Norrent-Fontes

Norrent-Fontes
Norrent-Fontes
Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region  Norrent-Fontes
Coordinates: 50°35′19″N 2°24′29″E / 50.5886°N 2.4081°ECoordinates: 50°35′19″N 2°24′29″E / 50.5886°N 2.4081°E
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Béthune
Canton	Canton of Norrent-Fontes
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes Artois-Lys
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Marc Boulnois
Area^1	5.7 km^2 (2.2 sq mi)
Population (2006)^2	1,460
• Density	260/km^2 (660/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	62620 / 62120
Elevation	19–63 m (62–207 ft) (avg. 27 m or 89 ft)
^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.

Norrent-Fontes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

Norrent-Fontes is situated some 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Béthune and 33 miles (53.1 km) west of Lille, at the junction of the D94 and D91 roads. The A26 autoroute passes through the commune.

History

Known to the Romans as Norremum, later as Norrem, in 1211 and then Norrenc in 1240. The hamlet of Fontes was known as Adfondenis in 654. After the French Revolution, the commune was created from the village of Norrent and the three hamlets of Fontes, Goulay and Malznoi.
Between the two world wars, the commune was home to one of the biggest military airfields in northern France. Abandoned in 1940, the site was reused by the Germans to launch V1 missiles towards London, in 1944. The remains are still visible from the Rely road.

Population

Population history

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006
1280	1343	1401	1490	1499	1444	1460
Census count starting from 1962: Population without duplicates

Places of interest

• The church of St. Vaast, dating from the sixteenth century.
• Two old mills and some ancient houses.
• The war memorial.

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• Personal website about the commune (French)
• The war memorial (French)
• Norrent-Fontes on the Quid website (French)