Bessèges

Commune in Occitanie, France

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Commune in Occitania, France

Coat of arms

Location of Bessèges

(2020–2026) Bernard Portales^[1]Area

10.32 km² (3.98 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

2,695 • Density260/km² (680/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

30037 /30160

Elevation146–492 m (479–1,614 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.

Bessèges (French pronunciation: [besɛʒ]; Occitan: Besseja) is a commune in the Gard department in France. It is situated on the river Cèze.^[3]

History

Historically Bessèges was a hamlet of Robiac. Its importance began with the opening of a coal mine in 1809, followed by an iron and steel plant in 1833, and eventually the railway reached it in 1857. The commune was created in 1857 from parts of Gagnières and Robiac-Rochessadoule.^[4]

At its peak in the late 19th century, the population was over 11,000. However, during the 20th century it declined and eventually the mine was abandoned in 1964, and the steel-works in 1987. Today its economy is based on tourism, and it is home to the Étoile de Bessèges road bicycle race.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1861	7,055	—
1866	8,671	+4.21%
1872	8,908	+0.45%
1876	10,668	+4.61%
1881	11,404	+1.34%
1886	10,653	−1.35%
1891	8,673	−4.03%
1896	7,962	−1.70%
1901	9,040	+2.57%
1906	8,219	−1.89%
1911	8,030	−0.46%
1921	6,368	−2.29%
1926	7,062	+2.09%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1931	6,357	−2.08%
1936	5,425	−3.12%
1946	5,648	+0.40%
1954	5,823	+0.38%
1962	5,720	−0.22%
1968	5,421	−0.89%
1975	5,255	−0.44%
1982	4,352	−2.66%
1990	3,635	−2.23%
1999	3,137	−1.62%
2007	3,196	+0.23%
2012	3,051	−0.92%
2017	2,844	−1.40%

Source: EHESS^[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)^[5]

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bessèges" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 822.
^ ^a ^b Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Bessèges, EHESS (in French).
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE