Balan, Ardennes
Balan | |
|---|---|
 War memorial and town hall | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Balan  | |
  Balan  Balan | |
| Coordinates: 49°41′23″N 4°57′40″E / 49.6897°N 4.9611°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Ardennes |
| Arrondissement | Sedan |
| Canton | Sedan-3 |
| Intercommunality | CA Ardenne Métropole |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Alban Collinet[1] |
| Area 1 | 4.65 km2 (1.80 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 1,612 |
| • Density | 350/km2 (900/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 08043 /08200 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Balan (French pronunciation: [balɑ̃]) is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region of northern France.
The commune has been awarded three flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.[3]
Geography[edit]
Balan is located just east of Sedan and north-east of Bazeilles. Access to the commune is by the D8043A road from Sedan which continues south-east to Bazeilles. The D17 also passes through the town and continues east to Rubécourt-et-Lamécourt. The Route nationale N43 (E46) highway passes through the commune with the nearest exit being Exit 
3 just south-east of the commune. Much of the central area of the commune is urban with the northern part farmland and some forest.[4]
The Meuse river forms the south-western border of the commune as it flows north through Sedan.
Neighbouring communes and villages[edit]
Places adjacent to Balan, Ardennes | |
|---|---|
History[edit]
From 1560 to 1642 Balan was part of the Principality of Sedan.
Heraldry[edit]
|
Blazon: Party per pale, first Azure a chevron of Or; second Argent, a fess of Gules charged with a mullet of Or between 2 martlets of Sable.
|
Administration[edit]
 |
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1560 | 1574 | Robert de la Tour |
| 1574 | Jean Foulon | |
| 1727 | 1730 | Nicolas Gouveno |
| 1730 | 1738 | Noizet |
| 1738 | 1739 | Louis Halma |
| 1739 | 1757 | Jean Halma |
| 1757 | 1759 | Servais Godfroi |
| 1759 | 1767 | Henri Beuvart |
| 1767 | 1786 | Jean-Baptiste Thiéry |
| 1786 | 1790 | Claude Pierret |
| 1790 | 1802 | Gibou Valdory |
| 1802 | 1812 | Jacques Rognon |
| 1812 | 1816 | Branchu |
| 1816 | 1821 | de Bovier |
| 1821 | 1837 | Hourbette Malicet |
| 1837 | 1848 | Renard Maissin |
| 1848 | 1850 | Hourbette |
| 1850 | 1852 | Thiriet |
| 1852 | 1856 | Branchu |
| 1856 | 1867 | Lambert Plaisance |
| 1867 | 1875 | Martin Gourdet |
| 1875 | 1890 | Jean-Baptiste Somveille |
| 1890 | 1891 | Appolon Gombo |
| 1891 | 1895 | Onézime Crepel |
| 1895 | 1898 | Charles François Bonhomme |
| 1898 | Eugène Oudet | |
| 1913 | Emile Bonneville | |
| 1913 | Jules Michaux | |
| 1919 | André Bazeille | |
| 1934 | 1935 | Edouard Taltasse |
- Mayors from 1995
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2020 | André Drouard |
| 2020 | current | Alban Collinet |
Demography[edit]
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Balanais or Balanaises in French.[6]
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| Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE[8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Culture and heritage[edit]
Civil heritage[edit]
The commune has several buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:
- The Bonhomme Spinning Mill (Now a Community Hall) (19th century)
[9] - The Godchaux Weaving Mill (Now a Warehouse) (20th century)[10]
- The Stackler Textile Works (Now a Business incubator) (19th century)[11]
- The Bazaille Chard Plant (1906)[12]
Notable people linked to the commune[edit]
- Jean-Baptiste Herbin-Dessaux (1765-1832): French General of the Revolution and the Empire, died at Balan.
- Élisabeth Lion (1904-1988), French aviator, born at Balan.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ Balan, Ardennes in the Competition for Towns and Villages in Bloom Archived December 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (in French)
- ^ Google Maps
- ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
- ^ Le nom des habitants du 08 - Ardennes, habitants.fr
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Balan, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA08000321 Bonhomme Spinning Mill (in French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA08000322 Godchaux Weaving Mill (in French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA08000323 Stackler Textile Works (in French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA08000324 Bazaille Chard Plant (in French)
External links[edit]
