Imphy
Industrial history
Imphy is known in particular for its steel-works, renowned for their special steels which were useful in particular for the north foot of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. The Société de Commentry, Fourchambault et Decazeville was formed in 1853 through a merger of the Fourchambault foundry, Imphy steelworks, Montluçon (Allier) foundry and Commentry (Allier) colliery. The Imphy steelworks was detached from the company and combined with the Saint-Seurin steelworks. They were adapted to use the Bessemer process. In 1869 the two steelworks were reunited with the company. In 1954 the company was renamed the Société métallurgique d'Imphy. In 1968 it was merged with the Société des forges et aciéries du Creusot, which in 1971 became Creusot-Loire. The combined company was in turn absorbed by Creusot-Loire (Saône-et-Loire) in 1971. The Creusot-Loire group was liquidated in December 1984.
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 5,183 | — |
| 1975 | 4,678 | −1.45% |
| 1982 | 4,930 | +0.75% |
| 1990 | 4,478 | −1.19% |
| 1999 | 4,015 | −1.21% |
| 2007 | 3,764 | −0.80% |
| 2012 | 3,637 | −0.68% |
| 2017 | 3,345 | −1.66% |
| Source: INSEE | ||
The fall in population since the 1990s is attributed to a decline in industrial activities in the area. At one time the factories of Imphy employed up to 3,000 workers. Today, they (ArcelorMittal and Aubert&Duval) employ only about 1,000 workers.
Notable personalities
- Hubert Bourdot (Imphy, 30 October 1861 – 30 September 1937) was a French Roman Catholic priest and mycologist
- Charles Cliquet (Imphy, 21 January 1891 - Paris, 27 March 1956), member of French Resistance, Compagnon de la Libération
- Stéphane Faye (Imphy, 10 May 1867 - Saint-Avé, 15 November 1947), writer
Imphy in the cinema
In Luc Moullet's short film, Imphy capitale de la France (1995), Moullet proposed making the town of Imphy the new capital of France, being ideally situated at the geographic centre of France.
See also
References
- ^ "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
- ^ Aperam Alloys Imphy, on the web site imphy.com. Retrieved 3 January 2017. (in French)
- ^ Société de Commentry - Fourchambault – industrie.lu.
- ^ Dassé 2006, p. 3.
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
Sources
- Dassé, Pauline (2006), Société de Commentry, Fourchambault et Decazeville (59 Aq Et 1996 064 - 36 Mi) Inventaire Des Archives Photographiques (PDF) (in French), Centre Des Archives du Monde du Travail, retrieved 3 August 2017
- "Société de Commentry - Fourchambault", industrie.lu (in French), retrieved 2 August 2017
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