Bully-les-Mines

French commune
nomcommune=Bully-les-Mines
région=Nord-Pas-de-Calais
département=Pas-de-Calais
arrondissement=Lens
canton=Bully-les-Mines
insee=62186
cp= 62160
maire= François Lemaire
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Communaupole de Lens-Liévin
longitude=2.72527777778
latitude=50.4425
alt moy= 19
alt mini= 38
alt maxi= 92
hectares= 766
km²= 7.66
sans=12,045
date-sans=1999
dens=1572
date-dens=1999

Bully-les-Mines is a commune of the Pas-de-Calais département in France, seat of the canton of the same name in the arrondissement of Lens. It forms part of the Lens-Liévin agglomeration, which encompasses thirty-six French communes and 250,000 inhabitants..

History

The name of Bully-les-Mines has frequently changed over the centuries : from Bulgi (in 1135), to Bugi (1152), Builli (1157), Bullia (1198), Bully (1270), Boulli (1303), Buylly (1410), Builly-lez-Aix (1486), Builly-lez-Grenay (1511), Builly-en-Gohelle (1569), Bully-en-Gohelle (1709), Bully-Grenay (1750), Bully-en-Gohelle (1782), and finally to Bully-les-Mines in 1925.

According to many sources, the name has Gaulish origins. Ricouart proposes that "Bullire" derives from the French "bouillonner," a reference to the source of the river Surgeon in a neighboring commune. The current use of "les mines" indicates the importance of mining to the commune and the region. The train station has maintained the older name of Bully-Grenay, leading to occasional confusion among travellers.

Although the region has been inhabited from prehistory onward, no evidence of prehistoric settlements has yet been found at Bully. The oldest relic so far discovered in the commune is a Celtic bracelet; Bully once belonged to the "Pagus Silvinus" region of the Atrébates. Gallo-Roman discoveries have been numerous within the commune.

During the sixth century, Bully came under the spiritual leadership of the bishop of Cambrai-Arras.

As an integral part of Artois, Bully fell under the domination of the Counts of Flanders from 862 to 1191 before passing with the rest of the region to French control. Governed directly by the French Crown from 1191 to 1237, the town and region remained part of France until 1384, when they submitted to the rule of Burgundy. A brief return to French control between 1477 and 1492 ended in an absorption into Spanish territory, which lasted until the region returned definitively to France with the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees.

Misfortunes of Bully

Bully's close proximity to three military strongholds - Arras, Béthune, and Lens - often situated it in the path of war. In 1213 the village was raided; in 1303 it was destroyed completely, even its trees cut down. In 1348 a third of the population fell to the Black Death, which returned four times in the next century, alternating with famines and wars.

In 1537 Bully was sacked by the troops of Louis XII, and similar misfortunes continued until the French took Lens in 1556-1557. By this time Bully was so destitute that the victorious French proved unable to levy a tax on its inhabitants. In 1648, the village billeted troops involved in the Battle of Lens.

From 1709 to 1712, Bully was buffeted by the advances and retreats of armies fighting in the War of the Spanish Succession, a situation aggravated by an epidemic that killed 24 villagers. In 1796, a fire destroyed half the village, an event commemorated by the present-day "Chemin brûlé."

Administration

Michel Vancaille, onetime vice-president of the Conseil Général of the Pas-de-Calais, served as mayor of Bully-les-Mines from 1989 to 2002, when he was replaced by fellow Socialist François Lemaire.

Historic Sites and Monuments

The bell tower of the Church of Saint-Maclou is inscribed in the French registry of historic sites and monuments.

Information provided by : [http://www.culture.gouv.fr/documentation/memoire/LISTES/bases/france-dpt.htm Mérimée, base de données du Ministère de la culture]

Famous Personalities Linked to Bully

* André Strappe, footballer (1928-2006)
* Edouard Pignon, painter (1905-1993)
* Henri Trannin, footballer. Goalkeeper for RC Lens at 18, Sporting Director of Lens from 1952 to 1956, deceased in July 1974 ; a stand of Lens' Félix Bollaert Stadium bears his name.
* Jean-Marie Vanlerenberghe, mayor of Arras and MoDem Senator for the Pas-de-Calais

ee also

* Communes of Pas-de-Calais
* Mining Basin of Nord-Pas-de-Calais

External Links (in French)

* [http://www.ville-bullylesmines.fr The website of the Town of Bully-les-Mines]
* [http://www.agglo-lenslievin.fr The website of the Lens-Liévin Communaupole]
* [http://bullyjeunesse.free.fr The website of the Bully-les-Mines Youth Centre]
* [http://efmbully.free.fr The website of the Espace François Mitterrand in Bully-les-Mines]
* [http://www.ign.fr/affiche_rubrique.asp?rbr_id=1087&CommuneId=58711 Bully-les-Mines on the website of the French National Geographic Institute]
* [http://www.recensement.insee.fr/RP99/rp99/co_navigation.co_page?nivgeo=C&codgeo=62186&theme=ALL&typeprod=ALL&lang=FR&quelcas=LISTE Bully-les-Mines on the website of INSEE]
* [http://www.quid.fr/communes.html?mode=query&req=Bully-les-Mines Bully-les-Mines on the Quid website]
* [http://www.lion1906.com/Pages/ResultatLocalisation.php?InseeVille=620186 Location of Bully-les-Mines in France, with neighboring communes]
* [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=50.4425&longitude=2.72527777777778&zoom=8 Map of Bully-les-Mines on Mapquest]