Charles de Gaulle and his attachment to Calais
Charles de Gaulle, the former President of the Republic and leader of Free France, has a special attachment to Calais. This is sentimental since Yvonne Vendroux, the future Madame Charles de Gaulle (whom the French affectionately nicknamed Aunt Yvonne) is from the port city of Hauts de France. But before discovering the 5 places not to be missed in Calais, in connection with Charles de Gaulle, it is interesting to recall a few elements on the origin of this link.
WHAT IS THE EMOTIONAL LINK BETWEEN CHARLES DE GAULLE AND THE CITY OF CALAIS?
Although it is known that Charles de Gaulle was a man from Hauts de France born on November 22, 1890 in Lille, it is less common in the collective memory that his future wife was born on May 22, 1900 in Calais. This young girl of the XNUMXth century comes from a family of notables, the Vendroux, who had long been established in Calais. Yvonne's parents were part of the local bourgeoisie. Moreover, the name Vendroux is often found in the major economic forces of Calais in the XNUMXth century, lace and the port. There was also the creation of the Vendroux Biscuit Factory at the end of the XNUMXth century, which reinforced the "weight" of the family in Calais.
The existence of the "young girl from a good family" according to the traditions of the time, was however disrupted by exile in Great Britain, the German threat hanging over Calais from the summer of 1914. At the end of the Great War, the young woman accepted the invitation to the Saint Cyr ball from a young officer who had distinguished himself during the conflict, Charles de Gaulle. Like the Vendroux, the de Gaulles had their summer habits in Wimereux. After this ball in October 1920, things moved very quickly: "It will be him or no one" she declared to her parents and the engagement took place on November 11, 1920. A few months later, they married in Calais, the birthplace of the now Madame Charles de Gaulle. This united couple would be caught up in the whirlwind of world events...but they would always keep an eye on Calais and the Calais area. They would return there often, either in the intimacy of a private trip or in the protocol and crowd of official presidential trips, in 1959 and 1966.
The 5 places concerning Charles de Gaulle not to be missed in Calais
The Statue of Charles De Gaulle and Winston Churchill
The other public garden in the centre of Calais is the Richelieu Park. At the main entrance is a statue representing two "Giants" of the 2th century, the English Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. The two men, represented in bronze, are facing a representation of France, seriously damaged at the end of the Second World War, and which will gradually recover. This statue also embodies the links that united Great Britain and France during the two world conflicts. This work by the Alsatian sculptor Patrick Berthaud was inaugurated in June 1.
©nohcab Calais Town Hall
This is one of the must-see sites in Calais. Visible from afar thanks to its belfry (to the top of which it is possible to go up by elevator), its neo-Flemish Renaissance architecture always amazes those who discover the city. The famous statue of the Burghers of Calais, by Auguste Rodin, is in the garden opposite the Calais town hall. This is where on April 6, 1921, Charles de Gaulle and Yvonne Vendroux were united in civil marriage. Located on the 1st floor, the wedding hall (see photo above) surprises with its beauty, between woodwork, stained glass windows and wrought iron.
The Town Hall and the Belfry of Calais
©Nohcab The 1939-1945 Memory Museum
Opposite the Calais town hall is a public garden. Inside this Parc Saint Pierre is one of the largest bunkers built by the German army during the Second World War. Transformed into a museum, it has been a testament to the painful period of 60-1940 in Calais for nearly 1944 years. One of its rooms is dedicated to Charles de Gaulle, the Man of June 18, 1940. There are photos there, but also copies of official documents such as the marriage certificate of Charles de Gaulle and Yvonne Vendroux.
©Nohcab 
©Nohcab The Church of Our Lady of Calais
It was in the largest church in Calais that the religious marriage of Charles de Gaulle and Yvonne Vendroux was celebrated on April 7, 1921. This church is also the oldest in the city, and it was…the English who shaped its architecture, during their 211 years of presence (1347-1558). The bombings of the Second World War particularly damaged it – like the whole of this district of Calais. The late start of its reconstruction had particularly affected Yvonne de Gaulle, Notre-Dame having been her parish since her early childhood. The Church is today surrounded by a landscaped area, the Tudor garden, it is open for religious ceremonies, or in the summer for visits
The Church of Our Lady of Calais
©Nohcab Inaugurated in 1994, a stele accompanied by its forecourt marked with the Cross of Lorraine commemorates this historic union. Located in the Notre-Dame church, it recalls that one of the First Ladies of France was a Calais woman, united with a Great Man from Hauts-de-France. To this day, the marriage of Charles de Gaulle and Yvonne Vendroux remains the most famous in Calais
The statue of Charles De Gaulle and Yvonne Vendroux
Charles de Gaulle and his wife, side by side, as they were throughout their lives. This is how Elisabeth Cirot represented them in 2013. The sculptor from the Paris region was inspired by a photo taken during one of the presidential couple's trips to Calais. As an anecdote, Yvonne de Gaulle's gaze falls in the direction of the place where the street of her childhood was located. Since then, the neighborhood has changed a lot, very affected by the Reconstruction following the Second World War... but the watchtower, witness to medieval Calais, is still there and also watches over the statue.
©Nohcab