Berck

French commune|name=Berck
region=
departement=
arrondissement=
canton=Berck
insee=62108
cp=62600
maire= Jean-Marie Krajewski
mandat=2008 - 2014
intercomm=Communauté de communes Opale Sud
longitude=1.5933
latitude=50.4089
alt moy=9 m
alt mini=0 m
alt maxi=30 m
hectares=1488
km²=14,88
sans=14378
date-sans=1999
dens=966|

Berck, sometimes referred to as Berck-sur-Mer, is a commune of northern France, in the "department" of Pas-de-Calais.

Etymology

"Berck" is the most southerly town in the Pas-de_Calais to have a name with Germanic roots. Originally called Bierk, possibly after the birch tree; by the 13th century it was spelt “Berc”.

Geography

Situated just to the north of the estuary of the river Authie, Berck has a huge expanse of sandy beach and impressive grassy-topped dunes facing north onto the English Channel. Berck comprises two parts – to the east, the old fishing town, Berck-Ville and to the west, the seaside area, Berck-sur-Mer.
Berck lies at the centre of the Marquenterre regional park.

History

A former fishing harbour, Berck took on a therapeutic role in the treatment of tuberculosis during the second Empire. The Maritime hospital was inaugurated in 1869 by Empress Eugenie. Other hospitals and benevolent institutes were soon created to cater for the sick and those in need of rest and recuperation. Today, although the hospital sector remains economically important, the city has turned towards tourism. A seaside bathing station, with an immense beach of fine sand on the Opal Coast, Berck is a paradise for lovers of land yachting and surfboarding.

Population

Places and monuments

*Église Saint Jean Baptiste – Listed choir and belfry.
*Église Notre-Dame des Sables – Wall paintings on the choir walls.
*Hôpital Cazin-Perrochaud - Chapel with wall-paintings by Albert Besnard
*The Lighthouse - In service from 1961, at 45 metres high, its light can be seen from a distance of convert|24|nmi|km.

People associated with the town

* Empress Eugénie inaugurated l"'Hôpital Napoléon" on the 18th July 1869 , which became the "Hôpital Maritime" after the fall of the Empire.
* Gabriel Voisin, on 15th March 1904, made the first powered flight in France. The plane flew for 50 mètres at an altitude of 5 or 6 metres.
* Annette Messager, conceptual artist .
* Christian Morel de Sarcus, author.
* Jean-Dominique Bauby, author of the French best seller "Le scaphandre et le papillon".

ee also

Communes of Pas-de-Calais

External links

[http://www.recensement.insee.fr/RP99/rp99/co_navigation.co_page?nivgeo=C&codgeo=62108&theme=ALL&typeprod=ALL&lang=FR&quelcas=LISTE Berck on the Insee website] fr
* [http://www.quid.fr/communes.html?mode=query&req=Berck Berck on the Quid website] fr
* [http://www.opale-sud.com/ Communauté de Communes Opale Sud] fr
* [http://www.opale-sud.com/sources/popup/musee/home.html/ Musée de Berck] fr
* [http://www.cerf-volant-berck.com/ Rencontres Internationales des Cerfs Volants de Berck sur Mer] fr
* [http://berckhisto.free.fr La petite Histoire de Berck] fr