Again,now on firmly in family territory,we have arrived at an off the beaten path town of Hazebrouck, Many memories visiting this area and always nice to be back even if missing dear persons with me, I dig in into my cd rom vault and got me some nice pictures that should be in my blog for you and me, This is Hazebrouck in the dept 59 Nord of the Hauts de France region of my belle France , Therefore, let me tell you about curiosities of Hazebrouck !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Hazebrouck is located in French Flanders, as its surroundings belonged to the county of Flanders, the Kingdom of France, the Spanish Netherlands and the Southern Netherlands. It is 43 km from Lille, 71 km from Arras, 33 km from Ypres, Belgium, 281 km from Versailles, and 645 km from my current home, The A25 and the A26 autoroutes are about 15 km and 20 km away. Nevertheless, several departmental roads serve the city such as the RD 642 which allows you to quickly reach Saint-Omer, Calais,(via A26) and Boulogne-sur-Mer and Lille (via the A25). The RD 916 also allows you to quickly reach Dunkirk (via A25) Lens, Arras, Amiens and Paris (via A26).
The Church Saint-Éloi a Gothic Halle church is dedicated to Saint Éloi and dates from 1432, which makes it one of the oldest monuments in the city. In 1492,
The southern chapel known as crossbowmen is dedicated to Saint Sébastien. Erected from 1551, it is built in a flamboyant Gothic style. The North Chapel, dedicated to Sainte Anne, is offered by the rhetorical society. The brick and sandstone tower, which was under construction in 1515, measures 39.50 meters. The white stone arrow, destroyed in 1940 and then rebuilt identically in 1994, is almost 32 meters away, which made a total of about 77 meters.
The altarpieces : Choir. False white marble, saint away carried by the angels. Tabernacle rotating in gilded wood. Angels worshipers. In front of altar in gold sheet. Painting: Crucifixion , North altar, altarpiece, statues: Saint Catherine, Saint Dominique, Tabernacle,Portrait Put in the tomb,, late 18C-early 19C, North chapel dedicated to Saint Anne: altar, altarpiece, statue: Saint Anne and the Virgin, 18C, South nave: altar, altarpiece, portrait: descent of the cross, statues, tabernacle, 18C, South chapel called crossbowmen: altar, altarpiece, 18C.
The pulpit or chair has a round tank, historiated ramp, lampshade surmounted by a Christ brandishing the cross and accompanied by musician angels, The recumbent tomb and marble statue of Saint Thérèse d’Avila Second half of the 18C; Second quarter of the 19C, and third quarter of the 20C.
Other things to see here with more time are the City hall: dominating the Grand’Place or Place du Général de Gaulle with its 12 columns of neo-antique style, it was built in 1807, under Napoleon Bonaparte and completed under The Restoration (1815). It replaced that of 1589 which burned in February 1801.The rue de la Clef: older rue d’Hazebrouck, its route dates from 1,000 years ! The V1 missile launch site: the wood of the eight-drills welcomed during WWII, A site for launching V1 missiles, accessible from the crossroads of the Eight-Rues, The Notre-Dame Church: destroyed during WWII, then rebuilt in red brick, in the New World district. The old Capuchin convent and the small seminar: the convent is located in the premises of the old small Saint-François d’Assise seminary now occupied by the Saint-Jacques college. Created by Jacques Dehaene in 1865 in the old Capuchin convent, The Augustinian Museum: installed since its creation in 1927 in the old Augustinian convent, a Flemish style building of 1616, it houses a collection of Flemish and French paintings as well as sacred pieces of art coming from the Saint-Éloi Church. It also presents an important collection of paintings from the 17-18C from the ancient southern Netherlands. The Musée de l’Abbé-Lemire: the house lived by Father Jules-Auguste Lemire, mayor of Hazebrouck from 1914 to 1928 and Deputy of the Nord, now houses a museum that brings together memories, furniture and photographs. It is located near the bell tower of the Saint-Éloi Church.
A bit of history tell us that between 862 and 1384, the title of Count of Flanders is transmitted by nine families, from Beaudouin Armo de Iron (862-879) to Louis de Male (1346-1384). In 1122, the Count of Flanders, Charles Le Bon attributes the status and therefore the name of “City” in Hasbruc. It was at that time a large living village of hunting and fishing which depended on the Châtellenie de Cassel and which was burned by Philippe de Valois in 1347. The Gantois ransacked the city in 1436. The French of Charles VIII burned the city on August 24 1492. In 1565-1566, the Hazebrouck canal was dug and the port of Hazebrouck was established, In 1582, the city was destroyed. In 1610, the Augustins opened a college in the buildings of the old convent. The Convent of Augustins was built in 1616. After its annexation to the Kingdom of France under Louis XIV by the Treaty of Nimègue in 1678. On February 16, 1790, the National Assembly decided that Hazebrouck will be the seat of the district court. February 14 1794, the General Council of the City obliged the inhabitants to carry the tricolor cockade , On November 22, 1813, some 3,000 conscripts gathered in Hazebrouck revolted against the Empire of Napoleon I. On February 17, 1814, Hazebrouck was invaded by the Cossacks of Baron de Geismmar. This occupation will last 4 years.
The city served essentially as a rear base for the English and Australian soldiers. It was harshly bombed by the Germans towards the end of the Great War or WWI, in 1917 and 1918. A large part of the city was destroyed. Throughout the WWII, but more particularly after June 22, 1941, the British and American aviation destroyed part of the city because the pilots aimed at the station and its rail node but often lacked their target. Not easy even today.
The town of Hazebrouck on its heritage : https://www.ville-hazebrouck.fr/ma-commune/decouvrir-hazebrouck/patrimoine/
The Nord dept 59 tourist office on its heritage see church : https://evasion.lenord.fr/fr/cinq-monuments-historiques-en-flandre-interieure
The Hauts de France region on Hazebrouck : https://www.tourisme-en-hautsdefrance.com/decouvrir/les-villes-et-villages-fleuris/
There you go folks, a dandy wonderful road warrior ride into the off the beaten path of the Nord, This time in the north of France and just lovely, Family area and memories flashing, but glad I did it . Again, hope you enjoy the post on curiosities of Hazebrouck as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 