Isbergues
Encyclopedia
Isbergues is a commune
in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France
.
and 29 miles (46.7 km) west of Lille
at the junction of the D186, D187 and the D91 roads and by the banks of the Canal d’Aire.
On the 1 January 1996, the former communes of Molinghem, Berguette and Isbergues were consolidated into a single commune and took the name of Isbergues.
The town was first known for the legend of St. Isbergues, the daughter of Pepin the Short and the sister of Charlemagne
, who could supposedly cure diseases of the skin and eyes.
The town has experienced strong industrial development from the mid-19th century, thanks to the proximity of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coal deposits.
The steel industry has benefitted from the use of the vast spaces besides the Canal d’Aire, which connects the town to the English Channel
and the North Sea
via the Deûle and the canals of northern Europe to the east. The area is also served by railway. The metal industry has marked the landscape and was a source of significant pollution, but it also made the fortunes of the town. The steelworks still employed 410 people in 2006. The Mittal company has pledged 2.5 million euros over three years as part of a revitalization plan. Several other industrial projects are planned for the commune in 2008.
The Grand Prix d'Isbergues is a cycling
race first created in 1945 through the district of Pont-Balque. The town has organised events since 1947. This is the only exclusively professional cycling race in the department. It is ranked 1.1 by the Union Cycliste Internationale
and is scheduled for the UCI Europe Tour.
It is also registered as a qualifier for the Coupe de France
.
The Grand Prix d'Isbergues has experienced great champions such as Jacques Anquetil
, Poulidor, Eddy Merckx
, Bernard Hinault
and Greg Lemond
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Isbergues is situated about 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of BéthuneBéthune
Béthune is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.-Geography:Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated South-East of Calais, West of Lille, and North of Paris.-Landmarks:...
and 29 miles (46.7 km) west of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
at the junction of the D186, D187 and the D91 roads and by the banks of the Canal d’Aire.
On the 1 January 1996, the former communes of Molinghem, Berguette and Isbergues were consolidated into a single commune and took the name of Isbergues.
History
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, who could supposedly cure diseases of the skin and eyes.
The town has experienced strong industrial development from the mid-19th century, thanks to the proximity of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coal deposits.
The steel industry has benefitted from the use of the vast spaces besides the Canal d’Aire, which connects the town to the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
via the Deûle and the canals of northern Europe to the east. The area is also served by railway. The metal industry has marked the landscape and was a source of significant pollution, but it also made the fortunes of the town. The steelworks still employed 410 people in 2006. The Mittal company has pledged 2.5 million euros over three years as part of a revitalization plan. Several other industrial projects are planned for the commune in 2008.
Population
Places of interest
- The church of St. Isbergues, dating from the fifteenth century.
- The chapel of St. Isbergues, dating from the seventeenth century.
- A seventeenth century farmhouseFarmhouseFarmhouse is a general term for the main house of a farm. It is a type of building or house which serves a residential purpose in a rural or agricultural setting. Most often, the surrounding environment will be a farm. Many farm houses are shaped like a T...
at Molinghem. - The church of St. Pierre, at Berguette, dating from the nineteenth century.
- The church of St. Maurice, at Molinghem, dating from the nineteenth century.
- The modern church of Saint-Eloi.
- The Commonwealth War Graves CommissionCommonwealth War Graves CommissionThe Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
cemetery.
The Grand Prix d'Isbergues is a cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
race first created in 1945 through the district of Pont-Balque. The town has organised events since 1947. This is the only exclusively professional cycling race in the department. It is ranked 1.1 by the Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
and is scheduled for the UCI Europe Tour.
It is also registered as a qualifier for the Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
.
The Grand Prix d'Isbergues has experienced great champions such as Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
, Poulidor, Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
, Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault is a former French cyclist known for five victories in the Tour de France. He is one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each more than once. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985...
and Greg Lemond
Greg LeMond
Gregory James LeMond is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Lakewood, California and raised in Reno, Nevada....
.