Isbergues

French commune
name= Isbergues
region=
departement=
arrondissement=Béthune
canton= Norrent-Fontes
insee=62473
cp=62330
maire=Jacques Napieraj
mandat=2008-2014
intercomm=Communauté de communes Artois Flandres
longitude=2.4575
latitude=50.6241666667
alt moy=19 m
alt mini=16 m
alt maxi=44 m
hectares=1437
km²=14,37
sans=9836
date-sans=1999
dens=684|

Isbergues is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais "département" in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

An industrial and farming town, situated some convert|10|mi|km|1 northwest of Béthune and convert|29|mi|km|1 west of Lille at the junction of the D186, D187 and the D91 roads and by the banks of the Canal d’Aire.
On the 1st January, 1996, the former communes of Molinghem, Berguette and Isbergues were consolidated into a single commune and took the name of Isbergues.

History

The town was first known for the legend of St. Isbergues, the daughter of Pepin the Short and the sister of Charlemagne, who could supposedly cure diseases of the skin and eyes. The town has experienced strong industrial development from the mid-19th century, thanks to the proximity of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coal deposits. The steel industry has benefitted from the use of the vast spaces besides the Canal d’Aire, which connects the town to the English Channel and the North Sea via the Deûle and the canals of northern Europe to the east. The area is also served by railway. The metal industry has marked the landscape and was a source of significant pollution, but it also made the fortunes of the town. The steelworks still employed 410 people in 2006. The Mittal company has pledged 2.5 million euros over three years as part of a revitalization plan. Several other industrial projects are planned for the commune in 2008.

Population

Places of interest

* The church of St. Isbergues, dating from the 15th century.
* The chapel of St. Isbergues, dating from the 17th century.
* A 17th century farmhouse at Molinghem.
* The church of St. Pierre, at Berguette, dating from the 19th century.
* The church of St. Maurice, at Molinghem, dating from the 19th century.
* The modern church of Saint-Eloi.
* The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.

The Grand Prix d'Isbergues is a cycling race first created in 1945 through the district of Pont-Balque. The town has organised events since 1947. This is the only exclusively professional cycling race in the department. It is ranked 1.1 by the Union Cycliste Internationale and is scheduled for the UCI Europe Tour.
It is also registered as a qualifier for the Coupe de France.
The Grand Prix d'Isbergues has experienced great champions such as Jacques Anquetil, Poulidor, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond.

See also

*Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

External links

* [http://www.quid.fr/communes.html?mode=detail&id=26963&req=Isbergues Isbergues on the Quid website] fr
* [http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=28504&mode=1 The CWGC graves in the communal cemetery]

Notes

*"This article is based on the equivalent article from the French Wikipedia, consulted on July 23th 2008."