Auchel
Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox French commune
Auchel (Template:IPA; Template:Langx) 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 Template:Convert southwest of Béthune and Template:Convert 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. Template:Historical populations
Sights
- The church of St. Martin, dating from the sixteenth century.
- A museum about coal mining.
International relations
Auchel is twinned with:
- Template:Flagicon West Malling, in the county of Kent, England.
- Template:Flagicon 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
- Afida Turner, singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality
- Pierre Waché, Formula One engineer and technical director for Red Bull Racing
- François Duhamel professional footballer
See also
References
External links
- An history of Auchel Template:In lang
- Harmonie municipale website Template:In lang
- Auchel town hall website Template:In lang