Dunkirk

Dunkirk (French: Dunkerque, pronounced /dœ̃kɛʀk/ or /dɛ̃kɛʀk/; Dutch: Duinkerke or Duinkerken) is a harbour city in the northernmost part of France, 10 km (6 mi) from the Belgian border. The population of the whole metropolitan area was of 265,974 at the 1999 census. Until the middle of the 20th century the city was in the Dutch language area; today the local Dutch dialect still can be heard but has largely given way to French. History Dunkirk was first mentioned in 1067 as Dunkerk (Dutch: Church of the Dunes). In World War II, heavy fighting took place around Dunkirk during the German invasion in 1940 (Battle of Dunkirk), but a lull in the action unexpectedly allowed a large number of French and British soldiers to escape to England. The British evacuation of Dunkirk through the English Channel was codenamed Operation Dynamo. During the war, Dunkirk was largely destroyed by bombing. Postwar Dunkirk On 14 December 2002, the Norwegian auto carrier Tricolor collided with the Bahamian-registered Kariba and sank off Dunkirk harbour, causing a hazard to navigation in the English Channel. Communes Since 9 December 2010, the former communes of Fort-Mardyck and Saint-Pol-sur-Mer were merged into the commune of Dunkirk. Economy Dunkirk has the third largest harbour in France, after those of Le Havre and Marseille. It is also an industrial city, heavily dependent on the steel, food processing, oil refining, ship building and chemical industries. Tourist attractions The Musée Portuaire hosts exhibits images about the history and presence of the port. The Musée des Beaux-Arts has a large collection of Flemish, Italian and French paintings and sculptures. The Carnival of Dunkirk Miscellaneous Transport Dunkirk has a ferry connection with Dover in England. Twin towns Dunkirk is twinned with: Krefeld, Germany since June 15, 1974 Middlesbrough, United Kingdom since April 12, 1976 Dunkirk has cooperation agreements with: Dartford district, United Kingdom since March 1988 Thanet district, United Kingdom since June 18, 1993 References Other websites City council website Archived 2011-05-03 at the Wayback Machine Tourist office website