Calais

:This article is about the French city. Alternate meanings: Boreads (mythical), Calais, Maine, Calais, Vermont

Sights

Virtually the entire town was flattened in the Second World War, so there is little in Calais that pre-dates the war. For most visitors, the town is simply a place to pass through en route to other destinations.

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The town centre is dominated by its distinctive hotel de ville (town hall), built in the Flemish Renaissance style (and visible well out to sea). Directly in front of the town hall is a copy of the statue The Burghers of Calais (French Les Bourgeois de Calais), by Auguste Rodin.

Related Topics:
The Burghers of Calais - Auguste Rodin

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The German wartime military headquarters, situated near the train station in a small park, is today open to the public as a war museum.

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Immediately to the west is the Côte d'Opale, an extremely scenic cliff-lined section of coast that parallels the White Cliffs on the English coast and is part of the same geological formation.

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On clear days, the buildings of Calais can quite readily be seen with the naked eye from the English shore, twenty one miles away.

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