"Montreuil-sur-Mer in Pas-de-Calais, northern France, is in fact no longer on the sea as the name implies, the tide went out several centuries ago and never came back after the River Canche narrowed. In the 10 th century it became an important harbour town that boasted the first royal port of the ruling family of the Capets, which made it prosperous enough to have eight churches and four times the number of residents as it does now."
"Over the centuries, the town has had its fair share of dramatic events. They include a serious earthquake in 1467, invasion by the armies of Emperor Charles V in 1537 and a failed siege by the army of Henry VIII of England in 1544 (he was more successful down the road in Boulogne-sur-Mer). Napoleon Bonaparte posted thousands of troops here while he toyed with the idea of invading England by sending his army across the Channel on rafts carried by hot air balloons."
Montreuil-sur-Mer lies about 35 miles from Calais and overflows with Gallic charm, flowered window boxes and cobbled streets lined with monuments. The town sits atop a hill encircled by three kilometres of Vauban-built ramparts and contains higgledy-piggledy houses, elegant mansions and cobblestone squares. The settlement ceased to be a seaport centuries ago after the River Canche narrowed, but it prospered in the 10th century as the Capetian royal port and once supported eight churches and a far larger population. The town endured earthquakes, invasions and sieges, hosted Napoleon’s troops and served as General Haig’s World War I headquarters, with a Belle Époque theatre designed by Paul Landowski.
Read at The Good Life France
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