Bessèges

Bessèges
Commune
Coat of arms
Location of Bessèges
Bessèges Show map of France Bessèges Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 44°17′33″N 4°06′05″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Gard
Arrondissement	Alès
Canton	Rousson
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Bernard Portales[1]
Area ^1	10.32 km^2 (3.98 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	2,695
• Density	260/km^2 (680/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	30037 /30160
Elevation	146–492 m (479–1,614 ft) (avg. 170 m or 560 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bessèges (French pronunciation: [besɛʒ]; Occitan: Besseja) is a commune in the Gard department in France. It is situated on the river Cèze.^[3]

History

The former railway station

Historically Bessèges was a hamlet of Robiac. Its importance began with the opening of a coal mine in 1809, followed by an iron and steel plant in 1833, and eventually the railway reached it in 1857. The commune was created in 1857 from parts of Gagnières and Robiac-Rochessadoule.^[4]

At its peak in the late 19th century, the population was over 11,000. However, during the 20th century it declined and eventually the mine was abandoned in 1964, and the steel-works in 1987. Today its economy is based on tourism, and it is home to the Étoile de Bessèges road bicycle race.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1861 7,055 —     1866 8,671 +4.21% 1872 8,908 +0.45% 1876 10,668 +4.61% 1881 11,404 +1.34% 1886 10,653 −1.35% 1891 8,673 −4.03% 1896 7,962 −1.70% 1901 9,040 +2.57% 1906 8,219 −1.89% 1911 8,030 −0.46% 1921 6,368 −2.29% 1926 7,062 +2.09%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1931 6,357 −2.08% 1936 5,425 −3.12% 1946 5,648 +0.40% 1954 5,823 +0.38% 1962 5,720 −0.22% 1968 5,421 −0.89% 1975 5,255 −0.44% 1982 4,352 −2.66% 1990 3,635 −2.23% 1999 3,137 −1.62% 2007 3,196 +0.23% 2012 3,051 −0.92% 2017 2,844 −1.40%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

See also

• Communes of the Gard department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bessèges" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 822.
4. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Bessèges, EHESS (in French).
5. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE

External links

• Official website (in French)