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Porte aux Boules

Porte aux Boules

Highlight • Monument

Porte aux Boules

Recommended by 62 cyclists out of 63

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Location: Gravelines, Dunkirk, Northern France, France

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Top cycling routes to Porte aux Boules

4.9

(15)

129

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1. Porte aux Boules – Petit Fort Beach loop from Saint-Folquin

39.8km

02:25

40m

Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.4

(13)

riders

2. Porte aux Boules – Poudrière Carnot, Remparts loop from Mardyck

47.6km

02:48

50m

40m

Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

3.0

(1)

224

riders

3. Saint Willibrord Church ⛪ – Porte aux Boules loop from Saint-Folquin

25.3km

01:28

20m

Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

March 20, 2019

The "Porte des Boules" - formerly "Porte de Dunkerque" - was the only access to the fortified town of Gravelines with the "Porte de Calais".
It was originally equipped with a drawbridge and is named after the two stone spheres, which are ornamented on both sides.

Translated by Google •

🕊️ 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓

August 6, 2018

Pretty island-bridge entrance surrounded by moats and walls to the Vauban-designed fortified town. Many confuse this extant "avant-porte" with the old main gate of Dunkirk that used to stand at the actual city wall a few hundred yards further to the west, which was however destroyed in 1906 to make way for vehicle access.
In Vauban's time, you could only leave Gravelines through two doors
protected by the military. This fortified gate made it possible, with that of Calais to the west, to enter the city of Gravelines using a drawbridge, or to exit and head east, from Dunkirk. This is why it was formerly called the "front door of Dunkirk". Today, it owes its nickname "porte aux boules" because of the two decorative balls which surmount its stone masonry. This fortified gate is the first monument classified as a Historic Monument in Gravelines in 1936. This design of a front gate was used to protect The Dunkirk bridge, a few hundred meters further east, is the current gate which passes through the walls .
The gates of Calais and Dunkirk were destroyed in 1906, after decommissioning, to allow easier access for residents and vehicles. Since the construction of a direct route to rue de Dunkerque (formerly rue Nationale), the road no longer passes through Porte aux Boules, but it can still be used by bike and on foot.
The piers of the door are surmounted by a pyramidal ridge adorned with a ball, which decorates the door. La Porte aux Boules is the scene of the "Son et Lumière" show at the end of the summer season, which tells the rich history of the city and the Opal Coast. Find out more: ville-gravelines.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/porte_aux_boules.pdf

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Monday 10 November

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Location: Gravelines, Dunkirk, Northern France, France

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Porte aux Boules

1. Porte aux Boules – Petit Fort Beach loop from Saint-Folquin

2. Porte aux Boules – Poudrière Carnot, Remparts loop from Mardyck

3. Saint Willibrord Church ⛪ – Porte aux Boules loop from Saint-Folquin

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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