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Rue du Clape en Bas - just inside the
town's 16th century ramparts
Club de Canoe-Kayak: lessons and group facilities on the
river Canche where once there thrived a medieval
port.
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Montreuil-sur-mer, a medieval
port
You are standing on the old ramparts of
Montreuil,
looking out over the valley of the river Canche towards the
sea at Etaples. Back in the 13th century this town was a
fortress, and one of the wealthiest ports in northern
Europe. The quays alongside the river banks below would have
thronged with sailing ships trading wool, grain and
wine.
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France's frontier fort
In the 16th century Montreuil guarded France's northern
frontier with Spain. The mighty Spanish empire in the
Netherlands then ruled Flanders and the Artois area, with
its capital Arras. In 1537, Spanish troops of Charles V
(Charles
Quint) sacked Montreuil in
a border raid, leaving the Abbey Church of Saint-Saulve
partly ruined.
Rebuilt
French king Charles IX ordered modern fortifications to be
built around the hilltop, where the town was rebuilt. By
1567, the new citadelle was built over the remains of
Philippe Auguste's 13th century royal castle - only two
entrance towers remained.
The river had silted up, so the old port
and lower town was abandoned, the town centre moving up to
the hill.
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..
Victor Hugo - best-selling French author of the 19th
century, set his novel "Les Misérables" in
Montreuil.
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Louis XIV
Success in 17th century wars moved France's frontier
north and west. Montreuil was no longer on the front line,
but Louis XIV's military engineer Vauban modernised
the ramparts and built a new star-shaped citadelle as part
of his work in securing the region for France.
Victor Hugo & Les
Misérables
By the 19th century, Montreuil was a sleepy medieval town on
the coaching road from Calais to Paris. Famous writer
Victor
Hugo spent a brief stay here and
was inspired to use it as the setting for his famous novel
about the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Empire and the
1830 revolution. You can see an outdoor spectacle based on
the novel, and tours of places in the town connected with
the story.
First World War
Later, Montreuil was the headquarters of the British Army in
France during World War I. General Haig stayed in a chateau
near the town
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General Haig had his HQ in Montreuil
for part of the First World War
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