Liévin
Encyclopedia
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...
.
Overview
The city of Liévin is an old mining city of Pas-de-Calais. Near Lens, this modest-sized city nevertheless has several nursery schools, schools, colleges, a university, a swimming pool, a city library, a cultural and social center (CCS), a hospital, a covered stadium, several gardens and parks, two movie theaters, two cemeteries, a Catholic church, a shopping center, a National Police station, a fire station, a complete intercommunity transportation system (Tadao http://tadao.fr), regional newspapers, the main ones being "L'Avenir de l'Artois" [the Future of Artois],La Voix du NordLa Voix du Nord
La Voix du Nord is a regional daily newspaper of the North of France. The paper sponsors the GP de Fourmies bicycle race. It is owned by the Belgian company Rossel, who purchased it from Socpresse in 2006....
(Voice of the North) and Nord Éclair (Northern Flash), etc. The city has also recently acquired ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
Asymmetric digital subscriber line is a type of digital subscriber line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice...
connectivity.
Administration
Liévin is the seat of two cantons. It belongs to the intercommunality of LensLens, Pas-de-Calais
Lens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
-Liévin (Communaupole) which consists of 36 communes, with a total population of 250,000 inhabitants.
Prehistory
The history of Liévin begins very early. The foothill of Riaumont (highest point in Liévin) is a rich archaeological site. Traces of NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
and Gallo-Roman periods have been found there, and 752 tombs attest that Liévin was once a Merovingian
Merovingian dynasty
The Merovingians were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region largely corresponding to ancient Gaul from the middle of the 5th century. Their politics involved frequent civil warfare among branches of the family...
burial ground.
Agriculture and mining begin
In 1414, there were barely 150 inhabitants in Liévin. At that point it was a village mainly concerned with agriculture. Up until World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the population steadily grew:
- 600 inhabitants in 1759
- 900 inhabitants in 1789
- 1223 inhabitants in 1820
Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
was discovered in the vicinity of Liévin in 1857. This precipitated an explosion of productivity, prosperity, and population. The population of Liévin was 25,698 in 1914.
Liévin during the World Wars
The First World War brutally ended Liévin's expansion. The city was ruined, the churches and castles destroyed. Human losses were 400 civilian and 600 military. The city of Liévin was awarded the Croix de GuerreCroix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
in 1920.
After the war, it was necessary to rebuild everything. After a few years, Liévin was again an active city, and mining recommenced.
The Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
again stopped the progress of the city. In 1940, Liévin was evacuated, and the city was settled by Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Resistance was organized, in particular with the help of the Voix du Nord newspaper. In this war, there were 220 civilian and 225 military casualties. Liévin was liberated on 2 September 1944 by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Eighth Army.
After the war, mining recommenced in force; coal mining was vital to the reconstruction of the French economy. Silicosis
Silicosis
Silicosis, also known as Potter's rot, is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, and is marked by inflammation and scarring in forms of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs...
, which would kill many miners, made its appearance.
End of coal mining
In addition to silicosis, miners were in daily peril of being lost in mining catastrophes. There were five major mining catastrophes during the coal mining period:- 28 November 1861, pit 1, 2 dead
- 13 August 1882, pit 3, 8 dead
- 14 January 1885, pit 1, 28 dead
- 16 March 1957, pit 3, 10 dead
- 27 December 1974, Saint-Amé pit, 42 dead
Additionally, a recession in the mining industry began and with it a recession in Liévin. From 1960 to 1970, 60 of the 67 pits closed, Following the tragedy in Saint-Amé, the last pit closed in 1974. Liévin no longer produces coal, and has moved on to a new chapter.
Liévin without coal
Liévin suffered a great deal from the abandonment of coal; the whole city depended on the mines. Fortunately, the city reconverted and, although it may not have the same economic dynamism of that epoch, the commercial and industrial areas are a source of employment for many, and the city remains relatively prosperous with 33,430 inhabitants (see above).Mayors of Liévin since the French Revolution
- 1790–1810, Procope-Alexandre-Joseph de Ligne
- 1810–1819, Pierre Caron
- 1820–1822, Jacques Delaby
- 1822–1825, Pierre Caron
- 1825–1856, Henri-Antoine de Ligne
- 1856–1871, Nicolas Antoine Delaby
- 1871–1878, Alexandre-Procope Comte Jonglez de Ligne
- 1879–1892, Louis Schmidt
- 1892, Félix Pamart
- 1893–1905, Edouard Defernez
- 1905–1912, Arthur Lamendin
- 1912–1913, Pierre Leroy
- 1914, François Pouvier
- 1914–1919 : (evacuation)
- 1919–1925, Léon Degreaux
- 1925–1929, Jules Bédart
- 1930–1935, Silas Goulet
- 1936–1939, Henri-Joseph Thiébaut
- 1939–1944, Louis Thobois
- 1944–1945, Henri Bertin
- 1945–1947, Florimond Lemaire
- 1947–1952, Eugène Gossart
- 1952–1981, Henri Darras
- 1981–present, Jean-Pierre Kucheida
Notable people
Famous people from Liévin include:- Georges CarpentierGeorges CarpentierGeorges Carpentier was a French boxer. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908-26. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and his fighting weight ranged from...
(boxerBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
) - Robert EnricoRobert EnricoRobert Georgio Enrico was a French film director and scriptwriter.He was born in Liévin, Pas-de-Calais, in the north of France.-Filmography as director:* Fait d'hiver...
(directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
) - Robert Muchembled (historianHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
)
Twin towns
Liévin is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
| Hohenlimburg Hagen-Hohenlimburg Hagen-Hohenlimburg , on the Lenne river, is a borough of the city of Hagen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.... , near Hagen Hagen Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr... in Germany (since 1962) Pasvalys Pasvalys Pasvalys is a city in Panevėžys County, Lithuania, located near the bank of the Svalia River. Its sister city is Götene in Sweden. In 1557, the Treaty of Pozvol was signed in the town, which provoked Ivan IV of Russia to start the Livonian War.-References:... in Lithuania (since 1999) Bruck an der Mur Bruck an der Mur Bruck an der Mur is a city of some 13,500 people located in the Austrian state of Styria. It is located at the confluence of the Mur and Mürz Rivers. Its manufactures include metal products and paper; Bruck is an important rail junction in the region located on the Graz to Vienna main... in Austria (since 1999) |
La Valette-du-Var La Valette-du-Var La Valette-du-Var is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.- Celebrity connection :... in France (since 2000) Rybnik Rybnik Rybnik is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship. Rybnik is located close to the border with the Czech Republic and just outside the southern border of the largest urban area in Poland, the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union... in Poland (since 04.12.2000) |
External links
- Town council website (in French)