Cucq

Cucq
Beach at Stella from the dunes Beach at Stella from the dunes
Coat of arms of Cucq Coat of arms
Cucq
Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region Cucq
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Montreuil
Canton	Montreuil
Intercommunality	Mer et Terres d’Opale
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Walter Kahn
Area1	13.16 km2 (5.08 sq mi)
Population (1999)2	4,912
• Density	370/km2 (970/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	62261 / 62780
Elevation	3–45 m (9.8–147.6 ft) (avg. 5 m or 16 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Cucq (official name is Cucq-Trépied-Stella-Plage) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

Cucq is made up of three villages: Cucq itself, the second village of Trépied in the north and the coastal resort of Stella-Plage to the west.

History

During the Merovingian period, the terrain presently occupied by Cucq, Le Touquet, Merlimont and Berck was either marshland or tidal.

Little by little, the sea withdrew and the marshes were covered by sand and the dunes. The grass-covered dunes of Cucq and Trépied are the result of centuries of coastal movement. The sand of the lower beach, blown by the wind at low tide, accumulated to form a cordon of dunes along the coast.

Origins of the names of Cucq and Trépied

Cucq or Cuc in Celtic meant "height, hill" or in Latin "fortified". The town was originally situated on a dune slightly higher than others in the vicinity, from which the comparison and the name of Cucq or Cuck or Cucques has evolved.

Trépied is so-called because of the triangular outline of the town.

Creation of Le Touquet

In 1819, the government decided to sell the land of the former domain of the Abbey of St. Josse, confiscated at the time of the French Revolution. 1600 hectares of the warrens of Trépied were sold in 1837 to Jean-Baptiste Daloz. Pine trees were planted over the entire plot of land. Most of this area became better-known later as Le Touquet, a separate commune, in 1912.

On the banks of the river Canche, the harbour of Trépied once boasted more than thirty fishing boats. 150 men lived from the sea, supplying fish to the markets of Amiens, Abbeville and Beauvais.

Stella-Plage

During the 20th century, Stella-Plage started to emerge as a tourist town. From 1914 to 1920, plans for the foundation of Stella-Plage were put on hold by World War I but from 1925, Stella was inaugurated as a "Climatic Station" and attracted holiday-makers from Paris and Lille.

World War II saw Stella razed to the ground, save for two villas, that remained intact at the end of the conflict.

Population

Historical population of 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 of interest

Early each February, the beach is the scene of the motor-bike races known as the Enduropal (formerly the Enduro of Le Touquet).

Notable people

• Matthieu Bataille, judo champion of France 2006 and bronze medallist at the Judo World Championship 2007
• Pauline Parmentier, professional tennis player
• Michael Curtis "Yogi" Stewart, played in the NBA basketball league for the Atlanta Hawks
• Pauline Crammer, women's football player
• Ophélie David, skier

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• Cucq on the Quid website (French)
• Tourism Office of Stella-Plage (French)