Bessèges

Bessèges
Former railway station
Coat of arms
Bessèges
Location within Languedoc-Roussillon region Bessèges
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Gard
Arrondissement	Alès
Canton	Bessèges
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Bernard Portales
Area1	10.32 km2 (3.98 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	3,233
• Density	310/km2 (810/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	30037 / 30160
Elevation	146–492 m (479–1,614 ft) (avg. 170 m or 560 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Bessèges is a commune in the Gard department in France. It is situated on the Cèze river.

History

Historically Bessèges was a hamlet of Robiac. Its importance began with the opening of a coalmine in 1809, followed by an iron and steel plant in 1833, and eventually the railway reached it in 1857. The commune was created in 1858 from several neighboring districts.

At its peak in the late 19th century, the population was over 11,000. However, during the 20th century it declined and eventually the mine was abandoned, in 1964, and the steel-works in 1987. Today its economy is based on tourism, and it is home to the Étoile de Bessèges road bicycle race.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1856	2,739	—
1861	7,055	+157.6%
1866	8,671	+22.9%
1872	8,908	+2.7%
1876	10,668	+19.8%
1881	11,404	+6.9%
1886	10,653	−6.6%
1891	8,673	−18.6%
1896	7,962	−8.2%
1901	9,040	+13.5%
1906	8,219	−9.1%
1911	8,030	−2.3%
1921	6,368	−20.7%
1926	7,062	+10.9%
1931	6,357	−10.0%
1936	5,425	−14.7%
1946	5,648	+4.1%
1954	5,823	+3.1%
1962	5,720	−1.8%
1968	5,421	−5.2%
1975	5,255	−3.1%
1982	4,352	−17.2%
1990	3,635	−16.5%
1999	3,137	−13.7%
2008	3,233	+3.1%

See also

• Communes of the Gard department

References

• INSEE
•  

External links

• Official website (in French)