Gardanne

Gardanne is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Gardannais.

Gardanne
Commune
View of Gardanne by Cézanne
Coat of arms
Location of Gardanne
Gardanne
Gardanne
Coordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°28′34″E
CountryFrance
RegionProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
DepartmentBouches-du-Rhône
ArrondissementAix-en-Provence
CantonGardanne
IntercommunalityAix-Marseille-Provence
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Roger Meï
Area
1
27.02 km2 (10.43 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
20,794
 • Density770/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
13041 /13120
Elevation170–387 m (558–1,270 ft)
(avg. 205 m or 673 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

It is close to Aix-en-Provence and Marseille and on the rail link connecting the two cities.

It is bordered by the Massif du Montaiguet, which expands to Luynes, Aix en Provence and Bouc-Bel-Air. It comprises chalky plateaux bordered by cliffs, forests of pines and oaks, and crops areas. In 1979 and 2005 the area was devastated by bush fires. Following these incidents, garrigue is now covering a wide area.

History

Walls dating back to the first century AD have been found.[2]

In 1454 René d'Anjou bought the estate and would go there until 1480.[2] In 1482 it was bought back by the Forbins[2] and in 1676 the villagers themselves bought back their own land.[2]

In the 1860s a railway was built[2] and a little later mines were dug, thus attracting Italian, Armenian, Polish, Czech, Spanish and African workers to the village.[2] The deep mine, one of the last surviving in France, was closed down in 2003.[2]

Energy

The Centrale thermique de Provence, a thermal power station is located in Gardanne. It runs on coal and biomass and uses the technology known as the circulating fluidized bed.[3] It has the highest chimney in France which rises to 297 m. In 2018, the site director presented it as the third tallest building in France, after the Eiffel Tower and the Millau viaduct.[4] The plant will be closed before 2022 in order to reduce greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions in accordance with the PPE law.[5]

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±%
17932,253—    
18002,353+4.4%
18062,428+3.2%
18212,823+16.3%
18313,234+14.6%
18362,795−13.6%
18412,609−6.7%
18462,869+10.0%
18512,837−1.1%
18562,710−4.5%
18612,739+1.1%
18662,570−6.2%
18722,566−0.2%
18763,062+19.3%
18812,781−9.2%
18862,657−4.5%
18912,797+5.3%
18963,062+9.5%
19013,593+17.3%
19064,062+13.1%
19114,242+4.4%
19215,301+25.0%
19266,460+21.9%
19317,128+10.3%
19367,334+2.9%
19467,979+8.8%
19548,973+12.5%
196211,261+25.5%
196812,601+11.9%
197514,120+12.1%
198215,122+7.1%
199017,864+18.1%
199919,323+8.2%
200821,121+9.3%

Politics

The commune of Gardanne has been controlled by the French Communist Party under Mayor Roger Meï since 1977. Voting is usually towards the left-wing, but rather uncharacteristically, Nicolas Sarkozy gained 53.1% of the vote at the second round of the 2007 French presidential election.

  • Centrale Thermique de Provence and the preserved Puits Z
  • Puits Yvon-Morandat
  • Cooling tower of the coal-fired Centrale Thermique de Provence
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See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. :: Ville de Gardanne ::
  3. "Charbon propre : la centrale thermique de Gardanne". www.lakko.fr. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  4. "La centrale biomasse de Gardanne effraie le Var". Var-Matin (in French). 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  5. "Gardanne : le gouvernement confirme la fermeture de la centrale à charbon en 2022". France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (in French). Retrieved 2020-04-19.


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