Hondschoote

French commune
nomcommune=Hondschoote
Hondschoote
région=Nord-Pas-de-Calais
département=Nord
arrondissement=Dunkerque
canton=Hondschoote
insee=59309
cp=59122
maire=Hervé Saison
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Communauté
de communes
de Flandre (CCF), Pays Moulins de Flandre
longitude=2.586111
latitude=50.980278
alt moy=5 m
alt mini=0 m
alt maxi=19 m
hectares=2,366
km²=23.66
sans=3,811
date-sans=1999
dens=161
date-dens=1999

Hondschoote is a commune of the Nord "département", in northern France.

Geography

Hondschoote lies on the French side of the Franco-Belgian frontier, just inland from the North Sea.

ights

The Noordmeulen windmill dates from 1127 and another windmill, the Spinnewyn was restored in 1993. The church dates from the 14th century - its tower was completed 1513 but burnt during the religious troubles in 1582. It was restored in the early 17th century - it is a surprisingly large building for this small town. On the square are several fine old buildings, particularly the town hall. The tourist office is a tiny structure near the front of the church.

History

In the Middle Ages, Hondeschoote was part of the Spanish Netherlands. A thriving wealthy cloth-town, it had thousands of small workshops making serge cloth from locally-grown linen flax. But in the 16th century, when French armies attacked the Spanish army, battles raged over Hondschoote. The French burned and looted the town. The cloth-makers of Hondeschoote fled as refugees to what is now Belgium and to England, taking their skills to benefit France's rivals.

The battle of Hondschoote in 1793 was a key event in saving the French Republic after the Revolution. The English king sent an army via Flanders to capture Dunkerque as key invasion port to rid the country of revolutionaries. They were joined by troops from Hanover and Austrians from neighbouring Austrian Flanders. The foreign invaders were beaten by a French volunteer army in a fierce patriotic battle near Hondeschoote, where the windmill was a look-out post and first-aid station.

Miscellaneous

Hondschoote is twinned with Osterburken, Germany