Editing Béthune

{{Redirect|Bethune}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name                   = Béthune
|commune status         = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
|image                  = Bethune beffroi et mairie 1544x778.jpg
|caption                = Grand Place with the belfry on the left and the [[Hôtel de Ville, Béthune|Hôtel de Ville]] on the right
|image coat of arms     = Blason Maison de Béthune.svg
|arrondissement         = Béthune
|canton                 = Béthune
|INSEE                  = 62119
|postal code            = 62400
|mayor                  = Olivier Gacquerre<ref>{{cite web |title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires |url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503 |website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=2 December 2020 |language=fr}}</ref>
|term                   = 2020&ndash;2026
|intercommunality       = [[Communauté d'agglomération de Béthune-Bruay, Artois-Lys Romane|CA Béthune-Bruay, Artois-Lys Romane]]
|coordinates            = {{Coord|50.5303|2.6408|type:city(25,000)_region:FR-62|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m            = 26
|elevation min m        = 18
|elevation max m        = 42
|area km2               = 9.43
|population             = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}

'''Béthune''' ({{IPA|fr|betyn|-|Fr-Béthune.ogg}} ; archaic {{Langx|nl|Betun}} and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a town in northern [[France]], [[Subprefectures in France|sub-prefecture]] of the [[Pas-de-Calais]] [[Departments of France|department]].<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/62119-bethune INSEE commune file]</ref>

==Geography==
Béthune is located in the [[Provinces of France|former province]] of [[Artois]]. It is situated {{convert|73|km|0|abbr=off}} south-east of [[Calais]], {{convert|33|km|0|abbr=off}} west of [[Lille]], and {{convert|186|km|0|abbr=off}} north of [[Paris]].

==Landmarks==
Béthune is a town rich in architectural heritage and history. It has, among other features, a large paved square with shops, cafés, and a {{convert|47|m|ft|adj=mid|-tall}} (133 steps) belfry standing in the center from the top of which the Belgian border can be seen. The [[Chime (bell instrument)|chim]]e of the [[Belfry (architecture)|belfry]] is composed of thirty-six bells. A belfry (French:''"beffroi"'') has stood on the site since 1346.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ville-bethune.fr/dec_patri_beffroi.html |title=La ville de Béthune - Le beffroi de Béthune |publisher=Ville-bethune.fr |access-date=2013-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100224040428/http://www.ville-bethune.fr/dec_patri_beffroi.html |archive-date=2010-02-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The current belfry plays melodies every 15 minutes, including the [[ch'ti]] (regional [[patois]]) children's [[lullaby]] "min p'tit quinquin" (my little darling).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chblog.com/post/2005/04/30/74-dors-min-petit-quinquin |title=Dors min petit quinquin - Chblog, le blog chti |publisher=Chblog.com |access-date=2013-03-26}}</ref> In 2005, the belfry was inscribed on the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage List]] as part of the [[Belfries of Belgium and France]] site, because of its architecture and testimony to the rise of municipal power in Europe.<ref name = "unesco">{{cite web |url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/943 |title= Belfries of Belgium and France  |website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date = 5 November 2021}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Picturesque view of the ruined town of Bethune (4688609382).jpg|thumb|200px|left|Béthune after the German bombardment of May 1918]]

[[Hugh Hastings (died 1347)|Hugh Hastings]] (died 1347), King [[Edward III of England]]'s captain and lieutenant in [[County of Flanders|Flanders]], mounted an attack and laid siege to Béthune, with a combined English and Flemish force, during a diversionary raid as part of [[Chevauchée of Edward III (1346)|Chevauchée of Edward III of 1346]]. The Flemish component proved undisciplined and the siege was abandoned in failure before the end of August.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Livingstone|first1=Marilyn|last2= Witzel|first2=Morgen|date=2005|title=The Road to Crécy: The English Invasion of France, 1346|location= Harlow |publisher= Pearson Education |page=143 |isbn=978-0582784208 }}</ref>

During the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] in July–August 1710, Béthune was besieged by forces of the [[Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg)|Grand Alliance]]. The town eventually surrendered after a vigorous defence conducted by Antoine de Vauban (1654–1731), a relative of the famous military engineer [[Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban|Vauban]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reeve |first1=JPF |title=The Siege of Bethune 1710: The Journals of Private Deane and General Vauban Compared |journal=Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research |date=1986 |volume=64 |issue=260 |pages=205–211 |jstor=44226494 }}</ref>

[[File:Bethune Town Cemetery -16.jpg|thumb|upright|Béthune British Military Cemetery]]
In [[World War I]], Béthune was an important railway junction and command centre for the British [[Canadian Corps]] and [[Indian Army during World War I#Indian Expeditionary Force A|Indian Expeditionary Force]],  as well as the 33rd Casualty Station until December 1917. It initially suffered little damage until the second phase of the [[Ludendorff Offensive]] in April 1918, when German forces reached [[Locon]], {{convert|5|km|0|abbr=on}} away. On 21 May, a bombardment destroyed large parts of the town, killing more than 100 civilians.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bethune; Monuments aux Mortes |url=http://memoiresdepierre.pagesperso-orange.fr/alphabetnew/b/bethune.html |website=Memoires de Pierre |access-date=5 January 2019}}</ref> Over 3,200 casualties are buried in [[Bethune Town Cemetery|Béthune Town Cemetery]], the Commonwealth section of which was designed by [[Edwin Lutyens]]; the majority are British (2,933) or Canadian (55), the remainder German.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bethune; Monuments aux Mortes |url=http://memoiresdepierre.pagesperso-orange.fr/alphabetnew/b/bethune.html |website=Memoires de Pierre |access-date=5 January 2019|language=fr}}</ref>

Rebuilt after the war (the rebuilding of the [[Hôtel de Ville, Béthune|Hôtel de Ville]] was completed in 1929),<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA62000040}}</ref> Béthune was badly damaged once more by air attacks and house to house fighting on 24–26 May 1940 when it was captured by the [[3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf|SS Panzer Division Totenkopf]]. The Totenkopf suffered heavy casualties and anger at their losses allegedly played a role in the [[Le Paradis massacre]] on 27 May, when 97 members of the [[Royal Norfolk Regiment]] were shot after surrendering.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Julian |title=The Fall Of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940 (Making of the Modern World) |date=2003 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]], U.S.A. |isbn=978-0192805508 |pages=301–302}}</ref> During the war, many townspeople were deported to work in Germany; the town was officially liberated on 4 September 1944.<ref>{{cite web |title=Béthune en 1939-1945 |url=http://www.ajpn.org/commune-Bethune-en-1939-1945-62119.html |website=Ajpn.org |access-date=5 January 2019}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[File:Pas de Calais est.png|thumb|left|250px|East of Pas-de-Calais (Béthune, Lens, Hénin-Beaumont)]]
[[Béthune station]] has seven daily TGV trains to Paris, a journey which takes 1 hour 15 minutes. There are also regular trains to Lille, Amiens, Dunkerque and several regional destinations.

Béthune is served by the [[Lens-Béthune bus network]].

By car, Béthune is accessible from the [[A26 autoroute|A26]] which intersects the [[A1 autoroute|A1]] (Lille to Paris) {{convert|42|km|0|abbr=off}} to the south-east. By road, it is 2 hours 30 minutes from [[Paris]], 1 hour from [[Calais]], 30 minutes from [[Arras]] and 40 minutes from [[Lille]]. By using the [[Channel Tunnel]] and the [[A26 autoroute|A26]], Béthune is 3 hours 30 minutes from [[London]] and 6 hours 45 minutes from [[Manchester]]. Using road connections on mainland Europe it is nearly 2 hours from [[Brussels]], 3 hours from [[Aix-La-Chapelle]], 3 hours from [[Cologne]], 8 hours 30 minutes from [[Berlin]] and 3 hours 30 minutes from [[Amsterdam]].

==Population==

The inhabitants are called ''Béthunois''.

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|4023|Béthune}}</ref> and INSEE (1968–2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-62119#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |6932
|1800 |6046
|1806 |6379
|1821 |6319
|1831 |6889
|1836 |6805
|1841 |7448
|1846 |7727
|1851 |7692
|1856 |7720
|1861 |8264
|1866 |8178
|1872 |8410
|1876 |9315
|1881 |10374
|1886 |10917
|1891 |11098
|1896 |11627
|1901 |12404
|1906 |13607
|1911 |15309
|1921 |16795
|1926 |20141
|1931 |19956
|1936 |20073
|1946 |22081
|1954 |22376
|1962 |23445
|1968 |27154
|1975 |26982
|1982 |25508
|1990 |24556
|1999 |27808
|2007 |25982
|2012 |25694
|2017 |24895
}}

==Notable people==
Béthune was the birthplace of:
* [[Jean Buridan]], [[philosopher]]
* [[Antoine Busnois]], [[composer]] and [[poet]] of the early [[Renaissance music|Renaissance]]
* [[Jérôme Leroy (footballer)|Jérôme Leroy]], former captain of [[RC Lens]] and current [[FC Sochaux]] midfielder in [[France]]
* [[Pierre de Manchicourt]], Renaissance composer
* [[Nicolas Fauvergue]], [[football (soccer)|football]]er
* [[Thomas Crecquillon]], the Renaissance composer, probably died here.
* [[Tristan Charpentier]], racing driver
Béthune is also associated with the following historic personalities:
* [[Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully]], general and statesman
* [[Conon de Béthune]], crusader and ''[[trouvère]]'' poet

==Sport==
Stade Béthunois Football Club represent Béthune and was formed in 1902.<ref>[[:fr:Stade béthunois FC]]</ref> They currently play in Nord-Pas-de-Calais league.

==Twin towns and sister cities ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}
Béthune is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Schwerte]], [[Germany]]
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Hastings]], [[United Kingdom]] since 1972.<ref>{{cite web |title=British Towns Twinned with French Towns |url=https://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |website=Complete France |access-date=22 July 2021}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|France}} [[Sully-sur-Loire]], [[France]]
*{{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Kortrijk]], [[Belgium]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Bellfoi de Béthune.jpg
File:Bethune beffroi et mairie 1544x778.jpg
File:Bethune GrandPlace1.jpg
File:Bethune ruines recollets.JPG
File:Façade du Lab-Labanque Photo Denis Toulet.jpg
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Béthune}}
*[http://www.mairie-bethune.fr/ Béthune city council website] (in French)
*[http://www.theotherside.co.uk/tm-heritage/towns/bethune.htm Béthune on Heritage Towns]
*[http://www.nordmag.com/nord_pas_de_calais/bethune/bethune_historique.htm "Histoire de Béthune"] (in French)

{{Pas-de-Calais communes}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bethune}}
[[Category:Béthune| ]]
[[Category:Communes of Pas-de-Calais]]
[[Category:Subprefectures in France]]
[[Category:County of Artois]]