Gardanne | ||
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View of Gardanne by Cézanne
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Coordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°28′34″E / 43.4553°N 5.476°ECoordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°28′34″E / 43.4553°N 5.476°E | ||
Country | France | |
Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | |
Department | Bouches-du-Rhône | |
Arrondissement | Aix-en-Provence | |
Canton | Gardanne | |
Government | ||
• Mayor (2008–2014) | Roger Meï | |
Area1 | 27.02 km2 (10.43 sq mi) | |
Population (2008)2 | 21,121 | |
• Density | 780/km2 (2,000/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
INSEE/Postal code | 13041 / 13120 | |
Elevation | 170–387 m (558–1,270 ft) (avg. 205 m or 673 ft) |
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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.
Gardanne is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.
It is close to Aix-en-Provence and Marseille and lies on the rail link connecting the two cities.
Walls dating back to the first century AD have been found.
In 1454 René d'Anjou bought the estate and would go there until 1480. In 1482 it was bought back by the Forbins and in 1676 the villagers themselves bought back their own land.
In the 1860s a railway was built and a little later mines were dug, thus attracting Italian, Armenian, Polish, Czech, Spanish and African workers to the village. The deep mine, one of the last surviving in France, was closed down in 2003.
The commune of Gardanne has been controlled by the Parti Communiste Français under Roger Meï since 1977. Voting is usually towards the left-wing, although rather uncharacteristically Nicolas Sarkozy gained 53.1% of the vote in the second round of the French presidential election, 2007.
Centrale Thermique de Provence and the preserved Puits Z
Puits Yvon-Morandat
Cooling tower of the coal-fired Centrale Thermique de Provence