Pale of Calais

Calais (UK: KAL-ay, US: kal-AY, traditionally KAL-iss, French: [kalɛ] ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. 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 on a clear day from Calais. 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 siege of Calais between June and July 1436 was a failed siege of English-held Calais by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and Flemish militia.

The siege of Calais of 1596, also known as the Spanish conquest of Calais, took place at the strategic port-city of Calais (present-day northern France), between 8 and 24 April 1596, as part of the Franco-Spanish War (1595–1598), in the context of the French Wars of Religion, the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604), and the Eighty Years' War. The siege ended when the city fell into Spanish hands after a short and intense siege by the Spanish Army of Flanders commanded by Archduke Albert of Austria, Governor-General of the Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Alberto de Austria). The French troops in the citadel of Calais resisted for a few days more but finally, on 24 April, the Spanish troops led by Don Luis de Velasco y Velasco, Count of Salazar, assaulted and captured the fortress, achieving a complete victory. The Spanish success was the first action of the campaign of Archduke Albert of 1596.

The Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode is a museum of lace in Pas de Calais in northern France. It is one of two museums in France to celebrate machine lace making. The museum is an Anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode is a museum of both fashion and industry, its vast galleries present the techniques, the lingerie, and haute couture associated with this prestigious textile, as well as its most contemporary aspects. Derived from a technique invented in England in the nineteenth century, today lace woven on Leavers looms is primarily produced in Northern France. The Museum for Lace and Fashion is a focal hub for fashion. In its exhibition gallery, it showcases great couturiers and renowned young designers alike (Cristóbal Balenciaga, Anne Valérie Harsh, Iris Van Herpen, Hubert de Givenchy, On Aura Tout Vu, Yves Saint Laurent.)

Grand Calais Terres et Mers (before 2017: Communauté d'agglomération du Calaisis) is an agglomeration community created on 28 December 2000 and located in the Pas-de-Calais département, in northern France. It was expanded with four communes from the Communauté de communes des Pays d'Opale on 1 December 2019. Its area is 184.1 km2. Its population was 104,367 in 2018, of which 72,929 in Calais proper. It comprises the following 14 communes:

The Quartier Saint-Pierre is the heart of the old town of Saint-Pierre-lès-Calais (West Flemish: Sint-Pieter), which was merged with the town of Calais in 1881. It is centered on the church of St. Pierre, in front of which a market is held on Saturday mornings, and on the labor exchange. The economy of the town of Saint-Pierre focused on the lace industry, that of Calais on its harbor and on fishing around Courghain. The Gare de Calais-Ville was originally the station of Saint-Pierre-lès-Calais, opened in 1848 by the Chemin de Fer du Nord, 40 years before the union of Calais with Saint-Pierre. The bridge over the railway marks the boundary between the two ancient cities, and even today marks the boundary between the old industrial city and the port city.

The Hôtel de Ville (French pronunciation: [otɛl də vil], City Hall) is the seat of the city council in Calais, France. The building features a belfry of red brick and white limestone which is 72 metres (236 ft) high. It was designated a monument historique by the French government in 2003.

The Burghers of Calais (French: Les Bourgeois de Calais) is a sculpture by Auguste Rodin in twelve original castings and numerous copies. It commemorates an event during the Hundred Years' War, when Calais, a French port on the English Channel, surrendered to the English after an eleven-month siege. The city commissioned Rodin to create the sculpture in 1884 and the work was completed in 1889.

The Pas-de-Calais (French: [pɑ d(ə) kalɛ] , "strait of Calais"; Picard: Pas-Calés; Dutch: Nauw van Calais) is a department in north-eastern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the 8th most populous. It had a population of 1,465,278 in 2019. The Calais Passage connects to the Port of Calais on the English Channel. The Pas-de-Calais borders the departments of Nord and Somme and is connected to the English county of Kent via the Channel Tunnel.

The Canal de Calais connects the Aa River near Ruminghem to the inner basins of the Port of Calais. Many boats enter the French canal system through the port of Calais and this canal. It is 30 km long and has 3 locks.

The Arrondissement of Calais is an arrondissement of France in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region. It has 52 communes. Its population is 158,492 (2016), and its area is 593.4 km2 (229.1 sq mi).

Calais-Ville station (French: Gare de Calais-Ville) is a railway station in the city centre of Calais, France.