Houlle

Houlle
Coat of arms
Houlle
Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region Houlle
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Saint-Omer
Canton	Saint-Omer-Nord
Intercommunality	communauté d'agglomération de Saint-Omer
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008)	Bernard Rebena
Area1	6.52 km2 (2.52 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	966
• Density	150/km2 (380/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	62458 / 62910
Elevation	0–96 m (0–315 ft) (avg. 7 m or 23 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.

Houlle is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

A village situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Saint-Omer, on the D207 road. "The Houlle" is also the name of a small river close to the village, tributary of the Aa, included in the water management plan (fr:SAGE) of the Audomarois region.

Economy

A gin alembic

Spirits from grain, flavoured with berries of the juniper tree, are distilled in Houlle, the Genièvre (juniper) of Houlle; this spirit is very close to the Dutch jenever and more distantly related to dry gin. This is drunk with the local speciality, (potjevleesch) and is used to refine Maroilles cheese.

Population

Historical population of Houlle

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006
Population	564	657	575	650	864	917	966
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places of interest

• The church of St. John the Baptiste, dating from the twelfth century.
• Some 18th-century wells.

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• Website on local products (French)
• Houlle on the Quid website (French)