Editing Dunkirk

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{about|the French commune|the World War II evacuation|Dunkirk evacuation|other uses of Dunkirk or Dunkerque|Dunkirk (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox French commune
| name                   = Dunkirk
| native name            = {{native name|fr|Dunkerque}} <br /> {{nativename|vls|Duunkerke}}
| commune status         = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
| image                  = Dunkerque hotel de ville vu port.jpg
| caption                = The [[Hôtel de Ville, Dunkirk|Hôtel de Ville]] and port
| image flag             = Flag of Dunkirk.svg
| image coat of arms     = Greater Coat of Arms of Dunkerque.svg
| arrondissement         = Dunkerque
| canton                 = [[Canton of Dunkerque-1|Dunkerque-1]] <br /> [[Canton of Dunkerque-2|Dunkerque-2]] <br /> [[Canton of Grande-Synthe|Grande-Synthe]]
| INSEE                  = 59183
| postal code            = 59140, 59240, 59640
| mayor                  = [[Patrice Vergriete]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=30 November 2023|language=fr}}</ref>
| term                   = 2024&ndash;2026
| party                  = [[Miscellaneous left|DVG]]
| demonym                = Dunkirkers (en),<br>Dunkerquois (fr)
| intercommunality       = [[Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque|Dunkerque]]
| coordinates            = {{coord|51.0383|2.377500|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| elevation m            = 4
| elevation min m        = 0
| elevation max m        = 17
| area km2               = 43.89
| population             = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population date        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
| website                 = {{URL|https://www.ville-dunkerque.fr}}
}}

'''Dunkirk''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|d|ʌ|n|ˈ|k|ɜːr|k}} {{respell|dun|KURK}}; {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|d|ʌ|n|k|ɜːr|k}} {{respell|DUN|kurk}};<ref>{{cite LPD|3}}</ref><ref>{{cite EPD|18}}</ref> {{langx|fr|Dunkerque}} {{IPA|fr|dœ̃kɛʁk||Fr-Paris--Dunkerque.ogg}}; [[Picard language|Picard]]: ''Dunkèke''; {{langx|vls|Duunkerke}}; {{langx|nl|Duinkerke}} or {{lang|nl|Duinkerken}}) is a major port city in the [[Departments of France|department]] of [[Nord (French department)|Nord]] in northern France.<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/59183-dunkerque Commune de Dunkerque (59183)], INSEE</ref> It lies {{convert|10|km|mi}} from the [[Belgium|Belgian]] border. It has the third-largest French harbour. The population of the commune in 2019 was 86,279.

==Etymology and language use==
The name of Dunkirk derives from [[West Flemish]] {{lang|vls|dun(e)}} '[[dune]]' or '[[dun (fortification)|dun]]' and {{lang|vls|kerke}} 'church', thus 'church in the dunes'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pul |first=Paul Van |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u__RAwAAQBAJ&q=Dunkirk+church+on+a+dune+flemish |title=In Flanders Flooded Fields: Before Ypres There Was Yser |date=2007 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-4738-1431-8 |page=89 |quote=The French name of {{lang|fr|Dunkerque}} in fact is derived from the Flemish {{lang |vls |Duinkerke}}, which means 'church in the dunes'!}}</ref> A smaller town 25&nbsp;km (15 miles) farther up the Flemish coast originally shared the same name, but was later renamed [[Oostduinkerke]](n) in order to avoid confusion.

Until the middle of the 20th century, [[French Flemish]] (the local variety of [[Dutch language|Dutch]]) was commonly spoken.

==History==
===Middle Ages===
[[File:Sinteligiuskerkduinkerke 11-03-2009 13-59-42.JPG|thumb|left|[[Church of Saint-Éloi, Dunkirk|Saint Eloi Church]]]]

A [[fishing village]] arose late in the tenth century, in the originally flooded coastal area of the [[English Channel]] south of the [[Western Scheldt]], when the area was held by the [[County of Flanders|Counts of Flanders]], vassals of the [[France in the Middle Ages|French]] Crown. About AD 960, Count [[Baldwin III, Count of Flanders|Baldwin III]] had a town wall erected in order to protect the settlement against [[Viking]] raids. The surrounding wetlands were drained and cultivated by the monks of nearby [[Bergues]] Abbey. The name ''Dunkirka'' was first mentioned in a [[tithe]] privilege of 27 May 1067, issued by Count [[Baldwin V, Count of Flanders|Baldwin V of Flanders]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} Count [[Philip I, Count of Flanders|Philip I]] (1157–1191) brought further large tracts of marshland under cultivation, laid out the first plans to build a [[Canal de Bergues|Canal from Dunkirk to Bergues]] and vested the Dunkirkers with [[market rights]].

In the late 13th century, when the [[House of Dampierre|Dampierre]] count [[Guy, Count of Flanders|Guy of Flanders]] entered into the [[Franco-Flemish War (1297–1305)|Franco-Flemish War]] against his [[suzerainty|suzerain]] King [[Philip IV of France|Philippe IV]] of [[Kingdom of France|France]], the citizens of Dunkirk sided with the French against their count, who at first was defeated at the 1297 [[Battle of Furnes]], but reached ''de facto'' autonomy upon the victorious [[Battle of the Golden Spurs]] five years later and exacted vengeance. Guy's son, Count [[Robert III, Count of Flanders|Robert III]] (1305–1322), nevertheless granted further city rights to Dunkirk; his successor Count [[Louis I, Count of Flanders|Louis I]] (1322–1346) had to face the [[Peasant revolt in Flanders 1323–1328|Peasant revolt of 1323–1328]], which was crushed by King [[Philip VI of France|Philippe VI]] of France at the 1328 [[Battle of Cassel (1328)|Battle of Cassel]], whereafter the Dunkirkers again were affected by the repressive measures of the French king.

Count Louis remained a loyal vassal of the French king upon the outbreak of the [[Hundred Years' War]] with [[Kingdom of England|England]] in 1337, and prohibited the maritime trade, which led to another revolt by the Dunkirk citizens. After the count had been killed in the 1346 [[Battle of Crécy]], his son and successor Count [[Louis I, Count of Flanders|Louis II of Flanders]] (1346–1384) signed a truce with the English; the trade again flourished and the port was significantly enlarged. However, in the course of the [[Western Schism]] from 1378, English supporters of [[Pope Urban VI]] (the Roman claimant) disembarked at Dunkirk, captured the city and flooded the surrounding estates. They were ejected by King [[Charles VI of France]], but left great devastations in and around the town.

Upon the extinction of the Counts of Flanders with the death of Louis II in 1384, Flanders was acquired by the [[Duchy of Burgundy|Burgundian]], Duke [[Philip the Bold]]. The fortifications were again enlarged, including the construction of a belfry [[daymark]] (a navigational aid similar to a non-illuminated lighthouse). As a strategic point, Dunkirk has always been exposed to political greed, by Duke [[Robert I, Duke of Bar|Robert I of Bar]] in 1395, by [[Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol|Louis de Luxembourg]] in 1435 and finally by the [[Archduchy of Austria|Austrian]] archduke [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I of Habsburg]], who in 1477 married [[Mary of Burgundy]], sole heiress of late Duke [[Charles the Bold]]. As Maximilian was the son of Emperor [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick III]], all Flanders was immediately seized by King [[Louis XI of France]]. However, the archduke defeated the French troops in 1479 at the [[Battle of Guinegate (1479)|Battle of Guinegate]]. When Mary died in 1482, Maximilian retained Flanders according to the terms of the 1482 [[Treaty of Arras (1482)|Treaty of Arras]]. Dunkirk, along with the rest of Flanders, was incorporated into the [[Habsburg Netherlands]] and upon the 1581 secession of the [[Dutch Republic|Seven United Netherlands]], remained part of the [[Southern Netherlands]], which were held by [[Habsburg Spain]] (Spanish Netherlands) as [[Holy Roman Empire|Imperial]] fiefs.

[[File:View of Dunkerque in 1575.jpg|thumb|View of Dunkerque and harbour as of 1575]]

===Corsair base===
{{Main|Dunkirkers}}
[[File:Beschieting van Duinkerken door een gecombineerd Nederlands-Engelse vloot (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The Bombardment of Dunkirk by a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet, 1695]]
[[File:Map of Dunkerque.tif|thumb|Map of Dunkirk (around 1700)]]
{{Quote box |width=17em |align=top |bgcolor=#B0C4DE
|title=Historical affiliations
|fontsize=80% |quote=
[[File:Flag of the Low Countries.svg|15px]] [[Burgundian Netherlands]] 1384–1482 <br />
[[File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg|15px]] [[Habsburg Netherlands]] 1482–1556 <br />
[[File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg|15px]] [[Spanish Netherlands]] 1556–1577 <br />
[[File:Statenvlag.svg|15px]] [[Dutch Republic|Dunkirk Rebels]] 1577–1583 <br />
[[File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg|15px]] [[Spanish Netherlands]] 1583–1646 <br />
[[File:Royal Standard of the King of France.svg|15px]] [[Kingdom of France|France]] 1646–1652 <br />
[[File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg|15px]] [[Spanish Netherlands]] 1652–1658 <br />
[[File:Flag of England.svg|15px|border]][[File:Royal Standard of the King of France.svg|15px]] [[Commonwealth of England|England]] and [[Kingdom of France|France]] 1658–1659 <br />
[[File:Flag of England.svg|15px|border]] [[Kingdom of England|England]] 1659–1662 <br />
[[File:Royal Standard of the King of France.svg|15px]][[File:Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg|15px]] France 1662–1870 <br />
[[File:Flag of the German Empire.svg|15px|border]] [[Franco-Prussian War|Prussian occupation]] 1870–1873 <br />
[[File:Flag of France.svg|15px|border]] [[French Third Republic|France]] 1873–1940 <br />
[[File:Flag of Germany (1935–1945).svg|15px]] [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|German occupation]] 1940–1945 <br />
[[File:Flag of France.svg|15px|border]] France 1945–present
}}
[[File:Dunkerque Jean Bart2.JPG|thumb|Statue of [[Jean Bart]] in Dunkirk, the most famous [[French corsairs|corsair]] of the city]]

The area remained much disputed between [[Kingdom of Spain|Spain]], the [[Dutch Republic|Netherlands]], [[Kingdom of England|England]] and [[Kingdom of France|France]]. At the beginning of the [[Eighty Years' War]], Dunkirk was briefly in the hands of the Dutch rebels, from 1577. Spanish forces under Duke [[Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma|Alexander Farnese]] of [[Duchy of Parma|Parma]] re-established Spanish rule in 1583 and it became a base for the notorious ''Dunkirkers''. The Dunkirkers briefly lost their home port when the city was conquered by the French in 1646 but Spanish forces recaptured the city in 1652. In 1658, as a result of the [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)|long war]] between France and Spain, it was [[Siege of Dunkirk (1658)|captured]] after a siege by Franco-English forces following the [[Battle of the Dunes (1658)|battle of the Dunes]]. The city along with [[Fort-Mardyck]] was awarded to England in [[Treaty of the Pyrenees|the peace the following year]] as agreed in the Franco-English alliance against Spain. The English governors were [[William Lockhart of Lee|Sir William Lockhart]] (1658–60), [[Edward Harley (Parliamentarian)|Sir Edward Harley]] (1660–61) and [[Andrew Rutherford, 1st Earl of Teviot|Lord Rutherford]] (1661–62).

On 17 October 1662, Dunkirk was [[Sale of Dunkirk|sold to France]] by [[Charles II of England]] for £320,000.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2006 |title=Correspondence and papers of the first Duke of Ormonde, chiefly on Irish and English public affairs: ref. MS. Carte 218, fol(s). 5 – date: 26 December 1662 |url=http://www.a2a.org.uk/search/records.asp?cat=161-msscarte_15&cid=2-3 |access-date=17 October 2007 |publisher=Oxford University, Bodleian Library, Special Collections and Western Manuscripts: Carte Papers |format=Description of contents of carte papers }}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The French government developed the town as a fortified port. The town's existing defences were adapted to create ten bastions. The port was expanded in the 1670s by the construction of a basin that could hold up to thirty warships with a double lock system to maintain water levels at low tide. The basin was linked to the sea by a channel dug through coastal sandbanks secured by two jetties. This work was completed by 1678. The jetties were defended a few years later by the construction of five forts, Château d'Espérance, Château Vert, Grand Risban, Château Gaillard, and Fort de Revers. An additional fort was built in 1701 called Fort Blanc.

During the reign of [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], a large number of [[commerce raider]]s and [[pirate]]s once again made their base at Dunkirk, the most famous of whom was [[Jean Bart]]. The main character (and possible real prisoner) in the famous novel [[Man in the Iron Mask]] by [[Alexandre Dumas]] was arrested at Dunkirk. The eighteenth-century Swedish privateers and pirates [[Lars Gathenhielm]] and his wife [[Ingela Gathenhielm|Ingela Hammar]] are known to have sold their gains in Dunkirk.

As France and Great Britain became commercial and military rivals, the British grew concerned about Dunkirk being used as an invasion base to cross the English Channel. The jetties, their forts, and the port facilities were demolished in 1713 under the terms of the [[Treaty of Utrecht]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dunkirk |url=http://www.fortified-places.com/dunkirk/ |access-date=2013-03-26 |website=Fortified Places |archive-date=2013-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615080118/http://www.fortified-places.com/dunkirk/ }}</ref> The [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]] of 1763, which concluded the [[Seven Years' War]], included a clause restricting French rights to fortify Dunkirk. This clause was overturned in the subsequent [[Treaty of Versailles (1783)|Treaty of Versailles]] of 1783.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Sir Adolphus William |year=1922 |title=1783–1815 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TzULAAAAYAAJ&q=1783+dunkirk+fortifications&pg=PA50}}</ref>

===Dunkirk in World War I===
Dunkirk's port was used extensively during the war by British forces who brought in dock workers from, among other places, Egypt and China.<ref name=Guerre/>

From 1915, the city experienced severe bombardment, including from the largest gun in the world in 1917, the German '[[Batterie Pommern|Lange Max]]'. On a regular basis, heavy shells weighing approximately 750&nbsp;kg (1700 lb) were fired from [[Koekelare]], about 45–50&nbsp;km (30 miles) away.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://langemaxmuseum.be/|title=Lange Max Museum|date=27 October 2023|website=Lange Max Museum}}</ref> The bombardment killed nearly 600 people and wounded another 1,100, both civilian and military, while 400 buildings were destroyed and 2,400 damaged. The city's population, which had been 39,000 in 1914, reduced to fewer than 15,000 in July 1916 and 7,000 in the autumn of 1917.<ref name=Guerre/>

In January 1916, a spy scare took place in Dunkirk. The writer [[Robert W. Service]], then a war correspondent for the ''[[Toronto Star]]'', was mistakenly arrested as a spy and narrowly avoided being executed out of hand.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Robert Service biography |url=http://www.robertwservice.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=4&page=2 |access-date=9 November 2018 |website=robertwservice.com |archive-date=12 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512194839/https://www.robertwservice.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=4&page=2 }}</ref> On 1 January 1918, the [[United States Navy]] established a [[naval air station]] to operate [[seaplane]]s. The base closed shortly after the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]].<ref name="nan">{{Cite book |last=Van Wyen |first=Adrian O. |url=https://archive.org/details/navalaviationinw00wash |title=Naval Aviation in World War I |date=1969 |publisher=Chief of Naval Operations |location=Washington, D.C. |page=[https://archive.org/details/navalaviationinw00wash/page/60 60]}}</ref>

In October 1917, to mark the gallant behaviour of its inhabitants during the war, the City of Dunkirk was awarded the {{Lang|fr|[[Croix de Guerre]]}} and, in 1919, the [[Legion of Honour]] and the British [[Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Cross]].<ref name="Guerre">{{Cite web |title=La Grande Guerre (fr) |url=https://www.ville-dunkerque.fr/decouvrir-sortir-bouger/histoire-patrimoine/lhistoire-de-dunkerque/la-grande-guerre/ |access-date=9 November 2018 |website=Dunkerque & vous}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Traces of War |url=https://www.tracesofwar.com/awards/3/Distinguished-Service-Cross-DSC.htm?c=aw |access-date=8 November 2018 |website=TracesOfWar}}</ref> These decorations now appear in the city's coat of arms.<ref name="Arms">{{Cite web |title=Les Armoiries de la Ville (fr) |url=https://www.ville-dunkerque.fr/decouvrir-sortir-bouger/histoire-patrimoine/dunkerque-aujourdhui/les-armoiries-de-la-ville/ |access-date=9 November 2018 |website=Dunkerque & vous}}</ref>

===Dunkirk in World War II===

====Evacuation====
{{main|Battle of Dunkirk|Dunkirk evacuation}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:DUNKIRK1940.jpg|thumb|175px|British troops embarking from Dunkirk's beaches]] -->
[[File:Dunkirk 26-29 May 1940 NYP68075.jpg|upright=0.9|thumb|right|British troops evacuating Dunkirk beach in 1940]]
During the [[World War II|Second World War]] 1940 [[Battle of France]], the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF), while aiding the French and Belgian armies, were forced to retreat in the face of overpowering German Panzer attacks. Fighting in Belgium and France, the BEF and a portion of the French Army became outflanked by the Germans and retreated to the area around the port of Dunkirk. More than 400,000 soldiers were trapped in the pocket as the German Army closed in for the kill. Unexpectedly, the German Panzer attack halted for several days at a critical juncture. For years, it was assumed that [[Adolf Hitler]] ordered the German Army to suspend the attack, favouring bombardment by the [[Luftwaffe]]. However, according to the Official War Diary of [[Army Group A]], its commander, ''[[Generaloberst]]'' [[Gerd von Rundstedt]], ordered the halt to allow maintenance on his tanks, half of which were out of service, and to protect his flanks which were exposed and, he thought, vulnerable.<ref>Levine, Joshua (2017) Dunkirk, Harper Collins, New York</ref> Hitler merely validated the order several hours later.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lord |first=Walter |title=The Miracle of Dunkirk |date=1982 |publisher=Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. |isbn=978-1-5040-4754-8 |location=New York City |pages=28–35 |language=en |chapter=2: No. 17 Turns Up}}</ref> This lull gave the British and French a few days to fortify their defences. The Allied position was complicated by Belgian King [[Leopold III of Belgium|Leopold III]]'s surrender on 27 May, which was postponed until 28 May. The gap left by the Belgian Army stretched from Ypres to Dixmude. Nevertheless, [[Battle of Dunkirk|a collapse was prevented]], making it possible to launch an [[Dunkirk evacuation|evacuation by sea]], across the [[English Channel]], codenamed Operation Dynamo. [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Winston Churchill]] ordered any ship or boat available, large or small, to collect the stranded soldiers. 338,226 men (including 123,000 French soldiers) were evacuated – the ''miracle of Dunkirk'', as Churchill called it. It took over 900 vessels to evacuate the BEF, with two-thirds of those rescued embarking via the harbour, and over 100,000 taken off the beaches. More than 40,000 vehicles as well as massive amounts of other military equipment and supplies were left behind. Forty thousand Allied soldiers (some who carried on fighting after the official evacuation) were captured or forced to make their own way home through a variety of routes including via neutral Spain. Many wounded who were unable to walk were abandoned.

====Liberation====
{{Main|Siege of Dunkirk (1944–45)}}
[[File:Dunkirk.png|thumb|Map of Dunkirk surroundings during the Allied attempt to retake Dunkirk in 1944]]

The city of Dunkirk was again contested in 1944, with the [[2nd Canadian Infantry Division]] attempting to liberate the city in September, as Allied forces surged northeast after their victory in the [[Operation Overlord|Battle of Normandy]]. However, German forces refused to relinquish their control of the city, which had been converted into a fortress. To seize the now strategically insignificant town would consume too many Allied resources which were needed elsewhere. The town was by-passed masking the German garrison with Allied troops, notably the [[1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade]]. During the [[German occupation]], Dunkirk was largely destroyed by Allied bombing. The artillery siege of Dunkirk was directed on the final day of the war by pilots from [[No. 652 Squadron RAF]], and [[No. 665 Squadron RCAF]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} The fortress, under the command of German Admiral [[Friedrich Frisius]], eventually unconditionally surrendered to the commander of the Czechoslovak forces, [[Brigade General]] [[Alois Liška]], on 9 May 1945.<ref>{{Cite periodical |url=http://www.army.cz/avis/areport2005/ar11str.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202110544/http://www.army.cz/avis/areport2005/ar11str.pdf|title=Vzpomínky na obléhání pevnosti |periodical=Reportáž |archive-date=2 December 2007}}</ref>

===Postwar Dunkirk===
{{expand section|date=August 2013}}

On 14 December 2002, the Norwegian [[Roll-on/roll-off|car carrier]] {{MV|Tricolor}} collided with the [[Bahamas|Bahamian]]-registered ''Kariba'' and sank off Dunkirk Harbour, causing a hazard to navigation in the [[English Channel]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.professionalmariner.com/March-2008/The-Tricolor-Kariba-Clary-Incident/|title=The Tricolor/Kariba/Clary Incident|date=21 March 2008}}</ref>

==Population==

The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Dunkirk proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Dunkirk absorbed the former commune of Malo-les-Bains in 1969, [[Rosendaël]] and [[Petite-Synthe]] in 1971, [[Mardyck]] in 1979 and [[Fort-Mardyck]] and [[Saint-Pol-sur-Mer]] in 2010.<ref name=ehess/><ref>[https://www.nord.gouv.fr/contenu/telechargement/64978/405533/file/Recueil%20special%20N%C2%B035%20du%2008%20d%C3%A9cembre%202010.pdf Arrêté préfectoral du 8 décembre 2010]</ref>

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|12297|Dunkerque}}</ref> and INSEE (1968-2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-59183#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref><ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/2119892/dep59.pdf Populations légales en vigueur à compter du 1er janvier 2010: 59 - Nord], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |26255
|1800 |21158
|1806 |24175
|1821 |23012
|1831 |24937
|1836 |23808
|1841 |27047
|1846 |27355
|1851 |29080
|1856 |29738
|1861 |32113
|1866 |33083
|1872 |34350
|1876 |35071
|1881 |37328
|1886 |38025
|1891 |39498
|1896 |39718
|1901 |38925
|1906 |38287
|1911 |38891
|1921 |34748
|1926 |32945
|1931 |31763
|1936 |31017
|1946 |10575
|1954 |21136
|1962 |27616
|1968 |27504
|1975 |73800
|1982 |73120
|1990 |70331
|1999 |70850
|2007 |68219
|2012 |90995
|2017 |87353
}}

==Politics==
Dunkirk is part of [[Nord's 13th constituency]], The current [[Member of Parliament (France)|Member of Parliament]] is [[Christine Decodts]] of the [[miscellaneous centre]].

=== Presidential elections second round ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Election!!Candidate!!Party!!%
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|En Marche!}}" |
|[[2022 French legislative election|2022]]<ref name=":0" />
|[[Emmanuel Macron]]
|[[En Marche!]]
|51.35 
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|En Marche!}}" |
| [[2017 French presidential election|2017]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/resultats-elections/dunkerque-59183/|title = Résultats élections Dunkerque (59140)|publisher=[[Le Monde]]}}</ref>
| [[Emmanuel Macron]]
| [[En Marche!]]
| 54.42
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Socialist Party (France)}}" |
| [[2012 French presidential election|2012]]
| [[François Hollande]]
| [[Socialist Party (France)|PS]]
| 55.37
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Union for a Popular Movement}}" |
| [[2007 French presidential election|2007]]
| [[Nicolas Sarkozy]]
| [[Union for a Popular Movement|UMP]]
| 52.30
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Rally for the Republic}}" |
| [[2002 French presidential election|2002]]
| [[Jacques Chirac]]
| [[Rally for the Republic|RPR]]
| 79.16
|}

==Heraldry==
{{Blazon-arms
| img1=Blason ville fr Dunkerque (Nord)2.svg
| legend1=Arms of Dunkirk
| text=The arms of Dunkirk are [[blazon]]ed:<br />''Per fess Or and argent, a lion passant sable armed and langued gules, and a dolphin naiant azure crested, barbed, finned and tailed gules.''

At their base, the arms display the insignia of the four medals awarded to the city: the [[Legion of Honour]], [[Croix de Guerre]] and British [[Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Cross]] for World War I; and a second Croix de Guerre for World War II.<ref name=Arms/>

The city also has its own flag, made up of six horizontal stripes of alternate white and azure blue.<ref name=Arms/>
| img2=Greater Coat of Arms of Dunkerque.svg
| legend2=Full achievement of the arms of Dunkirk
}}

==Administration==
[[File:LocatieDuinkerke.PNG|thumb|Location of Dunkirk in the arrondissement of Dunkirk]]

The commune has grown substantially by absorbing several neighbouring communes:

* 1970: Merger with Malo-les-Bains (which had been created by being detached from Dunkirk in 1881)
* 1972: Fusion with [[Petite-Synthe]] and Rosendaël (the latter had been created by being detached from [[Téteghem]] in 1856)
* 1980: Fusion-association with Mardyck (which became an [[Associated communes of France|associated commune]], with a population of 372 in 1999)
* 1980: A large part of Petite-Synthe is detached from Dunkirk and included into [[Grande-Synthe]]
* 2010: After a failed fusion-association attempt with [[Saint-Pol-sur-Mer]] and [[Fort-Mardyck]] in 2003, both successfully become associated communes with Dunkirk in December 2010.

==Economy==
Dunkirk has the third-largest harbour in France, after those of [[Le Havre]] and [[Marseille]].<ref>http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/global-trade/ports {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503161337/http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/global-trade/ports |date=2020-05-03 }} World Port Rankings 2015</ref> As an industrial city, it depends heavily on the [[steel]], [[food processing]], [[oil refining|oil-refining]], [[ship-building]] and [[chemical industry|chemical]] [[Industry (economics)|industries]].

==Cuisine==
The cuisine of Dunkirk closely resembles Flemish [[Belgian cuisine|cuisine]]; perhaps one of the best known dishes is ''coq à la bière'' – chicken in a creamy beer sauce.

==Prototype metre==
{{main|History of the metre}}
[[File:Dunkerque Belfort.JPG|thumb|upright|The free-standing belfry – the northerly end of meridianal survey of 1792–9]]

In June 1792 the French astronomers [[Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre]] and [[Pierre Méchain|Pierre François André Méchain]] set out to measure the [[meridian arc]] distance from Dunkirk to [[Barcelona]], two cities lying on approximately the same [[longitude]] as each other and also the longitude through Paris. The belfry was chosen as the reference point in Dunkirk.

Using this measurement and the [[latitude]]s of the two cities they could calculate the distance between the [[North Pole]] and the [[Equator]] in classical French units of length and hence produce the first prototype [[metre]] which was defined as being one ten millionth of that distance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Adler |first=Ken |title=The measure of all things: The seven year odyssey that transformed the world |publisher=Abacus |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-349-11507-8}}</ref> The definitive metre bar, manufactured from platinum, was presented to the French legislative assembly on 22 June 1799.

Dunkirk was the most easterly cross-channel measuring point for the [[Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790)]], which used [[triangulation]] to calculate the precise distance between the [[Paris Observatory]] and the [[Royal Greenwich Observatory]]. Sightings were made of signal lights at [[Dover Castle]] from the Dunkirk Belfry, and vice versa.

==Tourist attractions==
Two belfries in Dunkirk (the belfry near the [[Church of Saint-Éloi, Dunkirk|Church of Saint-Éloi]] and the one at the [[Hôtel de Ville, Dunkirk|Hôtel de Ville]]) are part of a group of [[belfries of Belgium and France]], inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005 in recognition of their civic architecture and importance in the rise of municipal power in Europe.<ref name = "unesco">{{cite web |url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/943 |title= Belfries of Belgium and France  |website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date = 5 November 2021}}</ref>

The 63-meter-high Dunkirk Lighthouse, also known as the Risban Light, was built between 1838 and 1843 as part of early efforts to place lights around the coast of France. At the time of its construction it was one of only two first order lighthouses (the other being Calais) to be set up in a port. Automated since 1985, the light can be seen 28 nautical miles (48&nbsp;km) away. In 2010 it was listed as an historical monument.

Two museums in Dunkirk include:
* The ''Musée Portuaire'', which displays exhibits of images about the history and presence of the port.
* The ''Musée des Beaux-Arts'', which has a large collection of Flemish, Italian and French paintings and sculptures.

<gallery>
File:Dunkerque Tour du Leughenaer.jpg|The Tour du Leughenaer ({{ill|Tour du Leughenaer|fr|vertical-align=sup}}) (the Liar's Tower)
File:Dunkerque Town Hall.jpg|The Hôtel de Ville
File:Carnaval dunkerque.jpg|Carnival in Dunkirk
File:Jielbeaumadier Dunkerque 2007 25.jpeg|Malo-les-Bains beach front
File:Dunkerque (plage).jpg|Dunkirk Beach
File:East Mole Dunkirk.jpg|The remains of the East Mole of Dunkirk harbour, pictured in 2009
File:Léon Germain Pelouse, La Vallée de Cernay, 1873, Dunkerque, Musée des Beaux-Arts.jpg|[[Léon Germain Pelouse]], ''La Vallée de Cernay'', 1873, Musée des Beaux-Arts
</gallery>

==Transport==
Dunkirk has a ferry route to [[Dover]] that is run by [[DFDS]], which serves as an alternative to the route to the service to nearby [[Calais]]. The Dover-Dunkirk ferry route takes two hours compared to Dover-Calais' 1 hour 30 minutes, is run by [[MS Dunkerque Seaways|th]][[MS Delft Seaways|r]][[MS Dover Seaways|ee]] vessels and runs every two hours from Dunkirk. Another DFDS route connects Dunkirk to [[Rosslare Europort]] in the [[Republic of Ireland]] and carries truck freight as well as a limited number of private car passengers. The Dunkirk-Rosslare route take 24 hours and is run by the MF ''Regina Seaways''.

The [[Gare de Dunkerque]] railway station offers connections to [[Gare de Calais-Ville]], [[Gare de Lille Flandres]], Arras and Paris, and several regional destinations in France. The railway line from Dunkirk to [[De Panne]] and [[Adinkerke]], Belgium, is closed and has been dismantled in places.

In September 2018, Dunkirk's public transit service introduced free public transport, thereby becoming the largest city in Europe to do so. Several weeks after the scheme had been introduced, the city's mayor, Patrice Vergriete, reported that there had been 50% increase in passenger numbers on some routes, and up to 85% on others. As part of the transition towards offering free bus services, the city's fleet was expanded from 100 to 140 buses, including new vehicles which run on natural gas. The Dunkirk free public transport initiative, initially lauded for its bold ambition, saw a significant decline in ridership after the initial surge. While the first three months post-launch demonstrated a dramatic increase in usage, with some lines experiencing up to 120% higher demand on weekends, the system faced substantial challenges. By the end of the first three months, ridership plummeted by 73% from its peak, eventually stabilizing at only 12% more than pre-pandemic levels (2019-2020). This decline was primarily due to the inability of the public transport infrastructure to handle the overwhelming demand, leading to overcrowding, delays, and reduced service quality. Despite these issues, Dunkirk’s free transport program remains operational, albeit limited to weekends, a marked reduction from its original full-time service. This scaling back underscores the difficulties in maintaining such an ambitious project, with financial constraints and logistical inefficiencies contributing to its partial rollback. While the program succeeded in increasing mobility for low-income residents and reducing car usage initially, its long-term sustainability has been questioned, casting doubt on its viability as a model for other cities. (https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/after-becoming-largest-european-city-to-offer-free-public-transit-theyre-enjoying-a-revolution-from-their-buses/), https://theconversation.com/in-the-french-city-of-dunkirk-free-public-transport-has-led-to-more-walking-and-cycling-127411, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-01-14/free-public-transit-can-it-work-in-every-city)


<ref>{{Cite web |last=Willsher |first=Kim |date=15 October 2018 |title='I leave the car at home': how free buses are revolutionising one French city |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/oct/15/i-leave-the-car-at-home-how-free-buses-are-revolutionising-one-french-city |access-date=15 October 2018 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> As of August 2019, approximately 5% of 2000 people surveyed had used the free bus service to completely replace their cars.<ref>{{Cite news |date=31 August 2019 |title=French city of Dunkirk tests out free transport – and it works |work=France24 |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20190831-france-dunkirk-free-transportation-bus-success-climate-cities |access-date=17 September 2019}}</ref>

==Sports==
* [[USL Dunkerque]], French [[football (soccer)|football]] club, currently playing in [[Ligue 2]].
* The [[Four Days of Dunkirk]] (or ''Quatre Jours de Dunkerque'') is an important elite professional [[road bicycle racing]] event.
* Stage 2 of the [[2007 Tour de France]] departed from Dunkirk.

==Notable residents==
[[File:Maurice Rozenthal.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Maurice Rozenthal]]]]
* [[Jean Bart]] (1650—1702), naval commander and privateer
* [[Eugène Chigot]], 19th-century post impressionist painter 
* [[Marvin Gakpa]] (born 1993), footballer
* [[Louise Lavoye]] (1823—1897), 19th-century soprano
* [[Robert Malm]] (born 1973), footballer
* [[Jean-Paul Rouve]] (born 1967), actor
* [[François Rozenthal]] (born 1975), ice hockey player
* [[Maurice Rozenthal]] (born 1975), ice hockey player
* [[Djoumin Sangaré]] (born 1983), footballer
* [[Tancrède Vallerey]] (born 1892, date of death unknown), writer

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}

===Twin towns – sister cities===
Dunkirk is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jumelage |url=https://www.ville-dunkerque.fr/entreprendre-developper/dunkerque-internationale |access-date=2019-11-12 |website=ville-dunkerque.fr |publisher=Dunkirk |language=fr}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Krefeld]], North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany since 15 June 1974
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Middlesbrough]], England, United Kingdom since 12 April 1976
*{{flagicon|PSE}} [[Gaza City|Gaza]], Palestine since 2 April 1996
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Rostock]], Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany since 9 April 2000
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Ramat HaSharon]], Israel since 15 September 1997
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Qinhuangdao]], [[Hebei]], China since 25–26 September 2000
{{div col end}}

===Friendship links===
Dunkirk has co-operation agreements with:
* [[Borough of Dartford|Dartford]], [[Kent]], England, United Kingdom since March 1988<ref name="Dunkirk twinnings">{{Cite web |title=Dunkirk International |url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr/fr/entreprendrea-dunkerque/l-economie/dunkerque-internationale/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109212344/http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr/fr/entreprendrea-dunkerque/l-economie/dunkerque-internationale/index.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=November 9, 2007 |access-date=December 17, 2007 |language=fr}}</ref>
* [[Thanet District|Thanet]], Kent, England, United Kingdom since 18 June 1993<ref name="Dunkirk twinnings"/>

==Climate==

Dunkirk has an [[oceanic climate]], with cool winters and warm summers. According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Dunkirk has a [[marine west coast climate]], abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.<ref name="Dunkerque%2C+Nord-Pas-de-Calais%2C+France&units=">{{Cite web |title=Dunkerque, France Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase) |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=1070&cityname=Dunkerque%2C+Nord-Pas-de-Calais%2C+France&units= |access-date=6 September 2015 |website=Weatherbase}}</ref> Summer high temperatures average around {{convert|20|to|21|C|F}}, being significantly influenced by the marine currents.

{{Weather box
|location = Dunkirk (1991–2020 averages, records 1892–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 16.4
|Feb record high C = 19.1
|Mar record high C = 24.0
|Apr record high C = 28.4
|May record high C = 34.0
|Jun record high C = 34.4
|Jul record high C = 41.3
|Aug record high C = 36.2
|Sep record high C = 35.2
|Oct record high C = 30.0
|Nov record high C = 20.1
|Dec record high C = 16.6
|year record high C = 41.3
|Jan high C = 7.6
|Feb high C = 8.0
|Mar high C = 10.2
|Apr high C = 13.1
|May high C = 16.0
|Jun high C = 18.9
|Jul high C = 21.2
|Aug high C = 21.7
|Sep high C = 19.3
|Oct high C = 15.6
|Nov high C = 11.1
|Dec high C = 8.3
|year high C = 14.3
|Jan mean C = 5.5
|Feb mean C = 5.7
|Mar mean C = 7.7
|Apr mean C = 10.2
|May mean C = 13.3
|Jun mean C = 16.1
|Jul mean C = 18.4
|Aug mean C = 18.8
|Sep mean C = 16.5
|Oct mean C = 13.0
|Nov mean C = 9.0
|Dec mean C = 6.2
|year mean C = 11.7
|Jan low C = 3.4
|Feb low C = 3.5
|Mar low C = 5.3
|Apr low C = 7.4
|May low C = 10.5
|Jun low C = 13.3
|Jul low C = 15.5
|Aug low C = 15.8
|Sep low C = 13.6
|Oct low C = 10.4
|Nov low C = 6.9
|Dec low C = 4.2
|year low C = 9.2
|Jan record low C = -13.4
|Feb record low C = -18.0
|Mar record low C = -7.0
|Apr record low C = -2.0
|May record low C = -1.0
|Jun record low C = 4.0
|Jul record low C = 6.6
|Aug record low C = 4.0
|Sep record low C = 4.0
|Oct record low C = -2.4
|Nov record low C = -8.0
|Dec record low C = -10.6
|year record low C = -18.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 53.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 45.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 41.9
|Apr precipitation mm = 36.7
|May precipitation mm = 45.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 54.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 58.5
|Aug precipitation mm = 64.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 64.9
|Oct precipitation mm = 73.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 79.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 72.8
|year precipitation mm = 690.8
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 11.4
|Feb precipitation days = 9.9
|Mar precipitation days = 9.2
|Apr precipitation days = 7.9
|May precipitation days = 8.6
|Jun precipitation days = 8.8
|Jul precipitation days = 8.5
|Aug precipitation days = 9.4
|Sep precipitation days = 9.9
|Oct precipitation days = 11.9
|Nov precipitation days = 13.1
|Dec precipitation days = 12.8
|year precipitation days = 121.3
|Jan snow days = 2.9
|Feb snow days = 2.7
|Mar snow days = 1.8
|Apr snow days = 0.8
|May snow days = 0.1
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.8
|Dec snow days = 1.9
|year snow days = 11.0
|Jan humidity = 86
|Feb humidity = 84
|Mar humidity = 81
|Apr humidity = 80
|May humidity = 79
|Jun humidity = 80
|Jul humidity = 80
|Aug humidity = 80
|Sep humidity = 81
|Oct humidity = 83
|Nov humidity = 84
|Dec humidity = 85
|year humidity = 81.8
|source 1 = [[Météo France]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dunkerque (59) |url=https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_59183001.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310154649/https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_59183001.pdf |archive-date=10 March 2018 |access-date=7 September 2022 |website=Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records |publisher=[[Météo-France]] |language=fr}}</ref> Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990)<ref name="Infoclimat">{{Cite web |title=Normes et records 1961–1990: Dunkerque (59) – altitude 11m |url=http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07010-dunkerque.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205531/http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07010-dunkerque.html |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=10 March 2018 |publisher=Infoclimat |language=fr}}</ref>
|source 2=<ref name="Meteo">{{Cite web |title=Meteo 59–62 |url=http://www.meteo59-62.com/index.php5?page=climat-nord-pas-de-calais |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018043101/http://meteo59-62.com/index.php5?page=climat-nord-pas-de-calais |archive-date=October 18, 2013 |access-date=April 18, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Canicule: la France a connu hier une chaleur record au niveau national |url=http://www.meteofrance.fr/actualites/74529640-canicule-la-france-a-connu-hier-une-chaleur-record-au-niveau-national |archive-date=July 31, 2019 |access-date=July 26, 2019 |website=www.meteofrance.fr |publisher=[[Météo-France]] |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731135221/http://www.meteofrance.fr/actualites/74529640-canicule-la-france-a-connu-hier-une-chaleur-record-au-niveau-national }}</ref>
}}<!-- Infobox ends -->

==See also==
{{Portal|France}}
* [[Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine]]
* [[Dunkirkers]]
* [[French Flanders]]
* [[French Flemish]]
* [[Hortense Clémentine Tanvet]]
* [[Liberation of France]]
* [[Treaty of Dunkirk]]
* [[Flanders bank]]

==References==
{{Reflist|40em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Dunkerque}}
{{wiktionary|Dunkirk}}
* [http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr City council website] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.dunkirk-tourism.com Tourist office website]

{{Nord communes}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Dunkirk| ]]
[[Category:Communes of Nord (French department)]]
[[Category:France–United Kingdom border crossings]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea]]
[[Category:Subprefectures in France]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Juxtaposed border controls]]
[[Category:Pirate dens and locations]]
[[Category:Vauban fortifications in France]]
[[Category:French Flanders]]