A city of northwest France on the English Channel. The site has been occupied since ancient times and was frequently contested by the French and English because of its strategic location. Population: 40,700.
Cherbourg
Did you mean: Cherbourg (city, France), Cherbourg - Maupertus Airport, Cherbourg (Lyrics - Beirut), AS Cherbourg Football
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Cher·bourg (shâr'bʊrg', shĕr-būr')  |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Cherbourg |
For more information on Cherbourg, visit Britannica.com.
| US History Encyclopedia: Cherbourg |
The capture of this French city during World War II by American forces three weeks after the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944 gave the Allies their first great port in northwestern Europe. Cherbourg had been held by the Germans since June 1940. General J. Lawton Collins's U.S. Seventh Corps, a part of General Omar N. Bradley's First U.S. Army, drove west from Utah Beach, cut the Cotentin Peninsula to isolate Cherbourg, and turned north against the well-fortified city. The Germans fought stubbornly, demolished the port, and blocked the harbor channels, but finally surrendered on 26 June. A vast rehabilitation program put the port back into working condition several weeks later.
Bibliography
Breuer, William B. Hitler's Fortress Cherbourg: The Conquest of a Bastion. New York: Stein and Day, 1984.
Ruppenthal, Roland G. Utah Beach to Cherbourg (6 June–27 June 1944). Washington, D.C.: Historical Division, Department of the Army, 1948. Reprinted 1984.
—Martin Blumenson/A. R.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Cherbourg |
Cherbourg (shĕrbūr'), city (1990 pop. 28,773), Manche dept., NW France, in Normandy, on the English Channel, at the tip of the Cotentin peninsula. It is a naval base and seaport, and a major industrial center where submarines, oil tankers and platforms, electronics, and metals are manufactured. The site has been settled since ancient times and was frequently fought over by the French and English because of its strategic value. Fortifications were begun under Louis XIV.
| Dialing Code: The telephone dialing code for: Cherbourg, France |
The country code is: 33
The city code is: 233
| Wikipedia: Cherbourg-Octeville |
"Cherbourg" redirects here. For the Australian town and Aboriginal Mission, see Cherbourg, Queensland.
Coordinates: 49°37′59″N 1°37′00″W / 49.633°N 1.6167°W
Commune of Cherbourg-Octeville
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| Location | |
  Cherbourg-Octeville
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Basse-Normandie |
| Department | Manche |
| Arrondissement | Cherbourg |
| Intercommunality | Cherbourg |
| Mayor | Bernard Cazeneuve |
| Statistics | |
| Land area1 | 14.26 km2 (5.51 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 42,318 (1999) |
| - Density | 2,968 /km2 (7,690 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 50129/ 50100, 50130 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Cherbourg-Octeville is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.
It was formed when the city of Cherbourg was including the commune of Octeville on 28 February 2000, and was officially renamed Cherbourg-Octeville. In fact, people just say "Cherbourg".
Cherbourg holds an arsenal of the French Navy.
Contents |
Geography
Cherbourg-Octeville is situated at the north of the Cotentin Peninsula. It is in the Manche département (of which it is the sous-préfecture) in the Basse-Normandie région. At the time of the 1999 census the city of Cherbourg had an area of 6.91 km² (2.668 sq mi), while the city of Octeville had an area of 7.35 km² (2.838 sq mi). The amalgamated city today has an area of 14.26 km² (5.506 sq mi).
Demographics
The combined population of Cherbourg and Octeville at the 1999 census was 42,318 inhabitants. (Separately, the official numbers were 25,370 for Cherbourg and 16,948 for Octeville.) The population of Cherbourg metropolitan area (the aire urbaine de Cherbourg) at the 1999 census was 117,855 inhabitants. The city is now the second largest in the Basse-Normandie region (after Caen), surpassing Alençon, which had been second before the amalgamation. Also, the city is the largest in the Manche département, although Saint-Lô is the préfecture (capital).
History
Cherbourg-Octeville
The Cotentin was in fact the first territory conquered by the men from the North, the Vikings. For these sea people, it was logical that Cherbourg should become a port.
In the Napoleonic era the harbour was fortified to prevent British naval incursions. Underwater obstructions were sunk at intervals across the harbour entrance, and then progressively replaced with piles of masonried rubble. Works began in 1784 and were not concluded until 1850, long after Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
On July 31, 1909, tsar Nicholas II and French president Armand Fallières met officially in Cherbourg to reinforce the Franco-Russian Alliance. Cherbourg was the first stop of RMS Titanic after it left Southampton, England. On 19 June 1864, the naval engagement between USS Kearsarge and CSS Alabama took place off Cherbourg. The Battle of Cherbourg, fought in June 1944 following the Normandy Invasion, ended with the capture of the city on 30 June.
The Norman language writers Alfred Rossel, a native of Cherbourg, composed many songs which form part of the heritage of the region. Rossel's song "Sus la mé" ("on the sea") is often sung as a regional patriotic song. The local dialect is known as Cotentinais.
Periphery
La Glacerie comes from the French for glass factory. In 1655, Louis Lucas de Néhou built a glass factory which was provided for buildings like Galerie des Glaces and Château de Versailles. The factory in La Glacerie was destroyed by Allied bombardments in 1944.
Main sights
- La Glacerie has a race track.
- The Cité de la mer is a large museum devoted to scientific and historical aspects of maritime subjects.
- Cherbourg Basilica[1]
- Jardin botanique de la Roche Fauconnière, a private botanical garden
- Le Trident theatre
Public transport and infrastructure
Road
Cherbourg is at the end of the N13 road from Paris and Caen.
Rail
The city's station is at the end of a railway line built by the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest from Paris. Regular services operate to Paris-Saint-Lazare via Caen using Corail Intercites stock, local TER services operate from the station to Lisieux via Caen and to Rennes via Saint-Lô. As well as a main line station there was also the Gare Maritime Transatlantique station. This now forms part of the Cité de la mer.
Sea
Cherbourg-Octeville is a port on the English Channel with a number of regular passenger and freight ferry services operating from the large modern ferry terminal. The following operators currently run services from the port:-
- Brittany Ferries to Poole (up to 3 sailings daily during the winter, 5 in summer) and Portsmouth (up to 2 sailings daily, summer only).
- Celtic Link to Rosslare (3 sailings weekly).
- Irish Ferries to Rosslare (3 sailings weekly).
- Condor Ferries to Portsmouth (1 sailing weekly in summer only).
Cherbourg-Octeville has previously had services operated by the following operators:-
- Stena Line to Southampton (up to 2 sailings daily). Withdrawn in 1996.
- P&O Ferries to Portsmouth (up to 2 sailings daily by conventional ferry and up to 3 by fast ferry during the summer). Withdrawn in 2005 following a business review.
- P&O Irish Sea to Rosslare (up to 3 sailings weekly) and Dublin (weekends only during the summer). Dublin serice withdrawn in 2004 and Rosslare service sold top Celtic Link.
- HD Ferries to Guernsey and Jersey. Operated in 2007 but cancelled in 2008 due to lack of customers.
In addition to ferry services the port also handles cruise ships at the Gare Maritime Transatlantique on the Quai de France next to the Cité de la mer and conventional cargo ships in the eastern area of the docks on the Quai des Flamands and Quai des Mielles.
Confederate States of America warship CSS Alabama
In November 1984, the French Navy mine hunter Circé discovered a wreck under nearly 60 m (200 ft) of water off Cherbourg.[2] The location of the wreck (WGS84) was 49°45'147N / 001°41'708W. Captain Max Guerout later confirmed the wreck to be of the Confederate States of America warship CSS Alabama.
Air
The nearest airport is in Maupertus-sur-Mer which is named Cherbourg Maupertus.
Twin towns
See also
- Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), a musical film
- Cité de la mer
- Battle of Cherbourg, 1944
References
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cherbourg |
- Cherbourg on Titanic-Titanic.com
- Official website (English/French/German)
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Cherbourg |
Did you mean: Cherbourg (city, France), Cherbourg - Maupertus Airport, Cherbourg (Lyrics - Beirut), AS Cherbourg Football
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Michael Legrand in Concert (1993 Music Film)
- Manche (department, France)
- Charles Eugene Delaunay
- Peau d'Ane (1996 Album by Michel Legrand)
- Cotentin (region, France)
- Utah Beach
- Why Can't I Walk Away/Stay With Me (2003 Album by Vic Damone)
- Jean-Fran?ois Hu? (art)
- Les Parapluies de Cherbourg [Polygram International] (1964 Album by Michel Legrand)
- Jean Champion (Actor, Drama/Crime)
