Ardres

French commune
nomcommune=Ardres
Lakes north of Ardres
région=Nord-Pas-de-Calais
département=Pas-de-Calais
arrondissement=Saint-Omer
canton=Ardres
insee=62038
cp=62610
maire=
mandat=
intercomm=
longitude=1.97833333333
latitude=50.8555555556
alt moy=11 m
alt mini=2
alt maxi=17 m
hectares=1352
km²=13.52
sans=4154
date-sans=1999
date-dens=1999
dens=307|

Ardres is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.

It is located 10.1 mi. by rail (station is at Pont d'Ardres, a few Km from Ardres) S.S.E. of Calais, with which it is also connected by a canal (very limited turning space). It is one of three towns known as the Les Trois Pays ("the Three Countries"), the other two being Guînes and Licques. Ardes, the first town in the French king's land, has a rich and vibrant history as a military and trading post for the English from 1347 - 1558.

Major tourist attractions at Ardres include the Chapelle des Carmes and the Eglise Notre Dame de Grâce.

There are also some lakes (created when peat was removed) which provide fishing and sailing.

Local market is on Thursday mornings

Population (1999): 4,198 inhabitants for the commune and 17,610 inhabitants for the canton.

History

The "Field of the Cloth of Gold", where Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France met in 1520, was at Balinghem in the immediate neighbourhood. The town is an important market for cattle.

References

*1911