Bessèges
Commune in Occitanie, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bessèges (French pronunciation: [besɛʒ]; Occitan: Besseja) is a commune in the Gard department in France. It is situated on the river Cèze.[3]
Bessèges | |
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.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Bessèges | |
  Bessèges  Bessèges | |
| 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 km2 (3.98 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 2,606 |
| • Density | 252.5/km2 (654.0/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 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
History
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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2023)[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
