Mining development in the Hauts-de-France
Coal mining in the region dates back to 1720, when ore was discovered in Anzin, a commune in the Valenciennois region of northern France. Until 1990, an area 120 km long and 12 km wide, representing 10% of the region's surface area and straddling the Nord and Pas-de-Calais départements, was mined. For a time, this mining led to real economic development in the region. The region's inhabitants have inherited this distinctive landscape, transformed by man, and the Ch'ti culture of which they are so proud. More than 700 mining towns, the famous "corons" sung by Pierre Bachelet, a dozen museums and four pits can be visited today, not forgetting the impressive slag heaps, man-made mounds on which vegetation now takes its ease and where you can enjoy hiking, mountain biking, the ever-increasing number of trails and even skiing at Nœux-les-Mines!
The legacy of the mining industry has become a real feature of the coalfield, and has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2012. There are many slag heaps - around 200 of them - and some of them are particularly popular, such as the Rieulay slag heap and its leisure center, the Renard slag heap in Denain, where Emile Zola wrote his novel Germinal, and the twin slag heaps in Loos-en-Gohelle... Other mining sites, such as the 11/19 base, which includes the 11/19 slag heap (one of the highest), its tower and its metal trestle, have been given a new identity and a real purpose in terms of heritage enhancement. The site is also committed to a policy of sustainable development. Le 9-9 bis in Oignies is committed to culture, with guided tours, unusual workshops and outstanding cultural events. It was here that the region's last gaillette was wound! Other mining memorial sites include the Delloye pit in Lewarde, the Wallers pit in Arenberg and the Cité des Électriciens in Bruay-la-Buissière.
For some years now, the Sainte-Barbe celebrations have been a must for discovering the mining heritage of the north of France in a festive atmosphere. Sainte-Barbe is the patron saint of miners and firefighters, and is celebrated on December 4. It's also the date when festivities take place at various memorial sites, many of them in Lens, including a magnificent sound and light show. There are also pyrotechnic shows, mappings, workshops and exhibitions. It's a not-to-be-missed highlight that beautifully pays tribute to the region's mining heritage.
The Louvre-Lens, a successful upgrade
Also active on the cultural front, the town of Lens has been proud to host the Louvre-Lens museum since 2012, in collaboration with the Louvre Museum, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Regional Council, the Pas-de-Calais département and the Lens-Liévin conurbation community. The site is an old mining pit. At the time, Lens was chosen from among 7 candidate cities to host a branch of the Musée du Louvre, as a tribute to the miners who worked in particularly difficult conditions. Today, this glass-and-light building designed by Japanese architects Sanaa houses a selection of prestigious works from the Louvre-Paris. It was inaugurated on Saint Barbara's Day, the patron saint of miners, to reinforce its symbolic significance.
The museum's star attraction? The Galerie du Temps, open to the public, reinforces the museum's desire to be open to all social classes. Over 3,000m2 of a single 120-metre section, 5,000 years of history can be discovered. Each year, on the anniversary of its creation, the museum renews the works on display, allowing visitors to discover new treasures with each visit. The Glass Pavilion, bathed in natural light, invites visitors to take a break in front of the park designed by French landscape architect Catherine Mosbach. The resource center in the heart of the reception hall allows visitors to make the most of the site. Temporary exhibitions are regularly scheduled. Opposite the museum is the Louvre-Lens luxury hotel, housed in a former coron.
An active region for its industries
The Hauts-de-France region is the second most poverty-stricken area in mainland France, with a poverty rate of 18.4% (compared with 14.5% nationally), according to INSEE. This poverty is of moderate intensity, and is linked in particular to the crisis in industry and to the disparity between regions.
The region used to be one of the most industrialized in France, developing its wealth around the mining, steel, textile, aerospace, sugar and automotive industries. At the time, the workforce was often poorly qualified, although expert in their field, and poorly paid. In the 1980s, a phase of deindustrialization began, with successive relocations and the arrival of more affordable raw materials.
While the unemployment rate has fallen slightly since 2014, from 12.7% to 9.3%, it nevertheless remains higher than the national rate. The Aisne département with the Thiérarche and Tergnier territories and the Nord with the Valenciennois and Maubeuge region are the hardest hit. It's a bleak picture, but the region has managed to pull itself up by its bootstraps, capitalizing on the strengths of its different components, born of quite different economic histories. As early as the 1990s, the region understood the benefits of developing industrial tourism as a tribute to its roots. Although these efforts are not enough to make up for the lack of jobs caused by the departure of many industries, they are helping to put the region on the map in a different way, and to move in the right direction.
Picardy had to wait several centuries for a lasting industrial base. In the 17th century, Colbert decided to set up several major sites, such as the tapestry factory in Beauvais, but few of the old large-scale factories have survived. Today's main industries are strategically located in irrigated valleys and close to major traffic routes, with the steel, chemicals and plastics industries remaining the most numerous. The industrial history of Picardy is marked by Saint-Gobain, which was born in this region. Textiles have lost their lustre, but generally speaking, the region's main industry is still agriculture. Picardy remains one of France's breadbaskets. The region's strong supply of cereal and pulse raw materials has attracted some of the biggest names in the food industry, such as Nestlé. Picardy is now seeking to take advantage of its agriculture by developing plant-based chemistry. This is just one example of the region's commitment to innovation as a means of revitalizing its economic image. Tourism is also on the rise, with an advanced marketing approach and an emphasis on new technologies. Overall, the region's economic situation is becoming increasingly disparate, with some employment areas (Amiens, Compiègne and Beauvais) doing well and others, particularly in the Aisne and rural areas, struggling.
A bastion of industry in the 19th century, based on coal and textiles, the former Nord-Pas-de-Calais region has had to contend with profound industrial changes that have continued over the last few decades (productive functions account for 18% of jobs, compared with 37% in 1982). The ore is no longer the same, but the electrical stakes are all the more powerful: although coal is no longer mined, Gravelines has one of the largest nuclear power plants in the world. Renewable energies are trying to make their mark on the market. Photovoltaic panels, installed in large numbers thanks to government subsidies, are less attractive to investors. But wind farms are springing up in the Pas-de-Calais region, notably near Fruges, with a 70-turbine wind farm now in operation.
Heavy industry is clustered around Dunkirk, with the steel industry and the former Péchiney aluminum plant, which was bought by GFG Alliance. today, 10% of automotive production is still carried out in the region, notably at the Renault, Peugeot and Toyota plants in Valenciennes. However, market trends are likely to have a major impact on the region. Textiles, although in sharp decline, remain a key sector in the region. Calais, with its 76,000 inhabitants, remains the lace capital of the world. The diversification of textiles has given rise to numerous mail-order companies, such as La Redoute and Les 3 Suisses. While the former has instilled a start-up spirit that has saved it from the doldrums, the latter has steadily lost sales and changed hands.
The region is also the cradle of mass retailing, with Auchan, Décathlon, Kiabi... brands all linked to the same family: Mulliez, who originally owned only the Phildar spinning mills in Roubaix. The Mulliez family is often cited as an example of its ability to evolve through the ages, from the revolution of the La Redoute catalog to the development of its hypermarkets. It has been able to listen to people's needs, and offer them products in tune with the times, from La Redoute's mail-order catalog to its online presence. Fishing has remained a major industry in the region, marked by large ports such as Boulogne. In a completely different field, a positive dynamic is developing in management and intellectual services, but this is mainly benefiting the Lille metropolitan area.
In the 1990s, the Lille metropolitan area launched a number of cultural initiatives to make up for the lack of value-added activities. As the European Capital of Culture, it has specialized in cultural events, but this is not enough to make it a leader among urban areas. It has, however, demonstrated a true spirit of innovation, with 5 competitive clusters accredited since 2005 and the establishment of clusters of excellence: Eurasanté, La Haute-Borne, Euratechnologies housed in a former spinning mill dating back to 1905, and the Union zone.
A number of industrial sites are open to visitors. An opportunity to discover this beautiful region in a different way!
