thick walls and turrets. These ramparts can still be seen today.
Canadian National Vimy Memorial
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is situated on the highest point of Vimy Ridge – the site of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which took place from 9 to 12 April in 1917. The memorial is dedicated to the memory of the battle and the Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War, as well as those Canadians killed in France during WWI with no known grave. Besides the striking memorial, nearly 40 m high, the memorial site has also preserved parts of the battlefields, including trenches and craters. Visitors can take guided tours of the preserved underground tunnels. A visitor centre outlines the relevance of the site, its history and its significance for Canadians today.
Éperlecques Bunker
The Blockhaus d’Éperlecques was built by Nazi Germany between March 1943 and July 1944 intended to launch V-2 ballistic missiles from France to London. The bunker was built using prisoners of war and other forced labour. It was designed to launch 36 missiles per day. Aerial attacks from the Allies meant the construction was disrupted and it was never completed to be used for launching missiles. Éperlecques was captured from the Germans in September 1944, but it was not until much later was the true purpose of the bunker revealed. An interesting audio tour guides visitors on a present path through the facility.
Louvre-Lens Museum
Constructed on a reclaimed coal mine, the designers wanted visitors not to be able to see where the landscape ends and the building begins. And they succeeded. The park is as much an attraction as the state-of-the-art museum – itself an extension of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The main, permanent exhibition is the ‘Galerie du temps’, in which 200 artefacts from the 4th millennium BC to the mid 19th century are displayed in chronological order. These objects represent various techniques and civilisations. The museum also hosts important temporary exhibitions.
Ring of Remembrance
An extraordinary circular memorial to all the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais Departments of France between 1914 and 1918. Over 580,000 names are inscribed on the monument. Their names are listed alphabetically, without favour to rank, position, gender, religion or nationality. The elliptical structure has a circumference of 345 m, 56 of which are suspended above ground. Each aspect of the memorial has a symbolic significance of coming together in peace and international brotherhood.
Coal Mine Base 11/19
Base 11/19 is a coal mine that closed in 1986 and now one of a 5 major industrial sites in the Pas-de-Calais mining basin that is inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. Saved from destruction, the mine, with its head gear intact, is now used for heritage and cultural events. Pit 11 was opened in 1891, 19 in 1954. From here visitors can walk to the nearby slag heaps from the mine, les terrils jumeaux de Loos-en-Gohelle.
