Helfaut

Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

Helfaut Helveld
Commune
The town hall and schools of Helfaut
Coat of arms
Location of Helfaut
(2020–2026)		Francis Marquant^[1]
Area ¹	8.92 km² (3.44 sq mi)
Population (2021)^[2]	1,732
• Density	190/km² (500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62423 /62570
Elevation	23–95 m (75–312 ft) (avg. 92 m or 302 ft)
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Helfaut (French pronunciation: [ɛlfo]; West Flemish: Helveld; Picard: Hérfauw) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.^[3]

Geography

A large village situated 4 miles (6 km) south of Saint-Omer, at the D195 and D198 crossroads. It is located on a geological formation called the "plateau d'Helfaut", which separates the Aa valley to the north from the Lys valley, to the south. The commune is home to a unique geological heritage, resulting in an unusual landscape. The sides of the old quarries alongside the plateau display many geological strata. The quarries of Heuringhem and Blendecques have collapsed as a result of soil creep. The commune gave its name to 'Dilluvium d’Helfaut', a flint and clay formation rare in France and Europe. The commune is home to many rare and protected species in a heathland landscape, which is unusual for northern France and justified the creation of a nature reserve (Les Landes d'Helfaut).

Population

The inhabitants are called Helfalois.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,139	—
1975	1,248	+1.31%
1982	1,426	+1.92%
1990	1,671	+2.00%
1999	1,693	+0.15%
2007	1,750	+0.41%
2012	1,596	−1.83%
2017	1,697	+1.23%
Source: INSEE^[4]

History

The village was subject to much damage during World War II, as it was here that the Germans sited La coupole, an underground bunker, housing a huge concrete dome built by the Nazis between 1943 and 1944. Initially this bunker was to serve as a base to launch V2 rockets, but it never entered service because of the many bombing raids by the Allies. The Dome has been transformed into a museum.^[5]

Places of interest

The church of St. Fuscien and St. Victoric, dating from the thirteenth century.
The church at Bilques.
La Coupole : Second World War museum and visitor's centre
The monument known as the ‘Helfaut column’. See fr:colonne d'Helfaut (in French)

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ INSEE commune file
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
^ "Journées européennes du patrimoine, dossier de presse" (PDF). Ministère de la culture. p. 95. Retrieved 23 June 2022.