Courrières

Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

(2020–2026) Christophe Pilch^[1]Area8.63 km² (3.33 sq mi)Population10,199 • Density1,200/km² (3,100/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal codeElevation22–38 m (72–125 ft)
(avg. 25 m or 82 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Courrières (French pronunciation: [kuʁjɛʁ]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.^[3]

Geography

An ex-coalmining commune, now a light industrial and farming town, situated some 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Lens, at the junction of the D46 and D919 roads and next to the A1 autoroute. The Lens canal and the canalized river Deûle forms threequarters of the borders of the commune.

Nearest communes

• Harnes (west)
• Estevelles (northwest)
• Carvin (north)
• Oignies (east)
• Dourges (southeast)
• Montigny-en-Gohelle

History

The history of the area remains marked by the Courrières mine disaster which resulted in 1,099 deaths on 10 March 1906. All the regions' coalmines were closed by 1970. It was the site of a massacre in 1940.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	9,296	—
1975	12,491	+4.31%
1982	12,612	+0.14%
1990	11,376	−1.28%
1999	10,588	−0.79%
2007	10,362	−0.27%
2012	10,530	+0.32%
2017	10,512	−0.03%
Source: INSEE[4]

Notable people

• Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton, painter
• Catherine Plewinski, swimmer
• Eric Sikora, footballer

Places of interest

• The sports centre Centre Sportif.
• A forest north of Courrières.
• The church of St.Piat, dating from the sixteenth century.
• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.

International relations

Courrières is twinned with:

• Barlinek, Poland
• Aylesham, United Kingdom

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

External links