Licques () is a commune in the

Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the ...

department in the Hauts-de-France

region of France France is Administrative divisions of France, divided into eighteen administrative regions (, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are Overseas departments and regions of France, ove ...

24 km south of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

in the valley of the Hem. It is a large producer of

turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

s and other

fowl Fowl are birds belonging to one of two biological orders, namely the gamefowl or landfowl ( Galliformes) and the waterfowl ( Anseriformes). Anatomical and molecular similarities suggest these two groups are close evolutionary relatives; toget ...

Population

Transport

The

Chemin de fer de Boulogne à Bonningues The Chemin de Fer de Boulogne à Bonningues (; CF de BB) was a gauge railway from Boulogne to Bonningues-lès-Ardres, Pas-de-Calais, France, where it had a connection with the Chemin de fer d'Anvin à Calais. It opened in 1900 and closed in 19 ...

(CF de BB) opened a station at Licques on 22 April 1900 which closed in 1948.

Notable person

Léon Bence Léon Bence (18 January 1929 – 13 May 1987) was a French physician. Life Léon Bence had peasant origins, and was born in 1929 at Licques, Pas-de-Calais. He died in 1987 in Lille. Education After secondary education in Saint-Omer (Pas-d ...

(1929–1987), physician, was born in Licques

Turkey festival

Licques holds an annual turkey festival, which features a parade of local notables in traditional robes and costumes herding turkeys through the town center, led by the Noble Dames and Knights of the Brotherhood of the Turkey. In the past, a local liqueur was served heated from a communal cauldron set up in the town square, but this has been replaced in recent years by turkey soup. Cultural events are staged throughout the day, and a large farmer's market is set up, selling turkeys and other local produce.

References

Sources

Licques turkeys gathered for the annual turkey festival