Douai
Douai
Doï (Picard) | |
---|---|
Subprefecture and commune | |
Coordinates: 50°22′17″N 3°04′48″E / 50.3714°N 3.08°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Hauts-de-France |
Department | Nord |
Arrondissement | Douai |
Canton | Douai |
Intercommunality | Douaisis Agglo |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Frédéric Chéreau[1] |
Area 1 | 16.88 km2 (6.52 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 39,648 |
• Density | 2,300/km2 (6,100/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 59178 /59500 |
Elevation | 16–38 m (52–125 ft) (avg. 24 m or 79 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Douai (French: [dwɛ] ⓘ, UK: /ˈduːeɪ/,[3] US: /duːˈeɪ/,;[3][4] Picard: Doï; Dutch: Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.[5] Located on the river Scarpe some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Lille and 25 km (16 mi) from Arras, Douai is home to one of the region's most impressive belfries.
History
Its site probably corresponds to that of a 4th-century Roman fortress known as Duacum. From the 10th century, the town was a
In 1667, Douai was taken by the troops of
The local airfield at La Brayelle was very significant in the history of French aviation. It operated from 1907 to the mid-1950s. In 1909 it was the site of the world's first aeronautical meeting,[6]
Douai was again caught up in hostilities in World War I.[7] when for much of the war it was occupied by the Germans. La Brayelle airfield was a base of Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron.[8] Later in 1918, the town was partly burned, and was liberated by the British Army after the Battle of Courtrai.
The Douaihy family of Lebanon claims descent from inhabitants of the city who settled in Lebanon during the Crusades.[9]
Geography
Climate
Douai has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Douai is 11.0 °C (51.8 °F). The average annual rainfall is 729.2 mm (28.71 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 18.6 °C (65.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 4.0 °C (39.2 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Douai was 40.8 °C (105.4 °F) on 25 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −20.5 °C (−4.9 °F) on 8 January 1985.
Climate data for Douai (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1962−present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
24.8 (76.6) |
28.0 (82.4) |
31.3 (88.3) |
36.0 (96.8) |
40.8 (105.4) |
36.6 (97.9) |
35.5 (95.9) |
29.0 (84.2) |
20.5 (68.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
40.8 (105.4) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) |
7.4 (45.3) |
11.2 (52.2) |
15.1 (59.2) |
18.5 (65.3) |
21.6 (70.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
23.9 (75.0) |
20.1 (68.2) |
15.2 (59.4) |
10.1 (50.2) |
6.9 (44.4) |
15.0 (59.0) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) |
4.5 (40.1) |
7.2 (45.0) |
10.1 (50.2) |
13.5 (56.3) |
16.5 (61.7) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
15.3 (59.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
7.3 (45.1) |
4.5 (40.1) |
11.0 (51.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) |
1.5 (34.7) |
3.3 (37.9) |
5.1 (41.2) |
8.5 (47.3) |
11.4 (52.5) |
13.2 (55.8) |
13.0 (55.4) |
10.4 (50.7) |
7.8 (46.0) |
4.5 (40.1) |
2.1 (35.8) |
6.9 (44.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | −20.5 (−4.9) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
1.0 (33.8) |
4.1 (39.4) |
0.8 (33.4) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−20.5 (−4.9) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 57.8 (2.28) |
51.4 (2.02) |
52.5 (2.07) |
41.9 (1.65) |
56.6 (2.23) |
63.3 (2.49) |
68.1 (2.68) |
68.1 (2.68) |
60.9 (2.40) |
64.4 (2.54) |
71.0 (2.80) |
73.2 (2.88) |
729.2 (28.71) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.8 | 10.6 | 10.5 | 9.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 11.1 | 13.1 | 13.3 | 125.8 |
Source: Météo-France[10] |
Main sites
Douai's ornate
The substantial Porte de Valenciennes town gate, a reminder of the town's past military importance, was built in 1453. One face is built in Gothic style, while the other is of Classical design.
-
Bell tower of Douai, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
-
Detail of Douai's belfry
-
The belfry seen from street level
Economy
Douai's main industries are in the chemical and metal engineering sectors.
Since 1970,
.The
Population
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Source: EHESS[13] and INSEE (1968–2017)[14] |
University
The University of Douai was founded under the patronage of Phillip II when Douai belonged to the Spanish Netherlands.
It was prominent, from the 1560s until the
The Benedictine
Another English Benedictine community, the Priory of
In 1609 the English College published a translation of the Old Testament, which, together with the New Testament published at
For a time there was a
Notable people
Douai was the birthplace of:
- Jehan Bellegambe (1470–1536), early Flemish painter
- François Cosserat (1852–1914), mathematician and engineer
- Henri-Edmond Cross (1856–1910), printmaker, painter
- Gaston Crunelle (1898–1990), classical flautist
- Charles Alexandre de Calonne (1734–1802), statesman
- Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786–1859), poet
- Henri-Joseph Dulaurens (1719–1793), novelist
- Giambologna (1529–1608), born as Jean Boulogne, sculptor
- Jacky Henin(born 1960), politician and Member of the European Parliament
- Corinne Masiero (born 1964), actress
- André Obey (1892–1975), playwright
- Michel Warlop (1911–1947), jazz violinist
- Michel Wibault (1897–1963), aircraft designer and inventor
Twin towns
Douai is twinned with:
- Harrow, United Kingdom[15]
- Recklinghausen, Germany
- Kenosha, United States
- Dédougou, Burkina Faso
- Seraing, Belgium
Former twin towns:
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Douai". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "Douai". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ "Concours d'Aviation de Douai". The First Air Races. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ Vimy Ridge Archived 25 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 1-84415-125-5.
- ^ Hitti, Philip (1957). Lebanon in History. India: Macmillan and Co Ltd. p. 319.
- ^ "Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records" (PDF) (in French). Météo-France. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ "Belfries of Belgium and France". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Douai at "Gares & Connexions", the official website of SNCF (in French)
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Douai, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ "British towns twinned with French towns [via WaybackMachine.com]". Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ Maria Frankowska, Douai zawiesza współpracę z Puławami za strefę anty LGBT. Mer: „Przemoc zaczyna się od słów”[permanent dead link] (March 2, 2020), retrieved July 16, 2020 (Polish).
External links
- Douai official website (in French)
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.