Audinghen

Audinghen
Coat of arms of Audinghen Coat of arms
Audinghen
Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region Audinghen
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Boulogne-sur-Mer
Canton	Marquise
Intercommunality	Terre des Deux Caps
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Marc Sarpaux
Area1	13.09 km2 (5.05 sq mi)
Population (2009)2	584
• Density	45/km2 (120/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	62054 / 62179
Elevation	0–123 m (0–404 ft) (avg. 68 m or 223 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Audinghen (Dutch: Oudinghen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

A farming commune, comprising several hamlets, some 14 miles (23 km) north of Boulogne, at the junction of the D940 and the D191 roads. Cap Gris Nez, the nearest part of France to the English coast, forms the western boundary of the commune.

History

The town was originally named Odingehem, 'home of Odin', by the Vikings who built a temple here dedicated to the Germanic god Odin. Audinghen has been rebuilt several times after being completely destroyed, including:

• In 1643 or 1644, according to the interpretations, by a party of soldiers of the King of England, who burned the village population inside the church;
• Three centuries later, in 1943, by the British, who bombarded and totally destroyed the village (then occupied by the German army).

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1962	409	—
1968	457	+11.7%
1975	461	+0.9%
1982	468	+1.5%
1990	503	+7.5%
1999	548	+8.9%
2009	584	+6.6%

Sights

• The church of St. Pierre, dating from the twentieth century.
• The ruins of the lighthouse at Cap Gris Nez.
• World War II German defences, part of the Atlantic wall.

Part of the German defences, at the Todt Battery

Personalities

• Gabriel Auguste Ferdinand Ducuing, soldier who died here in 1940.
• Raoul de Godewaersvelde, composer, died here in 1977.

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• Website about Audinghen (French)
• Audinghen on the Quid website (French)