Audinghen
Encyclopedia
Audinghen is a commune
in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France
.
, the nearest part of France to the English coast, forms the western boundary of the commune.
. Audinghen has been rebuilt several times after being completely destroyed, including:
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
A farming commune, comprising several hamlets, some 14 miles (22.5 km) north of Boulogne, at the junction of the D940 and the D191 roads. Cap Gris NezCap Gris Nez
Cap Gris Nez is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais département in northern France....
, the nearest part of France to the English coast, forms the western boundary of the commune.
History
The town was originally named ‘’Odingehem’’, or "Home of Odin," by the Vikings who created a temple here dedicated to the Germanic god OdinOdin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
. Audinghen has been rebuilt several times after being completely destroyed, including:
- In 1643 or 1644, according to the interpretations, by a party of soldiers of the King of England, who burned the village population inside the church;
- Three centuries later, in 1943, by the British, who bombarded and totally destroyed the village (then occupied by the German army).
Population
Places of interest
- The church of St.Pierre, dating from the twentieth century.
- The ruins of the lighthouseLighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
at Cap Gris NezCap Gris NezCap Gris Nez is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais département in northern France....
. - World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
German defences, part of the Atlantic wallAtlantic WallThe Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the western coast of Europe as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain.-History:On March 23, 1942 Führer Directive Number 40...
.
Notable people
- Gabriel Auguste Ferdinand DucuingGabriel Auguste Ferdinand DucuingCommandant Gabriel Auguste Ferdinand Ducuing was an officer in the French Navy of the First and Second World Wars.-Early life:...
, soldier who died here in 1940. - Raoul de GodewaersveldeRaoul de GodewaersveldeRaoul de Godewaersvelde was a French singer.Born in Lille, he was a member of the group Les Capenoules....
, composer, died here in 1977.