Montreuil, Pas-de-Calais

Montreuil or Montreuil-sur-Mer is a sub-prefecture in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is located on the Canche river, not far from Étaples. The sea, however, is now some distance away.

Sights
It is surrounded by medieval ramparts, part of the reinforcement work of the famed French military engineer Vauban from his fortification of northern France in the 17th century.

Demographics
Population (1999): 2,688 inhabitants for the city, 21,603 inhabitants for the canton and 99,288 inhabitants for the arrondissement.

History
Montreuil was the headquarters of the British Army in France during the First World War. General Haig was quartered in the nearby Château de Beaurepaire. A statue commemorating his stay can be seen outside the theatre on the Place Charles de Gaulle. During the German occupation of the town during the Second World War, the statue was taken down. It was never found and is thought to have been melted down. It was rebuilt in the 1950s, using the sculptor's original mould.

Literature
Lawrence Sterne visited the town in 1765. He recounted his visit through the eyes of the narrator of his novel A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy (1768).

Montreuil is the setting for part of Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables, where it is identified only as M____-sur-M__ in past translations. The protagonist, Jean Valjean (going by the name Father Madeleine), is for a few years the mayor of Montreuil, as well as owner of the local factory, and it is where the character Fantine lives, works, and later becomes a prostitute before dying in a local hospital. Hugo had spent several vacations in Montreuil.

Twin towns — Sister cities
Montreuil is twinned with:
 * Slough, United Kingdom