Bavay

Bavay
region	Hauts-de-France
Department	North
Arrondissement	Avesnes-sur-Helpe
Canton	Aulnoye Aymeries
Community association	Pays de Mormal
Coordinates	50 ° 18 ′ N , 3 ° 48 ′ E Coordinates: 50 ° 18 ′ N , 3 ° 48 ′ E
height	108-156 m
surface	10.12 km 2
Residents	3,326 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	329 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	59570
INSEE code	59053
Website	http://www.bavay-la-romaine.fr/

Bavay (Flemish: Beuken ) is a French municipality with 3326 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in Nord in the region of Hauts-de-France .

geography

Bavay is part of the Avesnois Regional Nature Park . To the west of the village is the Carrière des Nerviens nature reserve .

history

In the Roman Empire, Bavay was the capital of the Celtic Nervier tribe under the name Bagacum Nerviorum and an important road junction. Among other things, the Via Belgica ran through Bagacum. At the intersection of the streets (also known as Chaussée Brunehaut ) stood a milestone that was destroyed in the 17th century and replaced by a column in the 19th century. During the Great Migration , the city was destroyed and never regained its former importance.

In the Middle Ages, the place belonged to the county of Hainaut and with this since 925 to the Roman-German Empire . The border with France ran about 30 kilometers south. With the Hainaut, Bavay fell to the House of Burgundy in 1433 and to the House of Habsburg in 1477 through the marriage of Mary of Burgundy to Philip the Fair . As a result, Bavay suffered from the Habsburg-French conflict due to its location near the border .

With the annexation of parts of the Spanish Netherlands by Louis XIV. Bavay has been French since 1678 according to the Peace of Nijmegen .