Denain

Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

(2020–2026) Anne-Lise Dufour-Tonini^[1]Area11.52 km² (4.45 sq mi)Population20,640 • Density1,800/km² (4,600/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal codeElevation26–115 m (85–377 ft)
(avg. 33 m or 108 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Denain (French pronunciation: [dənɛ̃]; Picard: Dnain) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.^[3] As of 2019^[update] Denain had a population of 19,877, on a land area of 11.52 km² (4.448 sq mi).

It is the largest of 47 communes which comprise the Communauté d'agglomération de la Porte du Hainaut, which in 2017 had a total population of 158,754.

History

A mere village in the beginning of the 19th century, its population rapidly increased from 1850 until 1962, when it had 29,467 inhabitants. Since then its population declined by about 30%.^[4]

Its vicinity was the scene of the decisive victory gained in 1712 by Marshal Villars over the allies commanded by Prince Eugene of Savoy; and the battlefield is marked by a monolithic monument inscribed with the verses of Voltaire: "Regardez dans Denain l'audacieux Villars/Disputant le tonnerre à l'aigle des Césars."^[5] ("See in Denain bold Villars/Fighting the eagle of the Caesars").

Denain was an important centre in the industrial revolution, first for coal-mining from 1720, and steelworks from around 1839. The closure of the large Usinor steelworks at Denain was announced in 1978, and the works finally closed in 1988. Émile Zola is thought to have conducted research into the working of the mine and mining communities by visiting Denain before writing Germinal. A primary school, a park and a road in Denain bear the name of the novelist.

Former mayor Patrick Roy was also a deputy and became famous for the support for heavy metal music he expressed at the National Assembly on various occasions.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1800 927 —     1806 1,057 +2.21% 1821 1,262 +1.19% 1831 1,601 +2.41% 1836 3,200 +14.86% 1841 5,144 +9.96% 1846 7,272 +7.17% 1851 8,691 +3.63% 1856 9,496 +1.79% 1861 10,254 +1.55% 1866 11,022 +1.45% 1872 12,330 +1.89% 1876 14,419 +3.99% 1881 17,202 +3.59% 1886 17,832 +0.72% 1891 18,258 +0.47% 1896 19,916 +1.75% 1901 23,204 +3.10%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1906 24,564 +1.15% 1911 26,800 +1.76% 1921 23,472 −1.32% 1926 26,868 +2.74% 1931 27,767 +0.66% 1936 26,478 −0.95% 1946 24,908 −0.61% 1954 27,449 +1.22% 1962 29,467 +0.89% 1968 27,973 −0.86% 1975 26,204 −0.93% 1982 21,825 −2.58% 1990 19,544 −1.37% 1999 20,360 +0.46% 2007 20,186 −0.11% 2012 20,270 +0.08% 2017 19,825 −0.44%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[6]

Heraldry

The arms of Denain are blazoned :
Or, a cross engrailed gules. (Artres, Bettrechies, Cerfontaine, Denain, Eth, Lesquin, Obies, Quérénaing, Semousies, Wambrechies and Warlaing use the same arms.)

Notable residents

• Fabien Gilot (born 1984), Olympic and world champion swimmer

See also

• Battle of Denain
• Communes of the Nord department

References

External links