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Town of 24000 inhabitants. Closed to DUNKERQUE.
Near the Belgian border ( 20 Kms ). It is sited at the extreme north of the country.( France )
To sum up, COUDEKERQUE – BRANCHE is an open town to Europe with the TGV (railway) and the motorways A 16 and A 1 to Paris.

The origin of the name comes from the Flemish language and means «  cold church » .
The blazon represents a silver hedgehog under a golden crown and all on a black background.

This blazon was the property of the village «  COUDEKERQUE » also called   «COUDECASTEELE » ( cold castle ).
The using of blazons was reauthorised by a decree in the XIX century so, in 1937, the town decided to adopt it in memory of this land and its history.

After the « bataille des dunes » ( Sand battle ) won in 1658 by the sun king LOUIS XIV against the Spanish troops, the land of COUDEKERQUE was divised in two parts; The north became English and the south side Spanish. In the same time, the «  Branche » of COUDEKERQUE became independent.
By decree, the 14 th December 1789, its birth became official.

For a long time, the town has had a rich industrial economy. Breweries, flour mills, distilleries and especially textile industries and metallurgy industries. . . .
Lots of these industries have disappeared for many reasons but COUDEKERQUE – BRANCHE is still dynamic and has real vitality economically.

Like numerous others towns and villages from the North of France, COUDEKERQUE – BRANCHE, owns its Giant but the town has chosen a woman as their giant.
Called «  la PEULE », she represents the women’s life during the past in the textile industry. She married «  Celten the trimar » from Langemark-POELKAPELLE ( Belgium )

The town has others links with : England (Ramsgate ), Koudekerque ( Netherlands ),
BRAD in Roumania .This is why, it is a town open on the Europe . . .

_{Tourist information : phone:(00.33) 03.28.64.60.00}

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