Cherbourg (France)

Cherbourg-Octeville is a major port city in France, located at Cotentin Peninsula's northern end, and in the northwestern department of Manche. In January 2016, Cherbourg was merged into the newly formed Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. Cherbourg is also important fishing, military, cargo and ferry port (linking to Ireland and the UK). It features the world's largest man-made harbour and also has a large yacht marina.

From Cherbourg, cruise ship tourists can visit Arromanches, Normandy Beaches, Mont Saint Michel. Large-sized passenger ferries link Cherbourg with England (Portsmouth, Poole), Ireland (Rosslare, Dublin) and Spain (Bilbao). Ferry companies with crossings to and from Cherbourg include IRISH FERRIES (Dublin), STENA LINE (Rosslare) and BRITTANY FERRIES (Rosslare-Bilbao, Portsmouth, Poole).

The port is protected by Cherbourg Harbour, located between La Hague and Val de Saire. Over the centuries, the town has been a strategic position disputed between France and England. It became a first-rate military port under the leadership of Louis XVI (1754-1793) and Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). Cherbourg holds an arsenal of the French Navy. A stopping point for major Transatlantic liners in the first half of 20th century, the port was primary goal of US troops in 1944 during the invasion of Normandy.

The city is a subprefecture and Maritime prefecture of La Manche. Due to its union, it's the most populated in its department - with around 37,000 inhabitants, ranking it the region's second - following Caen.

Cherbourg is established on the probable location of the Roman camp of Coriallum. In 1295, the settlement was sacked by the English but withstood several of their sieges during the next two centuries. In the 17th century were initiated projects for improvements and fortification of the harbour.

The town was captured by the British in 1758, and its port facilities were completely destroyed. In the 1770s they were restored in a long-term project and completed in the middle of the 19th century. During WW2 (1939-1945), Cherbourg was occupied by the Germans (in 1940) and suffered heavy damage while being recaptured by the Allies in 1944.

Cherbourg cruise terminal