Douai
This article is about the French commune. For the Bible translation, see Douai Bible.Douai is a town and
commune in the north of
France in the
département of
Nord, of which it is a
sous-préfecture. Located on the river
Scarpe some 25 miles (40 km) from
Lille and 16 miles (25 km) from
Arras, Douai is home to one of the region's most impressive
belfries.
The population of the metropolitan area (French:
aire urbaine), including
Lens, was 552,682 in 1999.
Construction started on Douai's ornate
Gothic style belfry in
1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 metre (262 foot) high structure includes an impressive
carillon, consisting of 62
bells spanning 5
octaves. The originals, some dating from
1391 were removed in
1917 during
World War I by the occupying
German forces, who intended to melt them down for the metal. They were reinstalled after repairs in
1924, but 47 of them were replaced in
1954 to obtain a better sound. An additional larger bell in the summit, a
La called "Joyeuse", dates from
1471 and weighs 5.5 tonnes. The
chimes are rung by a mechanism every quarter hour, but are also played via a
keyboard on Saturday mornings and at certain other times.
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.
The main industries in the town are in the chemical and metal engineering sectors.
Renault has a huge
vehicle assembly plant near the town, which has produced many well known Renault vehicles, such as the
R14,
R11,
R19, and the
Megane and
Scenic of today.
Its site probably corresponds to that a
4th century Roman fortress known as Duacum. The town became a flourishing textile market centre during the
Middle Ages under the Counts of Flanders. Historically it was known as Douay (Doway in English). In
1384, it passed into the domains of the Counts of Burgundy and thence in
1477 into the Habsburg possessions. In 1668 it was ceded to France.
Under the Patronage of
Phillip II, when Douai belonged to the
Spanish Netherlands a
University of Douai was founded, which recent studies are coming to view as an important institution of its time.
It was prominent, from the
1560s until the
French Revolution, as a centre for the education of
English Catholics escaping the persecution in
England, and connected with the University were not only the
English College, Douai, founded by
William Allen, but also the Irish and Scots' colleges, and Benedictine, Franciscan and Jesuit houses. For a time there was also a Charterhouse.
The English town of
Bridgwater takes the second half of its name from the
Norman prince
Walter Douai.
*
École des Mines de Douai* Law University
* Nurse School
Douai was the birthplace of:
*
Giambologna, born as Jean Boulogne (
1529-
1608),
sculptor*
Charles Alexandre de Calonne (
1734-
1802),
statesman*
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (
1786-
1859),
poet*
Henri-Edmond Cross (
1856-
1910),
pointillist painter*
André Obey (
1892-
1975),
playwright*
Jacky Henin (born
1960), politician and
Member of the European ParliamentDouai is twinned with:
*
Harrow,
United Kingdom*
Recklinghausen,
Germany *
Kenosha,
United States *
Dédougou,
Burkina Faso*
Douai official website (in French)
