Cucq

Cucq
Beach at Stella from the dunes
Coat airms
Cucq Location within Hauts-de-France region Cucq
Coordinates: 50°28′39″N 1°37′10″E
Kintra	Fraunce
Region	Hauts-de-France
Depairtment	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Montreuil
Canton	Montreuil
Intercommunality	Mer et Terres d’Opale
Govrenment
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Walter Kahn
Area 1	13.16 km2 (5.08 sq mi)
Population  (1999)2	4,912
• Density	370/km2 (970/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62261 /62780
Elevation	3–45 m (9.8–147.6 ft) (avg. 5 m or 16 ft)
1 French Laund Register data, that excludes lochs, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) an river estuaries. 2 Population withoot dooble coontin: residents o multiple communes (e.g., students an militar personnel) anerly coontit ance.

Cucq (offeecially cried is Cucq-Trépied-Stella-Plage) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais depairtment in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region o Fraunce.

Geografie

Cucq is made up o three veelages: Cucq itsel, the seicont veelage o Trépied in the north an the coastal resort o Stella-Plage tae the wast.

History

Durin the Merovingian period, the terrain presently occupied bi Cucq, Le Touquet, Merlimont an Berck wis aither mairshland or tidal.

Little bi little, the sea athdrew an the mairshes wur covered bi saund an the dunes. The gress-covered dunes o Cucq an Trépied are the result o centuries o coastal movement. The saund o the lawer beach, blown bi the wind at law tide, accumulatit tae form a cordon o dunes alang the coast.

Oreegins o the names o Cucq an Trépied

Cucq or Cuc in Celtic meant "height, hill" or in Laitin "fortified". The toun wis oreeginally situatit on a dune slichtly heicher than ithers in the vicinity, frae which the comparison an the name o Cucq or Cuck or Cucques haes evolved.

Trépied is sae-cried acause o the triangular ootline o the toun.

Creation o Le Touquet

In 1819, the govrenment decidit tae sell the land o the umwhile domain o the Abbey o St. Josse, confiscatit at the time o the French Revolution. 1600 hectares o the warrens o Trépied wur sauld in 1837 tae Jean-Baptiste Daloz. Pine trees wur plantit ower the entire plot o land. Maist o this aurie became better-kent later as Le Touquet, a separate commune, in 1912.

On the banks o the river Canche, the harbour o Trépied ance boastit mair nor thirty fishin boats. 150 men lived frae the sea, supplyin fish tae the mercats o Amiens, Abbeville an Beauvais.

Stella-Plage

Durin the 20t century, Stella-Plage stairtit tae emerge as a tourist toun. Frae 1914 tae 1920, plans for the fundation o Stella-Plage wur put on hauld bi Warld War I but frae 1925, Stella wis inauguratit as a "Climatic Station" an attractit holiday-makers frae Paris an Lille.

Warld War II saw Stella razed tae the grund, save for twa villas, that remained intact at the end o the conflict.

Population

Historical population o Cucq

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
Population	3323	3883	4154	4373	4299	4912
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places o interest

Early each Februar, the beach is the scene o the motor-bike races kent as the Enduropal (umwhile the Enduro o Le Touquet).

Notable fowk

• Matthieu Bataille, judo champion o Fraunce 2006 an bronze medallist at the Judo Warld Championship 2007
• Pauline Parmentier, professional tennis player
• Michael Curtis "Yogi" Stewart, played in the NBA basketbaw league for the Atlanta Hawks
• Pauline Crammer, weemen's fitbaa player
• Ophélie David, skier

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

• INSEE commune file

Freemit airtins

• Cucq on the Quid website Archived 2007-08-08 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
• Tourism Office o Stella-Plage Archived 2007-11-24 at the Wayback Machine (in French)