Topic summary
Guînes
Guînes (French pronunciation:; West Flemish: Giezene; Picard: Guinne) is a commune in the northern French department of Pas-de-Calais. Historically, it was spelt Guisnes.
On 7 January 1785, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a French pioneer in hydrogen-balloon flight, completed the first aerial crossing of the English Channel, landing in the woods south of Guînes, where a memorial column stands today.