Licques

Licques
Commune
The town hall of Licques
Coat of arms
Location of Licques
Licques Show map of France Licques Show map of Hauts-de-France
Coordinates: 50°47′09″N1°56′15″E / 50.7858°N 1.9375°E / 50.7858; 1.9375
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Calais
Canton	Calais-2
Intercommunality	CC Pays d'Opale
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Brigitte Havart [1]
Area 1	18.36 km2 (7.09 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [2]	1,636
• Density	89/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62506 /62850
Elevation	52–176 m (171–577 ft) (avg. 87 m or 285 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Licques (French pronunciation: [lik] ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. ^[3]

Geography

A farming village located 24 km south of Calais in the valley of the Hem, at the junction of the D191 and D215 roads. It is a large producer of turkeys and other fowl.

Licques turkey statue

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,307	—
1975	1,389	+0.87%
1982	1,387	−0.02%
1990	1,351	−0.33%
1999	1,440	+0.71%
2007	1,520	+0.68%
2012	1,585	+0.84%
2017	1,631	+0.57%
Source: INSEE [4]

Transport

The Chemin de fer de Boulogne à Bonningues (CF de BB) opened a station at Licques on 22 April 1900. ^[5] Passenger services were withdrawn on 31 December 1935. ^[6] They were reinstated in November 1942. ^[7] The CF de BB closed in 1948. ^[8]

Places of interest

• The eighteenth-century château de Cahen.
• The ruins of the château of Courtebourne.
• Vestiges of the 11th century Premonstrate abbey, nowadays the parish church.

Notable person

Léon Bence (1929–1987), physician, was born in Licques

Turkey festival

Parade of the Turkeys

Licques holds an annual turkey festival, ^[9] which features a parade of local notables in traditional robes and costumes herding turkeys through the town center, led by the Noble Dames and Knights of the Brotherhood of the Turkey. In the past, a local liqueur ^[10] was served heated from a communal cauldron set up in the town square, but this has been replaced in recent years by turkey soup.

Cultural events are staged throughout the day, and a large farmer's market is set up, selling turkeys and other local produce. ^[11]

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. INSEE commune file
4. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
5. Farebrother & Farebrother 2008, p. 139.
6. Farebrother & Farebrother 2008, p. 239.
7. Farebrother & Farebrother 2008, p. 248.
8. Farebrother & Farebrother 2008, p. 276.
9. "Licques Turkey Festival". The Good Life France. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
10. "Licques Turkey Parade". FrenchDuck.com. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
11. Sauvebois, Marion (22 November 2019). "Top 3 turkey fests". Taste of France. Retrieved 1 March 2022.

Sources

• Farebrother, Martin J B; Farebrother, Joan S (2008). Tortillards of Artois. Usk: The Oakwood Press. ISBN   978-0-85361-554-5.

Licques turkeys