Avesnes-sur-Helpe
Avesnes-sur-Helpe | |
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Subprefecture and commune | |
Coordinates: 50°07′28″N 3°55′36″E / 50.1244°N 3.9267°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Hauts-de-France |
Department | Nord |
Arrondissement | Avesnes-sur-Helpe |
Canton | Avesnes-sur-Helpe |
Intercommunality | Cœur de l'Avesnois |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Sébastien Seguin[1] |
Area 1 | 2.24 km2 (0.86 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 4,118 |
• Density | 1,800/km2 (4,800/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 59036 /59440 |
Elevation | 143–188 m (469–617 ft) (avg. 170 m or 560 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Avesnes-sur-Helpe (French pronunciation:
History
Avesnes was founded in the 11th century.
Avesnes was heavily fortified, with fortifications that were continually modernised, from the 11th century up until 1867 when its fortifications, like those of other isolated bastions, were deemed to be redundant. In the 1870 some of the fortifications were demolished to allow easier access to the town.[5]
Population
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Source: EHESS[6] and INSEE (1968-2017)[7] |
Culture
Many of the buildings on the main streets in this town are made of dimension stone, like the 200 ft bell tower of the main church, St Nicholas, which dates from the 16th century.[4]
The Tour de France race cycled through town in its 1999 progression around France.
The region of Avesnes-Sur-Helpe is known for its distinctive cheeses: the Maroilles cheese and also the "boule d'Avesnes", a local cone-shaped red cheese that is coated in paprika.
The high school in the region is the Lycée Jesse de Forest, named for an Avesnes native son who was responsible for the earliest settlement of the Dutch and Huguenots in what is now New York.
Heraldry
The arms of Avesnes-sur-Helpe are blazoned : Bendy Or and gules. (Avesnes-sur-Helpe, Cartignies, Damousies, Dimechaux, Dimont, Felleries, Larouillies, Lomme, and Ramousies use the same arms.)
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See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ a b c Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 59.
- ^ Goode, Dominic (8 October 2011). "Avesnes-sur-Helpe". Fortified Places. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Avesnes-sur-Helpe, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE