The island is a crown possession Great Britain and is part of the group of Channel Islands located in the English Channel, connecting the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. This is the most large island archipelago, which, together with the tiny landmasses adjacent to it, forms a colorful oasis of lush green vegetation with an abundance of all kinds of plants, as well as rare birds and animals. Located between France and Great Britain, Jersey combines the culture and traditions of both countries, and local residents They speak French and English equally.

Peculiarities

In Europe, the island is known as a popular offshore zone with very low taxes and a favorable banking system, which attracts the attention of many large financial corporations from around the world. The islanders prefer to make money by renting their apartments, renting them out to visiting migrant workers who come here to earn money, although the majority are still employed in such areas as agriculture and farming. Among other features of the island, it is worth noting that there is left-hand traffic, blue telephone booths (in England they are known to be red), fairly high prices (including accommodation and food) and very tasty sweets.

general information

The area of ​​Jersey is small and is only 116 square meters. km. The population is about 90,000 people. The currency used is Jersey pounds and British pounds sterling. Local time lags behind Moscow by 2 hours in summer and 3 in winter. Time zone in winter UTC+0, in summer UTC+1. The country's telephone code is +44-1534.

A brief excursion into history

According to researchers, the history of the island began more than 250,000 years ago, but the first more or less reliable historical data related to these lands date back to the 9th - 11th centuries. In 1204, after King Philip Augustus of France recaptured the Duchy of Normandy from John of England, the island of Jersey became an area of ​​mutual interest between France and England, which periodically resulted in armed conflicts and permanent wars. The island finally became saturated with British culture at the beginning of the 19th century, after the defeat of Napoleon’s army, when families of British officers, laborers and retired military personnel flocked here in droves. It was that period that set Jersey on its further path for development and acquisition of its current status. During the Second World War, the island was occupied by German troops, resulting in severe damage local population. On May 9, 1945, the country was liberated from fascist occupation, and this day is now celebrated as a public holiday. In the 60s of the last century, the economic industry began to develop rapidly here, which subsequently immediately affected the level of the country as a whole.

Climate

Jersey has a temperate, mild climate. Compared to other British islands, it is much warmer here and the average annual temperature is about +11 degrees. In summer, the thermometer can rise to +30. Winters are warm and there is little precipitation throughout the year. The weather is stable and there are many sunny days. The best time The period for traveling to the island is considered to be from May to September.

Visa and customs regulations

To enter the country you must have a visa, which can be obtained from the British Embassy. When you first contact the British Embassy, ​​you will be issued a multiple visa valid for 180 days.

How to get there

There are no direct flights from Russia and Ukraine to Jersey Airport, but flights with a transfer in London are possible. You can get to the island by ferry from the English cities of Poole, Portsmouth or Weymouth, as well as from the French Saint-Malo.

Transport

It is very convenient to get around the island by car or bicycle. Both can be rented at the rental office. As public transport There are regular buses that travel between all 12 districts. In the central bus depot Liberation Station, as well as in numerous shops and stores, you can purchase special brochures with the schedule and directions of bus routes.

Jersey is of great interest to travel enthusiasts. Its main natural attraction is the magnificent Durrell Zoo, founded in 1959 by the English naturalist, scientist and writer, Gerald Durrell. This private territory, with an area of ​​more than 129,000 sq. m, is fully adapted for the life of rare representatives of the animal environment, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, gorillas, orangutans, spectacled bears and dozens of other species. All residents of the zoo are housed in natural enclosures, replete with vegetation and thick green grass, which is why the territory is more reminiscent of the wild forests of a tropical jungle. This place is unique in that it cares about the animals first and foremost, and only then about the economic and tourism aspects. Among the others interesting places The islands are distinguished by the La Mare vineyards, where they produce wonderful wine, the amazing Shell Garden, numbering millions of specimens, and the extraordinary lavender farms, with their incredibly beautiful fields. It is also worth visiting the Jersey Museum, which introduces guests to the history of these places, a ceramic factory, where you can see how local craftsmen make ceramic products, a maritime museum and the legendary underground tunnel Jersey War Tunnels, dug by prisoners of war during the Second World War. In addition to sightseeing, it is recommended to take a walk around the local port, go to a pub, go fishing or take part in one of the festive events that are often held on the island and wildly celebrated by the locals.

Jersey is divided into 12 administrative districts, each of which is a city or town. The central one is St Helier, which has the status of the capital of the island. The city received its name in honor of the ascetic hermit Saint Helier, who lived on these lands in the 6th century. He was a zealous Christian, endowed with the gift of healing, and managed to help many people before he was hacked to death by axes from pirates who landed on the island in 555. The two axes on the city’s coat of arms symbolize those events. The urban area is just over 10 square meters. km, where almost a third of the island’s total population lives. The role of the main attraction of the capital is played by Elizabeth's castle, built at the end of the 16th century and flaunting on a small island in St. Aubyn Bay. The majestic gray walls of the castle look especially bright and colorful against the background of azure sea ​​waters, approaching its foot. Also noteworthy are the Houses of Parliament and St. Helier's Chapel, built right into the rock. A great place for a walk is the city park with the monument to King George II. It is from here that distances are usually measured in Jersey.

Jersey is not very well known in the post-Soviet space, but in Europe it is popular with a significant number of tourists, the bulk of whom predictably come from France and the countries of Great Britain. However, interest in the island is increasing every year and Jersey is becoming more and more visible on the tourist map of the world.

Jersey is an island in the English Channel, part of the Normandy Islands (Channel Islands). The largest among the Channel Islands, area - 116 km². Population - 100,080 people (2014). Jersey is a Crown Dependency of the British Crown, but is not part of Great Britain. It belongs to Insular Normandy - a fragment of the Duchy of Normandy. It is the UK's responsibility to protect Jersey. In 1973, the UK joined the EU, meaning Normandy Island and Gibraltar are part of the EU through the membership of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and are the customs territory of the EU, with the exception of Gibraltar. Jersey has its own parliament - the States of Jersey. The Crown Dependency of Jersey also includes several small islands. The indigenous population of Jersey (40%) is of French (Norman) origin, and was heavily anglicized in the 20th century. 30% of the population are from Great Britain; there are also people from Portugal, Ireland, Poland, France and other European countries. 2-3% of the population are from Asian and African countries.

History of the Island of Jersey

Little is known about the fate of the island before 930 AD, but some discoveries indicate the presence of the Romans and Gauls on the island. In 511, the island of Jersey became part of the Kingdom of the Franks. It was at this time that the first Christian missionaries arrived on the island. But Christianity was finally established by Saint Helier in the 6th century.
The island received its modern name in the 9th-10th centuries as a result of the Vikings’ presence on the island. The island of Jersey remained part of Brittany until 933, when, like all the Channel Islands, it became the property of the Norman Crown: the island of Jersey was annexed to the Duchy of Normandy in 933 by William Longsword. To this day, a large percentage of the islanders are French-speaking Normans. The island's anthem is "Ma Normandie".
In 1066, the Jerseyans took part in the English expedition of the Duke of Normandy, William I the Bastard. Fighting bravely at Hastings, they helped William I become William the Conqueror. Further fate The island of Jersey is closely connected with England. In 1204, when King John the Landless lost the continental part of the Duchy of Normandy to King Philip II Augustus of France, Insular Normandy remained under the jurisdiction of the English Crown.
From 1337 to 1453, during the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the island suffered numerous attacks. Due to the importance of its strategic location for England, the inhabitants of the island were able to bargain with the king for a number of benefits and privileges. Immediately after the end of the Hundred Years' War in 1455, the War of the Roses began, during which the island of Jersey was occupied by French troops for seven years, and then, at the insistence of Sir Richard Harliston, was returned to English sovereignty.
In the 16th century, Jersey fishermen often sailed across the Atlantic to the shores of Newfoundland.
In 1643, local native George Carteret, a brave and experienced sailor who remained faithful to the Stuart dynasty (which inherited power over the Normandy Islands from the Rollons and
Plantagenets). In 1644, Charles I Stuart granted him the vice-admiralship of "Jersey and the Seas allied to him." Carteret made the island a refuge for persecuted royalists and a base of operations for the Royal Navy. His rule in Jersey was harsh but effective. The Revolutionary Parliament denounced Carteret as a pirate and removed him from the list for future amnesty. In 1646 and again in 1649-1650, Prince Charles was in Jersey, who knighted Carteret and granted him the title of baronet. In the 1640s, England was torn apart by the Civil War, with hostilities spreading to Scotland and Ireland and including the island of Jersey. The sympathies of the inhabitants of the island were divided into two camps: one part was on the side of parliament, and supporters of George Carteret supported the king. The Parliamentarians eventually captured Jersey in 1651: On December 12, 1651, Carteret, after a seven-week siege, was forced to surrender Jersey to the forces of the revolutionary Parliament - and then joined the Royalist exiles in France.
King Charles II, in gratitude for the support given to him on the island of Jersey, decided to reward George Carteret with a large plot of land in the English colony in the territory North America. In 1664, James, Duke of York, agreed that part of his North American territory between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers be given to Sir George Carteret and John, Lord Berkeley, and that the area be named "New Jersey" in honor of Carteret's homeland.
After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (October 17, 1685), many French Huguenots left the Fatherland. Jersey and the Normandy Islands became a reliable refuge for a large number of Huguenots. In 1739-1740, the governor of Jersey was General Jean Cavalier, a Huguenot Frenchman, former commander-in-chief of the army of the Camisards and Duke of Cevennes.
The 18th century was a period of political tension between France and Britain. Due to its geographical location The island of Jersey was always under martial law. During the American Revolutionary War, two attempts were made to conquer the island. In 1779, the prince of the German Duchy of Nassau tried to land his troops, but the attempt was unsuccessful. In 1781, the army of Baron de Rellecourt captured St. Helier, but was then defeated by British troops. After a brief lull, the Napoleonic Wars began, which changed the island of Jersey forever.
In the period from July 1, 1940 to May 9, 1945. the island was occupied by Nazi Germany. More than 30 thousand islanders managed to evacuate to Great Britain. The rest of the Germans were rounded up from time to time for fortification work. In the period from October 1941 to January 1944. With the hands of prisoners of war (Spaniards, French, Russians, Ukrainians, Moldovans) the construction of the German underground hospital was carried out. Many of them died unable to withstand the inhuman conditions. Not many who fled the camp were saved by local residents. Some island residents - at the cost of their own lives.
May 9 is a public holiday, Jersey Liberation Day.
The Jersey breed of cows was bred here, producing milk with a high fat content (up to 7%), and hence the name for the fine knitted fabric. The American state of New Jersey got its name in honor of the island.
The island's most famous resident is naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell, founder of the Jersey Zoo and, based on it, the conservation fund.

Information

• official languages: English language, French and Jersey Norman
• Capital: St. Helier
• Form of government: British Crown Dependencies
• Territory: 118.2 km²
• Population: 100,080 people
• Currency: Jersey pound, Pound sterling
• Internet domain: .je
• ISO code:JE
• Telephone code: +44
• Time Zones: GMT, UTC+01:00

Well, in general, in my opinion, for a post-Soviet (I repeat, but that’s how it happened) naturalist-ecologist who grew up reading Darrell’s books, visiting his zoo is the same as an old-school communist taking a ride in Lenin’s armored car along Red Square. Touch the legend, yeah.

A house made of Jersey granite - the main building material of the island.

So we simply could not miss such a chance. I gained all my knowledge about the island exclusively from Darrell’s books, and he wrote practically nothing about it. In addition, there are quite a lot of rich people here, and some of them raise cows. Usually I collect much more information about the destination of the proposed trip, but this time it somehow didn’t work out. Therefore, all impressions are unbiased and first-hand.

The island is really small, so I decided to walk from the airport to the zoo (it was about 15 kilometers in total, although I stopped by on the way to the capital). The first thing that caught my eye was that there are no sidewalks here at all. Or rather, there are only in the capital, and then only in the center. The rest of the territory is covered with excellent roads, exactly one lane in each direction, with no shoulders at all, winding between fields and hills. So it’s somehow not very comfortable to walk, but it’s possible - the drivers are surprisingly polite. Not only does no one honk, but they even overtake a pedestrian only in the oncoming lane, so as not to pass closer than a meter from him. If other cars are driving along it towards you, they line up behind you and crawl at walking speed, patiently waiting for a clearing.

And the cars here are cooler than even in our fairly comfortable Ascot. The number of Ferraris per capita exceeds all imaginable limits. The most sophisticated Aston Martins, open top Jaguars of the latest model, restored retro cars loudly growling with brand new engines - and all this beauty crawls behind the only pedestrian on the island. I was worried for a couple of hours, but then I somehow got used to it. Apparently, that's the way it is here.

The second extremely unusual sight is that almost the entire island is plowed up for fields (except for areas left for pastures for cows) - and now all these fields are covered with wonderful, flat polyethylene. The edges of the tape are dug into the ground, the surface is covered with round holes for ventilation, the tape is perfectly stretched and shines in the sun. A wonderful sight. Moreover, they plow up and cover quite steep slopes with polyethylene, I would think three times before deciding to just go down such a slope, and they somehow plow it. As it turned out, only potatoes are grown in these fields. Apparently some special variety, I don’t know. It would take a long time to save up for a Ferrari from ordinary potatoes...

In general, there are exactly two types of business on the island - growing potatoes and raising Jersey dairy cows. Well, you can still fish. This is probably a very profitable business, because almost everyone lives here very luxuriously. Although, of course, now the island is a tax-free zone, most of the estates were built 150-200 years ago, and then they were unlikely to earn fortunes from financial fraud...

The third interesting observation is that the street names are exclusively French. As are the names of most estates. Moreover, in the area where we settled, the streets evoke exclusively gastronomic associations (I don’t know French at all, and I can’t read their language correctly, so maybe in reality everything is completely different), but we live on Rue de Bouillon, on one side it turns into the Rue de Biscuit, and on the other into the Chalet d'Olivier.

The island of Jersey prints its own money. Shops happily accept English pounds, but only Jersey pounds, with a wonderful portrait of a cow, are given as change. The reverse, unfortunately, is not true - in England, Jersey currency will first have to be exchanged at a bank.

And, of course, we can’t help but mention the sea. The shores here are mostly steep, either with sheer cliffs right down to the water, or steep slopes overgrown with heather and thorns. But the underwater part is very flat, and during low tide in some places several hundred meters of the bottom are exposed, some rocky, some pebbly, and some sandy. Jerseyans walk their dogs along the sandbanks at low tide - in principle, a wise decision. Firstly, there is simply nowhere else on the island for them to run around - everything is private and plowed, secondly, the owner will definitely walk the dog in time before the sea returns, and thirdly, there are no problems with traces of their vital activity, all this hassle with bags and urns - the sea will carry everything away.

Anemones and other living creatures in a puddle at low tide

Kitchen on the island

A particular passion in Jersey is dining out in restaurants and pubs. Throughout the island, menus include the freshest seafood, fish and luscious vegetables grown on local farms. In the spring, try the famous Jersey Royal new potatoes. Decide for yourself where you want to dine: in one of the quaint old pubs or friendly bistros, or perhaps you choose one of the highly rated gourmet restaurants. In any case - bon appetit!

Trips

In addition, from Jersey you can travel to other islands in the Channel Islands group and to France. Spend a day in St Peter Port on Guernsey or visit the charming ports of Normandy or Brittany. Step back in time on the car-free Isle of Sark, head to Herm Island with its shell beaches or soak up the old-fashioned charm of Alderney.

Where to stay in Jersey
You are offered a wide choice: from small cozy guesthouses to hotels of the highest category, family businesses, where prices are affordable for everyone. Many of these guesthouses and hotels are located near St. Hslier, administrative center JERSEY and its stores: prices are low because Jersey has low duties and taxes.

Story

The history of JERSEY is here in its stones. From the 250,000-year-old La Cotte cave, to the Neolithic dolmens and the dwellings of the ancient Scandinavians, or Normans, as they came to be called after they settled Normandy and the Channel Islands. The sixth Duke of Normandy, William, conquered England in 1066, he became King William I of England, and JERSEY has remained loyal to the English Crown ever since. The toast to the monarch at official banquets is: “To the Queen, our Duke.”

JERSEY remains an independent island and its current visitors can see numerous defensive structures - evidence of a distant past. Many visitors are surprised to learn that JERSEY is not part of the United Kingdom. The island has its own legal system, its own parliament and its own currency. The traditions of government here are largely due to its Norman and French origins, as is the traditional language - Jsri (Jersey French). Nowadays, most of the island's inhabitants speak English, but in rural parishes and in the central market you can still hear local patois.

History comes to life

At the award-winning Jersey Museum, you'll see history brought to life through modern technology. History comes alive in the stunning displays at the Hamptons Museum of Country Life and the Maritime Museum, which contains evidence of the island's connections to the sea that go back hundreds of years. A relatively recent history can be found in the Gallery of Tapestries from the Occupation Period during the Second World War.

Zoo

The island has a zoo with rare species of animals.
The world-class zoo is a unique faunal reserve founded by Gerald Durrell, where conditions have been created for the unhindered reproduction of wild animals and birds. The zoo is also the headquarters of the world-wide Jersey Conservation Trust. Its goal is to preserve rare species, and here gorillas, orangutans, lemurs and many other rare animals and birds thrive and give birth.

What else to visit?

You'll love local specialties: at La Map, in the vineyard wine cellar you can taste Jersey's own wine and apple brandy; Also visit the Lavender Farm, where essences and perfumes are obtained from aromatic plants. When you visit the Jersey Pottery, you will see not only potters at work - there is a park and cozy restaurants serving dishes from crabs, lobsters and oysters caught by local fishermen.

JERSEY is an island of flowers, you can't hide from them here, flowers in the gardens surrounding the islanders' houses, in parks and nurseries, wild flowers on the cliff tops, in hedges and wooded valleys. Don't miss the opportunity to visit the world's largest flower parcel company, and in August, attend one of the most famous flower carnivals in Europe, the Battle of the Flowers.

Historical Buildings

Take a trip back in time to JERSEY's landmarks, where granite architectural structures the entire centuries-old history of the island is concentrated: from the Neolithic tomb to medieval parish churches. Discover the splendor of Mont Orguey Castle, whose medieval stronghold dominates the eastern shore, and the mystery of Elizabethan Castle, built in St Aubyn Bay in the 16th century and named after Queen Elizabeth I.

Once upon a time, pirates were hiding on the island of Jersey in the English Channel, and now our people are gradually developing this offshore and tourist paradise. Among them are workers from Latvia. After Ireland and England, this is the third largest Latvian colony...

My doctor friend Andris Mednis, who had the opportunity to work here in his specialty and noticed many of the features of this “terra incognita” for the majority of former Soviet people, told me about why this island is interesting, why May 9 is a national holiday here and about his other impressions...

One of the main attractions of Jersey is the 13th century castle of Mont Orgueil, built to protect the island from the French... (jersey.com)


jerseyisland.ru

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands (14 by 8 miles). He, like two others neighboring islands smaller ones - Guernsey and Sarke - are part of the British Crown. And although the supreme power here belongs to the Queen of England, in other respects (except for foreign policy and defense) the territory of 116 square kilometers with a population of almost 100 thousand people is completely autonomous. Legislative power is exercised by the States, in which 12 senators (from 12 parish districts), 12 constables and 29 deputies who do not represent any political parties are elected for different terms by popular vote - they are not on the island! The chair is appointed by the Queen, who also heads the government and judiciary of Jersey. The islands use their own pounds, equal in value English pound sterling...

Knitwear and Darell

Back in the 19th century, the islanders were so keen on producing knitwear that there was a threat of famine. Therefore, laws were passed that strictly regulated who could knit and when. But the famous knitwear from the island is now known all over the world. The older generation will probably remember how in the 60s of the last century it was especially chic to acquire a coat made of jersey. Exactly like that, with the emphasis on the last syllable. This is a kind of revenge of the French on the British, who took this island from France 800 years ago. The French changed the name of the fabric in their own way, putting the emphasis at the end of the word - “jersey”, not “jersey”. And so it went...

beautiful coat... (f9.ifotki.info)

Before I came to Jersey, I knew that there was a zoo there of the famous writer and naturalist Gerald Durrell, says my friend Andris. - Darrell was one of the first to use armor-piercing glass for gorillas instead of bars and spacious enclosures for birds that fly right above your heads. Now it is one of the most famous zoos in the world, it is more than half a century old.

Organizer and participant of expeditions for animal collections to Africa, South America and Australia, English zoologist and writer Gerald Durrell with a red variegated... (nnm.me)

Sumatran orangutan from Darella Wildlife Park... wikimedia.org

- And your very first impressions of Jersey?

I flew to St Helier, the capital of Jersey, from London. Small Boeings fly to the island in the morning and evening, in which even in economy class there are leather seats and enough space so as not to rest your knees on the back of the seat in front. Landing on the island, people routinely get out of the plane and disperse in different directions. An eye-catching advertisement calls for using only a local mobile operator (no English!). And everywhere there is an abundance of flowers and new buildings.

at Jersey Airport (wikimedia.org)

Everything is clean and tidy, people feel satisfied with life and genuine pride. There are many more pretty women on the streets than in England - this is due to the mixture of blood: French, English, Portuguese, Norman, if we talk about the origins. And they dress more elegantly here. Even the local Jersey tramps look somehow special here, or something. More than once I saw them in front of the windows of the central hospital, sitting on benches and drinking expensive drinks from cans, but at the same time scouring for cigarette butts. At night they are allowed to sleep on benches and on lawns. A neatly dressed janitor gives them instructions every morning, and a good-natured policeman shakes hands.

annual (since 1902) festival-procession "Flower Battle", when participants and spectators throw flowers at each other... (holidaym.ru)

Speed ​​is limited in many places to 24 km per hour, as the roads are quite narrow and wind between rocks. Therefore, buses traveling towards you, which work like a Swiss bank, approach each other, stop, and then one lets the other pass. Each trip costs £1, a day ticket for all routes costs £6. There are no highways here, because every piece of land is worth its weight in gold. It seems that any square meter of land that is more or less suitable for anything has been processed and used with some idea. Here you don’t have to have your own car, but having at least a boat is almost mandatory. Marinas are everywhere:

view from Mont Orgueil castle at low tide... (wikimedia.org)

And there are a lot of pastures where the world-famous Jersey cows graze. Up to 40 liters of fatty milk per day can be provided by such a thin woman at first glance. There was an uproar on the island when they suddenly wanted to crossbreed this cutie with some American beef breed. To get not only a lot of milk, but also meat. Here they are afraid that these overseas monsters will destroy Jersey women, who are treated here almost like in India, even celebrating the holiday - “Cow Week”.

(max-foto.info)

Some people have milk, some people have beer

The island provides excellent dairy products not only for itself, but also for part of France and England,” Andris continues to say. - A liter of milk costs 1.50 pounds (about 90 rubles - K.M.), sliced ​​white "golden Jersey bread" - 1.60. And quite expensive fruits, despite the proximity to France and Portugal. A kilogram of bananas costs 1.80. Cigarettes are expensive: a pack of light Marlboros costs 6 pounds. But there are a lot of inexpensive (from £6.50) good French wines, including from small private wineries. Prices for vodka and others strong alcohol the same as in England: a liter Smirnoff, for example, can be bought for 12 pounds.

But beer is preferred on the island. On Friday evening the real beer frenzy begins here, when almost the entire population of the island disperses into numerous pubs. The noise in them is such that you have to shout in the ear of your interlocutor to hear anything. The beer, by the way, is quite strong - it takes you from one mug.

in a restaurant in one of the hotels in Jersey (flickr.com)

Well, lovers of beauty can visit the capital’s Opera at least every evening - performances are daily! These include classics and performances by artists from England and France, and in the morning there are concerts for children.

The cuisine in Jersey is very diverse. There are a lot of Italian and Portuguese restaurants, of course, along with French and English ones. In a fairly prestigious Portuguese restaurant on the embankment, for example, a skewer with 700 grams of lamb, which will be fried to your taste, will cost about a thousand rubles. Well-trained staff speaks three languages ​​- English, French, Portuguese. And in any more or less serious establishment there is information in three and four languages: Polish is added to the three above.

Helier Street in St Helier, Jersey (200stran.ru)

Citizenship is for the rich

To Jersey for last years a large Polish diaspora has formed,” says Andris. - Poles are mainly engaged in agriculture. By the way, there are a lot of Polish food products in the stores: from “tourist’s breakfast” to brisket.

Until 1960, the official language in Jersey was French. Now - English, the second - French. Here you can hear French spoken everywhere; street names are often given in French without any translation. It is popular for them to go to the nearest French town for shopping - the boat leaves every morning, returning to the island in the evening (it is 11 miles to France, 100 to Great Britain).

Locals say that a few years ago in Jersey there was a law according to which Jersey citizenship could only be obtained after living on the island for 20 years. Now the sentence has been reduced to 13 years. And real estate can be purchased after living for 10 years. Exceptions are only for those who can prove their extreme need to the islanders.

Typically, this fits into half a million in annual income and at least 10 million in assets of an applicant who is ready to contribute 100 thousand annually to the State budget.

In Jersey, wages are 10-15% higher than in England. Real estate is also 30 percent more expensive. The lowest paid workers here receive about 60 thousand rubles a month. Agricultural workers - approximately 65 thousand. And employees - about 100 thousand rubles. But if most medical services in England are free, then on the island a house call from the same doctor will cost about 2.5 thousand rubles...

in Jersey coastline which stretches for 70 km, many beautiful coves and beaches.... (200stran.ru)

"War Tunnels"

...The only territory of Great Britain that was occupied by the Nazis during World War II was Jersey.

By order of Hitler, thousands of Soviet prisoners of war and youth from the occupied regions of the USSR were herded to the island to build concrete bunkers for coastal batteries. Using picks and shovels, the prisoners of the Himmelmann concentration camp created positions for 400 long-range guns, cut down caves for underground ammunition depots and an elite hospital for Wehrmacht officers at a depth of up to 30 meters.

military tunnels... (tripadvisor.com)

Observation and defensive tower of Cobiere, Jersey...

Now there is a museum called “War Tunnels”, dedicated to the history of World War II and what happened in Jersey,” says Andris. - The labor of 200 thousand prisoners of war was used for the work. There were many Russians among them. Teenagers who were forced to work were also taken here from the Soviet Union. The museum contains materials about the specific fates of the little captives. A tank could easily have driven through the huge corridors of the underground hospital, in which the smell of the anatomical room still lingers.

...However, the residents of Jersey also suffered from the Nazis. One and a half thousand people were sent to concentration camps. Others paid the price for hiding Soviet prisoners of war in their homes and farms.

Therefore, May 9 is a national holiday in Jersey, Liberation Day. On this day, the German occupation of the island officially ended.

St Helier. Monument to the liberation of Jersey from the Nazis... (wikimedia.org)

From the history of the island

On a rock, a kilometer from the eastern part of the island, where the capital Saint Helier is located, rises another important landmark of the island - the famous Elizabeth Fortress, built in the 19th century and designed to replace the Mont Orgueil castle. The fortress became the main outpost protecting the island from French ships:

(wikimedia.org)

A concrete path leads to the fortress, which is cleared from under a five-meter layer of water twice a day. Depending on the time of year and the height of the tide, it is accessible to pedestrians for about three hours each time:

(amazonaws.com)

And the enterprising islanders can take unwary tourists who are fascinated by the ancient walls to the shore by boat for 12 pounds.

By the way, along the entire perimeter of Jersey there are forts and ruins of numerous fortresses. The island was a haven for pirates and passed from hand to hand.

The first settled communities appeared here in the Neolithic era, as evidenced by ritual burial places - dolmens.

The island was converted to Christianity in 538 by Saint Marculf. Soon after this, Saint Helier arrived here, who lived as a hermit in a cave and died in 555 at the hands of pirates armed with axes. The capital of Jersey is named in memory of him, the coat of arms of which depicts two crossed axes.

And 800 years ago, the English king John the Landless lost a significant part of British possessions in France, after which he was forced to sign the Magna Carta. The king gave even more liberties to the residents of Jersey, who could choose between England and France, than to all his other subjects: he promised them autonomy and tax exemption.

John the Landless, 25th King of England, who lived for 48 years and reigned for seventeen of them... (wikimedia.org)

Jersey still enjoys these privileges - the “Large Charter”. There are no property, capital gains, gift or inheritance taxes.

“A piece of France that broke away from it, fell into the water and was picked up by the British,” is how Victor Hugo, who lived here as an exile for three years, said about Jersey.

And last summer, on one of the farms, two amateur archaeologists using a metal detector found one of the largest treasures in European history in a field. About 50 thousand gold and silver coins were recovered from the ground, the total weight of which was 750 kg. The money was minted, according to experts, around 50 BC. The French Celts could have hidden them here before the arrival of the troops of Julius Caesar. The value of the treasure is about 10 million British pounds...

And in August, if anyone missed it, I talked about how at the Vazgenyan Theological Seminary near Lake Sevan