Helfaut
Helfaut (French pronunciation: [ɛlfo]; West Flemish: Helveld; Picard: Hérfauw) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France 4 miles (6 km) south of Saint-Omer, on a geological formation called the "plateau d'Helfaut", which separates the Aa valley to the north from the Lys valley, to the south.
The commune is home to rare and protected species in a heathland landscape, which is unusual for northern France and led to the creation of a nature reserve (Les Landes d'Helfaut).
Population
The inhabitants are called Helfalois.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1,139 | — |
| 1975 | 1,248 | +1.31% |
| 1982 | 1,426 | +1.92% |
| 1990 | 1,671 | +2.00% |
| 1999 | 1,693 | +0.15% |
| 2007 | 1,750 | +0.41% |
| 2012 | 1,596 | −1.83% |
| 2017 | 1,697 | +1.23% |
| Source: INSEE | ||
History
In World War II the village was the site of La coupole, an underground bunker housing a huge concrete dome, built by the Nazis between 1943 and 1944 to serve as a launching base for V2 rockets, which never entered service because of bombing raids by the Allies. It has been transformed into a museum.
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ "Journées européennes du patrimoine, dossier de presse" (PDF). Ministère de la culture. p. 95. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Helfaut.
- Statistical data, INSEE
| Authority control databases: National |
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