Auchel

Auchel
Commune
The mining memorial The mining memorial
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Béthune
Canton	Auchel
Intercommunality	CA Béthune-Bruay, Artois-Lys Romane
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Phillibert Berrier
Area1	6 km2 (2 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2018)2
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. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Auchel (French pronunciation: ​[oʃɛl]; 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 (13 km) southwest of Béthune and 34 miles (55 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.	±% p.a.
1968	14,091	—
1975	13,329	−0.79%
1982	12,535	−0.87%
1990	11,813	−0.74%
1999	11,392	−0.40%
2007	11,225	−0.18%
2012	10,991	−0.42%
2017	10,291	−1.31%
Source: INSEE

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.

Notable people

Auchel is the birthplace of:

• Xavier Beauvois, actor, director and screenwriter.
• Angela Behelle, writer
• Pierre Laigle, football player
• Augustin Lesage, French spiritualist artist. Lesage is one of the most fascinating figures associated with Art Brut
• Stéphane Lecocq, professional footballer
• Fred Personne, actor
• Afida Turner, singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality
• Pierre Waché, Formula One engineer and technical director for Red Bull Racing

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

External links

• An history of Auchel
• Harmonie municipale website
• Auchel town hall website