Méricourt, Pas-de-Calais
Encyclopedia
Méricourt is a commune
in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France
.
town, nowadays a farming and light industrial town, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Lens, at the junction of the D33, D40 and the D262 roads. Rare for a small town, the commune is split between the two cantons of Avion
& Rouvroy
.
, which left 1,099 dead on 10 March 1906. The communes affected were Méricourt, Billy-Montigny
, Noyelles-sous-Lens
and Sallaumines
.
It was at Méricourt that the memorial to the mining disaster was erected. Since 2006, the memorial has also included an overground pathway retracing the route underground of the survivors who managed to get out of the galleries about three weeks after the collapse and resulting firedamp and dust.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Méricourt is a former coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
town, nowadays a farming and light industrial town, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Lens, at the junction of the D33, D40 and the D262 roads. Rare for a small town, the commune is split between the two cantons of Avion
Canton of Avion
The Canton of Avion is a canton situated in the department of the Pas-de-Calais and in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. By order of the prefect of the region, on October 18, 2006, the township was attached to the arrondissement of Lens rather than that of Arras with effect from 1...
& Rouvroy
Canton of Rouvroy
The Canton of Rouvroy is a canton situated in the department of the Pas-de-Calais and in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. By order of the prefect of the region, on October 18, 2006, the township was attached to the arrondissement of Lens rather than that of Arras with effect from 1...
.
History
The history of the region remains marked by the Courrières mine disasterCourrières mine disaster
The Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst mining accident, caused the death of 1,099 miners in Northern France on 10 March 1906. This disaster was surpassed only by the Benxihu Colliery accident in China on April 26, 1942, which killed 1,549 miners...
, which left 1,099 dead on 10 March 1906. The communes affected were Méricourt, Billy-Montigny
Billy-Montigny
Billy-Montigny is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:An ex-coalmining industrial town situated just east of the centre of Lens at the junction of the N43 and D46 roads...
, Noyelles-sous-Lens
Noyelles-sous-Lens
Noyelles-sous-Lens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Administration:Noyelles-sous-Lens belongs to the intercommunality of Lens-Liévin, which consists of 36 communes, with a total population of 250,000 inhabitants.-Twin towns:...
and Sallaumines
Sallaumines
-Administration:Sallaumines is located in the Pas-de-Calais department. It belongs to the Lens-Liévin interommunality which consists of 36 communes, with a total population of 250,000 inhabitants.-History:...
.
It was at Méricourt that the memorial to the mining disaster was erected. Since 2006, the memorial has also included an overground pathway retracing the route underground of the survivors who managed to get out of the galleries about three weeks after the collapse and resulting firedamp and dust.
Population
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13,200 | 13,416 | 13,806 | 13,273 | 12,330 | 11,723 | 11,938 |
| Census count starting from 1962: Population without duplicates | ||||||
Places of interest
- The church of St.Martin, rebuilt along with most of the town, after the First World War.
- The church of St.Barbe, dating from the nineteenth century.
- Vestiges of an old chateauChâteauA château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
. - The memorials.