Armentières

The town hall

Coat of arms

Armentières

Location within Hauts-de-France region

Armentières

Coordinates: 50°41′17″N 2°52′52″E / 50.6881°N 2.8811°ECoordinates: 50°41′17″N 2°52′52″E / 50.6881°N 2.8811°E

Country

Lille Métropole

Government

• Mayor (2008–2020)

Bernard Haesebroeck

Area¹

6.28 km² (2.42 sq mi)

Population (2009)²

25,089

• Density

4,000/km² (10,000/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

59017 / 59280

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Armentières (IPA: [aʁmɑ̃tjɛːʁ]; Dutch: Armentiers) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole.

The motto of the town is Pauvre mais fière (Poor but proud).

Armentières lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys.

In 1668, the town became French, along with most of the rest of French Flanders. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Armentières acquired fame, being the “City of Fabric”. The industrial weaving, spinning and brewing grew in Armentières, benefitting from the presence of water.

Armentières particularly suffered at the time of the World Wars. However, the town did receive two Military Crosses (one for World War I and the second for the Second World War) and the Legion d'Honneur. In Armentières and in the neighbourhoods, the military cemeteries are places of remembrance for the casualties of the World Wars. "Mademoiselle from Armentières" was a popular song among Allied soldiers in World War I.

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Wikipedia