Courrières
| Courrières | |
|---|---|
  Courrières | |
|
Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region  Courrières | |
| Coordinates: 50°27′31″N 2°56′53″E / 50.4586°N 2.9481°ECoordinates: 50°27′31″N 2°56′53″E / 50.4586°N 2.9481°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie |
| Department | Pas-de-Calais |
| Arrondissement | Lens |
| Canton | Courrières |
| Intercommunality | Communauté d'agglomération d'Hénin-Carvin |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Christophe Pilch |
| Area1 | 8.63 km2 (3.33 sq mi) |
| Population (2004)2 | 10,682 |
| • Density | 1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 62250 / 62710 |
| Elevation |
22–38 m (72–125 ft) (avg. 25 m or 82 ft) |
|
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Courrières is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.
Geography
An ex-coalmining commune, now a light industrial and farming town, situated some 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of Lens, at the junction of the D46 and D919 roads and next to the A1 autoroute. The Lens canal and the canalized Deule river forms threequarters of the borders of the commune.
Nearest communes
- Harnes (west)
- Estevelles (northwest)
- Carvin (north)
- Oignies (east)
- Dourges (southeast)
- Montigny-en-Gohelle
History
The history of the area remains marked by the Courrières mine disaster which resulted in 1,099 deaths on 10 March 1906. All the regions' coalmines were closed by 1970.
Population
| Year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7738 | 9296 | 12491 | 12612 | 11376 | 10588 | 10682 |
| From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once. | |||||||
Notable people
- Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton, painter
- Catherine Plewinski, swimmer
- Eric Sikora, footballer
Places of interest
- The sports centre Centre Sportif.
- A forest north of Courrières.
- The church of St.Piat, dating from the sixteenth century.
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Courrières is twinned with:
See also
References
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Courrières. |
- Official website of the town (French)
- Regional website (French)
- Website about the town (French)
- The CWGC cemetery
- Courrières on the Quid website (French)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, October 07, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.