Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Neuville-Saint-Vaast | |
|---|---|
 Town hall and the church | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Neuville-Saint-Vaast  | |
  Neuville-Saint-Vaast  Neuville-Saint-Vaast | |
| Coordinates: 50°21′22″N 2°45′32″E / 50.3561°N 2.7589°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Pas-de-Calais |
| Arrondissement | Arras |
| Canton | Arras-1 |
| Intercommunality | CU Arras |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Jean-Pierre Puchois[1] |
Area 1 | 12.59 km2 (4.86 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 1,603 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 62609 /62580 |
| Elevation | 81–144 m (266–472 ft) (avg. 107 m or 351 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Neuville-Saint-Vaast (French pronunciation: [nøvil sɛ̃ va]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France[3] 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) south of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial dedicated to the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Memorial was built on Hill 145, the highest point of the ridge[4] to commemorate the battle and the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the First World War. The Memorial is also the site of the Canadian Cemetery No. 2, Neuville-St.-Vaast and Givenchy Road Canadian Cemetery, Neuville-St.-Vaast.[5][6]
The Neuville-St Vaast German war cemetery (also called Maison Blanche) is the largest in France from WWI, with 44,833 buried here.[7]
Geography
[edit]Neuville-Saint-Vaast is 4 miles (6 km) north of Arras. Vimy Ridge rises from Neuville-St.-Vaast to its high point at Hill 145 (the location of the Canadian Memorial), where there is a steep drop off.[6]
History
[edit]In World War I, Neuville-Saint-Vaast was the location of intense mining activity by the tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers. In March 1916, the New Zealand Tunnelling Company relieved the French 7/1 compagnie d'ingénieurs territoriaux in the "Labyrinth" sector of the Western Front. The German "Labyrinth" stronghold was located near Neuville-Saint-Vaast, between Roclincourt and Écurie and not far from Notre Dame de Lorette.[8] On 29 March 1916, the New Zealand Tunnelling Company exchanged position with the 185th Tunnelling Company and moved to Roclincourt-Chantecler, a kilometre south of their old sector.[8] The 176th Tunnelling Company moved to Neuville-Saint-Vaast in April 1916 and remained there for a considerable time,[9] as did the 172nd Tunnelling Company, which was relieved at Neuville-Saint-Vaast by the 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company in May 1916.[9]
Population
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 927 | — |
| 1975 | 973 | +0.69% |
| 1982 | 1,129 | +2.15% |
| 1990 | 1,295 | +1.73% |
| 1999 | 1,400 | +0.87% |
| 2007 | 1,477 | +0.67% |
| 2012 | 1,510 | +0.44% |
| 2017 | 1,526 | +0.21% |
| Source: INSEE[10] | ||
Places of interest
[edit]Notable people
[edit]- Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, sculptor, died in the fighting here on the 5 June 1915.
- François Hennebique, an inventor of reinforced concrete, was born here on the 26 April 1842.
See also
[edit]- Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department
- Givenchy Road Canadian Cemetery
- Canadian Cemetery No. 2
- Neuville-St Vaast German war cemetery
- Battle of Vimy Ridge
References
[edit]- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ "Fast Facts - Canadian National Vimy Memorial - Veterans Affairs Canada". 20 February 2019.
- ^ "Canadian National Vimy Memorial, France". The Great War UK. 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
The ridge runs in a direction from Givenchy-en-Gohelle in the north-west to Farbus in the south-east.
- ^ a b "Canadian National Vimy Memorial, France".
- ^ "Neuville-Saint-Vaast German Military Cemetery "La Maison Blanche"".
- ^ a b Byledbal, Anthony. "New Zealand Tunnelling Company: Chronology". Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ a b "The Tunnelling Companies RE". The Long, Long Trail. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
External links
[edit]
- Official website of the commune (in French)
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission British cemetery at Neuville-Saint-Vaast (La Targette)
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