Helfaut
Helfaut
Helveld | |
|---|---|
_mairie_et_%C3%A9coles.JPG) The town hall and schools of Helfaut | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Helfaut | |
  Helfaut  Helfaut | |
| Coordinates: 50°41′54″N 2°14′38″E / 50.6983°N 2.2439°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Pas-de-Calais |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Omer |
| Canton | Longuenesse |
| Intercommunality | Pays de Saint-Omer |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Francis Marquant[1] |
Area 1 | 8.92 km2 (3.44 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 1,724 |
| • Density | 193/km2 (501/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] 4 miles (6 km) south of Saint-Omer, 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 rare and protected species in a heathland landscape, which is unusual for northern France and led to the creation of a nature reserve (Les Landes d'Helfaut).
Population
[edit]The inhabitants are called Helfalois in French.
| 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% |
| 2023 | 1,724 | +0.26% |
| Source: INSEE[4] | ||
History
[edit]In World War II the village was the site of La coupole, an underground bunker housing a huge concrete dome, built by the Nazis between 1943 and 1944 to serve as a launching base for V2 rockets, which never entered service because of bombing raids by the Allies. It has been transformed into a museum.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
- ↑ "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
- ↑ INSEE commune file
- ↑ Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
- ↑ "Journées européennes du patrimoine, dossier de presse" (PDF). Ministère de la culture. p. 95. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
External links
[edit]
- Statistical data, INSEE
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
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