Clerques
Encyclopedia
Clerques is a commune
in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France
.
, on the D217 road, nestled in the valley of the river Hem at the foot of the Boulonnais
, which is a wooded ridge at this point. Two hamlets, Audenfort to the west and Le Hamel to the East, make up the remainder of the commune.
. The river, usually quiet, had accumulated such a speed it turned into an uncontrollable torrent..
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 small farming village situated 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Saint-OmerSaint-Omer
Saint-Omer , a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area....
, on the D217 road, nestled in the valley of the river Hem at the foot of the Boulonnais
Boulonnais (land area)
The Boulonnais is a coastal area of northern France, around Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer. It has a curved belt of chalk downs which run into the sea at both ends, and geologically is the east end of the Weald-Artois Anticline.- Administration :...
, which is a wooded ridge at this point. Two hamlets, Audenfort to the west and Le Hamel to the East, make up the remainder of the commune.
Population
History
The recent history of the village was marked by the flooding of the river, on August 13, 2006. The stone bridge in the village centre, built in 1862, was destroyed after exceptional rainfall upstream at LicquesLicques
Licques is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village located 24 km south of Calais in the valley of the Hem, at the junction of the D191 and D215 roads...
. The river, usually quiet, had accumulated such a speed it turned into an uncontrollable torrent..
Places of interest
- The church of St.Barthélemy, dating from the thirteenth century.
- The chapel of St.Théresa
- Audenfort mill, which ceased to operate in the 1970s, and is now converted into a hotel-restaurant
- The former flour mill at Hamel, now a hydro-electric generator.
- The new symbol of the village: The statue of the Sower, which symbolizes the friendship between the town of Clerques and the BelgianBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
village of Klerken.