Nord is a department in the Hauts-de-France region, set along the frontier with Belgium and formed from the western halves of the historic counties of Flanders and Hainaut, together with the old Bishopric of Cambrai. Lille, the prefecture and largest city, anchors the department with the Citadelle de Lille, an impressive star-fort built in the 1600s by Sebastien Le Prestre, Marquis de Vauban, at the junction of the Deule and Bucquet rivers. Lille's City Hall Belfry is included in UNESCO's Belfries of Belgium and France. Along the coast, Gravelines preserves its fortified character: the Gravelines Belfry is part of the UNESCO Belfries group, and its southern fortified town — another Vauban design — remains one of the most striking defensive ensembles in northern France. In Douai, the Belfry of Douai stands as another UNESCO-listed tower, while the Eglise Saint-Jacques de Douai is part of the UNESCO Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France, though today the church is notably neglected. The city of Dunkirk offers both history and beaches including key evacuation points during Operation Dynamo and two UNESCO-listed belfries: the Belfry of Dunkirk and the Belfry of the City Hall of Dunkirk. Nord contains more UNESCO Belfries than any other French department, including the Hotel de Ville at Armentieres, Belfry of Bergues in Bergues, Belfry of Cambrai in Cambrai, Town Hall in Loos and Mairie de Bailleul in Bailleul. Together they form a remarkable constellation of civic towers marking centuries of municipal independence and Flemish-French identity. - AsNotedIn