Hénin-Beaumont (; pcd, Hinnin-Biaumont) is a commune in the

Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost Regions of France, region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its Prefectu ...

region of France.INSEE commune file
/ref>

Geography

Hénin-Beaumont used to be a

coalmining Coal mining is the process of extracting 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 ...

town and is now a light industrial town situated some east of Lens, at the junction of the N43, D919 and the D39 roads. The

A21 autoroute The A21 autoroute is a toll free highway in north western France it is also known as the ''Rocade Minière''. It is long. Junctions Completed In construction Upgrade of N455 between Flers-en-Escrebieux and Pecquencourt which is the northern ...

passes through the northern part of the commune.

History

The commune came into existence in 1971, the result of a merger of the communes of Hénin-Liétard and Beaumont. Hénin-Beaumont has been populated since before the arrival of the Romans, attested by excavations in the 19th century, where coins and other remains were found. In 880, the town was the victim of the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

invasion. The town's name has changed over the centuries. From around the year 950, there are various documents listing it as ''Hennium'', ''Henninium'' or ''Heninium'' and later as ''St Martinus Henain''. In 1274 it appeared for the first time under the name ''Hanin-le-Liétard'', after the seigneur, either in recognition of services rendered to the city for its fortifications, or simply to distinguish it from the nearby commune of Hénin-on-Cojeul. Henin-Beaumont Maisons-miniers

Beaumont - World War I war damage (16100673337)

In 1852, the discovery of coal deposits in the

brought Hénin-Liétard into the industrial age. From around 1856, many foreign workers came to Henin-Liétard to work in the mines. The railway came to the town at around the same time, in 1859. During World War I, the German occupation was harsh and destructive. On the night of 3/4 October 1914, the invaders looted and ransacked the town. In April 1917, the town suffered almost total destruction as the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

dislodged the Germans, who blew up the church of Saint-Martin before leaving the city. After the signing of the armistice, the original inhabitants returned on 2 December 1918. The town hall was rebuilt in 1925. In 1928, La Compagnie des Mines de Dourges built the church of Sainte-Marie for the miners. The church of Saint-Martin was rebuilt in Greco-Byzantine style by the architect Boutterin in 1932. The new railway station was opened in 1933. At the end of the Second World War Hénin-Beaumont was liberated by the

, in September 1944.

Politics

In the 2009 election to replace the incumbent Socialist mayor who had resigned after a corruption scandal, the National Front took first place in the first round with 39% of the vote. A left-wing list was second with 20% of the vote. This led all other parties including the center-right Union for a Popular Movement to support the list led by the independent left-wing candidate, Daniel Duquenne in the second round runoff. Duquenne won the race 52%-48%. In the first round of the 2012 presidential election,

Marine Le Pen Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician who ran for the French presidency in 2012, 2017, and 2022. A member of the National Rally (RN; previously the National Front, FN), she served as its pre ...

won in Hénin-Beaumont, with 35% of the vote, ahead of

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...

(27%) and

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

(16%). In 2014, the far right

Front National The National Rally (french: Rassemblement National, ; RN), until 2018 known as the National Front (french: link=no, Front National, ; FN), is a far-rightAbridged list of reliable sources that refer to National Rally as far-right: Academic: ...

won control of the city outright. FN politician

Steeve Briois Steeve Briois (born 28 November 1972) is a French politician. In 2017, he was interim leader of the National Front. In 2014, he was elected mayor of Hénin-Beaumont and a member of the European Parliament. From 2011 to 2014, he was general-secret ...

was elected mayor with 50.3 percent of the vote. The town has been noted for its political control swinging from socialist to

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

Population

Places of interest

* Vestiges of an old castle. * The churches of St.Martin and St.Marie, both dating from the twentieth century. * The war memorial. * The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.

International relations

Hénin-Beaumont is twinned with: * Konin, Poland * Herne, Germany * Wakefield, England, United Kingdom *

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, Senegal *

Rolling Meadows Rolling Meadows is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 24,200. History In 1836, Orrin Ford became the first landowner in the area that is now Rolling Meadows, staking his claim of in an area ...