Gardanne
| Gardanne | ||
|---|---|---|
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View of Gardanne by Cézanne | ||
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  Gardanne | ||
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Location within Provence-A.-C.d'A. region  Gardanne | ||
| Coordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°28′34″E / 43.4553°N 5.476°ECoordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°28′34″E / 43.4553°N 5.476°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | |
| Department | Bouches-du-Rhône | |
| Arrondissement | Aix-en-Provence | |
| Canton | Gardanne | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Roger Meï | |
| Area1 | 27.02 km2 (10.43 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 21,121 | |
| • Density | 780/km2 (2,000/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 13041 / 13120 | |
| Elevation |
170–387 m (558–1,270 ft) (avg. 205 m or 673 ft) | |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | ||
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Gardanne is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.
Geography
It is close to Aix-en-Provence and Marseille and lies on the rail link connecting the two cities.
History
Walls dating back to the first century AD have been found.[1]
In 1454 René d'Anjou bought the estate and would go there until 1480.[1] In 1482 it was bought back by the Forbins[1] and in 1676 the villagers themselves bought back their own land.[1]
In the 1860s a railway was built[1] and a little later mines were dug, thus attracting Italian, Armenian, Polish, Czech, Spanish and African workers to the village.[1] The deep mine, one of the last surviving in France, was closed down in 2003.[1]
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1793 | 2,253 | — |
| 1800 | 2,353 | +4.4% |
| 1806 | 2,428 | +3.2% |
| 1821 | 2,823 | +16.3% |
| 1831 | 3,234 | +14.6% |
| 1836 | 2,795 | −13.6% |
| 1841 | 2,609 | −6.7% |
| 1846 | 2,869 | +10.0% |
| 1851 | 2,837 | −1.1% |
| 1856 | 2,710 | −4.5% |
| 1861 | 2,739 | +1.1% |
| 1866 | 2,570 | −6.2% |
| 1872 | 2,566 | −0.2% |
| 1876 | 3,062 | +19.3% |
| 1881 | 2,781 | −9.2% |
| 1886 | 2,657 | −4.5% |
| 1891 | 2,797 | +5.3% |
| 1896 | 3,062 | +9.5% |
| 1901 | 3,593 | +17.3% |
| 1906 | 4,062 | +13.1% |
| 1911 | 4,242 | +4.4% |
| 1921 | 5,301 | +25.0% |
| 1926 | 6,460 | +21.9% |
| 1931 | 7,128 | +10.3% |
| 1936 | 7,334 | +2.9% |
| 1946 | 7,979 | +8.8% |
| 1954 | 8,973 | +12.5% |
| 1962 | 11,261 | +25.5% |
| 1968 | 12,601 | +11.9% |
| 1975 | 14,120 | +12.1% |
| 1982 | 15,122 | +7.1% |
| 1990 | 17,864 | +18.1% |
| 1999 | 19,323 | +8.2% |
| 2008 | 21,121 | +9.3% |
Politics
The commune of Gardanne has been controlled by the Parti Communiste Français under Roger Meï since 1977. Voting is usually towards the left-wing, although rather uncharacteristically Nicolas Sarkozy gained 53.1% of the vote in the second round of the French presidential election, 2007.
Picture gallery
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Centrale Thermique de Provence and the preserved Puits Z
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Puits Yvon-Morandat
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Cooling tower of the coal-fired Centrale Thermique de Provence
See also
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gardanne. |
- Official website (French)
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