Watten, Nord

the French commune

Watten (wat; Waten, meaning "ford" as in "river crossing") is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Its inhabitants are called "Wattenais".

In the 10th century the region around Watten belonged to the Abbey of Saint Riquier though the counts of Boulogne and Flanders attempted to take possession of it. The abbey of Watten was the oldest foundation of regular canons in the dioceses of Therouanne. While on the way to the Holy Land during the First Crusade, count Robert II of Flanders received several relics from the duke of Apulia, Roger Borsa, including a hair of the Virgin as well as some bones of St Matthew and St Nicholas. Robert II sent them back to his wife Clemence who had them installed in the abbey of Watten in October 1097. In 1099, pope Urban II granted the regular canons of the Abbey privileges.

Watten is located at the limit of the French Flanders historical county. However, the local Dutch dialect (French Flemish) is virtually extinct. The neighbouring villages are Wattendam (commune of Holque), Millam, Serques, Éperlecques and Wulverdinghe. While Watten belongs to the Nord département, it is bordering the Pas de Calais département. The village is crossed by the rivers Aa and Colme.

Watten has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Watten is The average annual rainfall is with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around The highest temperature ever recorded in Watten was on 25 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 14 January 1982.

The village is famous for its old ruined abbey, and for its mill, which was restored in the 1990s. These two buildings are located on the "Mountain of Watten" (72 metres high). Its church dates from the thirteenth century. Nearby is the Blockhaus d'Éperlecques, a massive German bunker site from World War Two, wrecked by Allied bombing. It is now a museum.