Liévin

Liévin
region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Lens
Canton	Liévin (main town)
Community association	Lens-Liévin
Coordinates	50 ° 25 ' N , 2 ° 47' E Coordinates: 50 ° 25 ' N , 2 ° 47' E
height	32-80 m
surface	12.83 km 2
Residents	30,785 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	2,399 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	62800
INSEE code	62510
Website	http://lievin.fr/

Liévin (pronunciation: [ lje.vɛ ]) (nld: Lieven ) is a town with 30,785 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais in the region of Hauts-de-France . It is the capital of the canton of Liévin . The place belongs to the Communauté d'agglomération de Lens-Liévin , which consists of 36 communities with a total of 250,000 inhabitants. Liévin is considered the green city at the gates of the Artois and is located north of Arras .

Liévin is an old mining town that has developed from a center of coal mining into a modern industrial and commercial town in recent years. The city has numerous facilities for health, culture and leisure, including a hospital, a swimming pool, a university and a modern indoor athletics stadium of international importance.

history

Early history

The story of Liévin begins very early. In the foothills of the Riaumont (highest point in Liévin) archaeological finds from the Neolithic and Gallo-Roman times have been found, and 752 graves indicate Liévin as a Merovingian burial place.

15-19 century

In 1414, almost 150 people lived in Liévin, which at that time was little more than a farming community. The population grew only insignificantly until the 19th century:

1759: 600 inhabitants
1789: 900 inhabitants
1820: 1,223 inhabitants

It was not until the discovery of coal deposits in the area around Liévin in 1857 that productivity, wealth and population increased.

In 1914, the population of Liévin was 25,698.

20th century

The First World War brought an abrupt end to this growth. The city was in ruins, the churches and castles were destroyed, the war claimed 400 civilians and a further 600 in the army in Liévin alone.

The reconstruction and economic recovery of the city was slowed down again a good 20 years later by the Second World War . In 1940 the city was evacuated and placed under German administration. The Resistance was organized in the city with the help of the Voix du Nord newspaper , but it was not until September 2, 1944 that the city was liberated by the British 8th Army . This war claimed 220 civilian and 225 military casualties among the population of Liévin.

After the war, coal mining revived and helped rebuild the French economy.

End of coal

During the time of coal mining, there were five mining accidents with fatalities in Liévin :

November 28, 1861, pit 1, 2 dead
August 13, 1882, pit 3, 8 dead
January 14, 1885, pit 1, 28 dead
March 16, 1957, pit 3, 10 dead
December 27, 1974, Saint-Amé mine, 42 dead

The coal crisis from the mid-1950s (decline in demand for hard coal mined in Europe) led to 60 of the 67 mines being closed in and around Liévin between 1960 and 1970. In 1978, four years after the mining accident with 42 dead, the last mine was shut down; since then, no more coal has been mined in Liévin.

The consequences of the decline in coal production for the city of Liévin were serious. Even today (as of 2010) the city suffers from an above-average unemployment rate - it was 26.6% against an average of 12.9% in the whole of France - and has a high proportion of workers (40.8% of those able to work).

Twin cities

Germany Hohenlimburg in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany), since 1962, after the incorporation high Limburg 1975 by Hagen continued
Austria Bruck an der Mur in Styria (Austria), since 1999
Lithuania Pasvalys in Lithuania , since 1999
Poland Rybnik in Silesia (Poland), since 2000
France La Valette-du-Var in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region (France), since October 21, 2000
Italy Roccastrada in Tuscany (Italy), since 2004
Belgium Mouscron in Wallonia (Belgium), since October 6, 2005