Auchel

Auchel
Auchel
	Commune
	The mining memorial
	Coat of arms
	Location of Auchel
	Auchel Auchel
	Coordinates: 50°30′31″N 2°28′28″E
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Béthune
Canton	Auchel
Intercommunality	CA Béthune-Bruay, Artois-Lys Romane
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Phillibert Berrier
Area 1	6 km2 (2 sq mi)
Population (2017-01-01)[1]	10,291
• Density	1,700/km2 (4,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62048 /62260
Elevation	68–157 m (223–515 ft) ; (avg. 99 m or 325 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Auchel (Picard: Auchez) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.

Geography

An ex-mining town, nowadays a light industrial & farming commune, situated 8 miles (12.9 km) southwest of Béthune and 34 miles (54.7 km) southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D183 and the D183E roads.

History

Following the discovery of coal deposits in the area in 1851, the town grew as the demand for coal increased in France. This old mining town had close to 15,000 inhabitants in the 1950s.
The coal recession in the late 1960s lead to a constant decline in population, despite the efforts of the municipality to attract and keep people here during and after the recession.

Population

The inhabitants are called Auchellois.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1962	13,770	—
1968	14,091	+2.3%
1975	13,329	−5.4%
1982	12,535	−6.0%
1990	11,813	−5.8%
1999	11,392	−3.6%
2006	11,341	−0.4%
2009	11,204	−1.2%
2011	10,993	−1.9%
2012	10,991	−0.0%
2015	10,574	−3.8%

Sights

The church of St. Martin, dating from the sixteenth century.
A museum about coal mining.

International relations

Auchel is twinned with:

West Malling, in the county of Kent, England.
Iserlohn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Personalities

Auchel is the birthplace of:

Augustin Lesage, French spiritualist artist. Lesage is one of the most fascinating figures associated with Art Brut
Fred Personne, actor
Xavier Beauvois, actor, director and screenwriter.
Pierre Laigle, football player
Afida Turner, singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality
Angela Behelle, writer

References

"Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.

External links

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[1] "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.