Auchel

An ex-mining town, nowadays a light industrial & farming commune, situated 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Béthune and 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D183 and the D183E roads.

Following the discovery of coal deposits in the area in 1851, the town grew as the demand for coal increased in France. This old mining town had close to 15,000 inhabitants in the 1950s.
The coal recession in the late 1960s lead to a constant decline in population, despite the efforts of the municipality to attract and keep people here during and after the recession.

The inhabitants are called Auchellois.

• The church of St. Martin, dating from the sixteenth century.
• A museum about coal mining.

Auchel is twinned with:

• West Malling, in the county of Kent, England.
• Iserlohn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Auchel is the birthplace of:

• Xavier Beauvois, actor, director and screenwriter.
• Angela Behelle, writer
• Pierre Laigle, football player
• Augustin Lesage, French spiritualist artist. Lesage is one of the most fascinating figures associated with Art Brut
• Stéphane Lecocq, professional footballer
• Afida Turner, singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality
• Pierre Waché, Formula One engineer and technical director for Red Bull Racing
• François Duhamel professional footballer