Neufchâtel-Hardelot (; vls, Nieuwkasteel-Hardelo) is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Pas-de-Calais
Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...
Hauts-de-France
Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost Regions of France, region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its Prefectu ...
region of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
The commune houses a PGL hotel named Le Pré Catelan.
Geography
Neufchâtel-Hardelot is a farming and tourist town of forests, golf courses and beaches, situated some south of
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
, at the junction of the D940, D308 and D215 roads. Junction 27 of the
A16 autoroute
The A16 autoroute – also known as ''L'Européenne'' and forming between Abbeville and Dunkirk a part of the larger ''Autoroute des estuaires'' – is a motorway in northern France.
The motorway, which has a total length of , starts at a ju ...
is just within the commune’s territory, the western border of which is formed by the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
.
History
At the end of the 7th century, the grassy dunes area was known as "Mont Saint-Frieux", 153 metres above sea level, where a village was first built. The name later became Saint-Férieux.
The name Neufchâtel has its origins in a castle, in this case the Chateau de Bellefontaine, which was engulfed by shifting sands. This may be the "Novum Castellum" that gave its name to Neufchâtel. Opinion is divided. The name Neufchâtel was recorded here for the first time in 1173 and again in 1199 in the charter of
Samer
Samer (; pcd, Samé; vls, Sint-Wulmaars) is a commune and in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
Population
Places of interest
* The church of St.Martin, dating from the 15th century.
* The château du Gr ...
.
In the early 1900s, Hardelot was lined with white sand dunes facing the sea and a forest. It attracted many hunters of
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
,
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
,
hare
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...
s,
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
s,
partridge
A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They a ...
,
snipe
A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a near ...
and
pheasant
Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family (biology), family Phasianidae in the order (biology), order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera na ...
.
In 1905, an English patron,
John Robinson Whitley
John Robinson Whitley, (13 December 1843, Leeds – 22 March 1922, Condette, France) was a British entrepreneur who inaugurated the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Earl's Court Exhibition Grounds in Fulham, West London in 1887. After four major ...
, and his French friends bought hectares of land and created the Hardelot company. Whitley had already owned Hardelot castle since 1897, and was one of the promoters of
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (; pcd, Ech Toutchet-Paris-Plache; vls, 't Oekske, older nl, Het Hoekske), commonly referred to as Le Touquet (), is a commune near Étaples, in the Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It has a population of 4 ...
. He wanted to develop Hardelot as a new and fashionable resort and a world centre of sports.
From 1908 onwards, 20 new villas were built around the tennis courts on the seafront by the famous architect
Louis-Marie Cordonnier
Louis Marie Cordonnier (July 7, 1854, Haubourdin, Nord – 1940) was a French architect, born in Haubourdin and associated principally with Lille and the French Flanders region.
Biography
Son of the architect Jean-Baptiste Cordonnier (182 ...
, a friend of John Whitley, who designed these vast and unique villas that today characterize Hardelot. In 1911, aviator Louis Blériot had a villa built near the levee.
Harriet Quimby
Harriet Quimby (May 11, 1875 – July 1, 1912) was an American pioneering aviator, journalist, and film screenwriter.
In 1911, she became the first woman in the United States to receive a pilot certificate, issued to her by the Aero Club of Ame ...
, the first woman to fly across the Channel, flew from
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
to Hardelot-Plage on 16 April 1912. Around that time, some of the first land yachting races were held here, attracting many followers to the beach.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and blown up by Allied bombing in 1944.
Since then, Hardelot-Plage has been rebuilt. It is still littered with the numerous villas hidden in pine forests which have made its name. It is also a prominent sporting place with two golf courses as well as tennis and equestrian clubs.
Population
Places of interest
* The church of St.Pierre, dating from the sixteenth century.
* A house named after the singer
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
.
* Saint-Augustin’s church at Hardelot.
* The thirteenth century
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
.
* Two ancient
manorhouse
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals wi ...