Wavrin

Wavrin is a common French, located in the department of the Northern (59) and the area Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

Its inhabitants is called Wavrinois.

Geography

The commune of Wavrin is located at about fifteen kilometers in the south-west of Lille, not far from Lens and Béthune and of the Field of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

History

At the beginning of the 11th century, Wavrin appears in a rather great number of charters but written in several ways like Wavring in 1107, Wafrin in 1147, Waverin in 1193 and Wavering in 1209. As of the 15th century, the orthography appears definitively fixed: from now on, the name of the village is written WAVRIN. The etymology of name seems to come from Saxon the waege-hring meaning “circle of floods”, which depicts well the aspect of the village which was to be beaten by water before the drying of the large marsh.

Wavrin has today a territory of 1355 hectares little urbanized, the culminating point being located at 22 meters of altitude to localities the “Combes”, on the road of Fournes (street Jean Moulin), towards the castle of the Valley. The point low is at the marsh of the Fountain.

Formerly, the population was evaluated in fires or hearths and one counted of them 72 in 1485 for approximately 500 inhabitants. With the Revolution, there were 380 fires for roughly 2400 inhabitants, that is to say families from 6 to 7 people on average, which was rather current until the middle of the 20th century. Currently we are 7800 inhabitants for roughly 2900 residences. Wavrin was composed, until the beginning of last century, of a succession of hamlets to the names still sometimes used. Thus 12 districts were counted: Quinquibus, the Mill and the Valley, Nouette or Noviette, Carnoye, Wood pigeon, Lattre, the City, the Fountain and Quesnoy, the Marsh of Lattre, the Marsh of the City, the Borough and the Touquet Green.

the Town hall: The old town hall, which also included/understood the school, was built in 1840 pennies the authority of Mr Narcisse Joseph Binault (mayor of 1831-1840). It was located at the current site of the medical analysis laboratory opposite the Place of the Town hall (today Place of the Republic) but was destroyed in 1918 and was replaced by hutments until 1924. The First World War indeed left serious after-effects to our commune, shaven to 90%. The city then had initially to release the ruins, which explains on the photographs of the time the presence of rails of the ´Decauville' type which, irony of the history, had been installed by German for the movements of their troops towards the face. This rubble was brought towards the station for their evacuation or was used to fill the marshes. To rehouse the inhabitants as fast as possible and to ensure to them the administrative services worthy of this name were other priorities. Thus, Wavrin still changed aspect by the proliferation of wood hutments acting of station, school and even as church… Only the cities Jean Jaurès and Victor Hugo (in theory provisional) still remain, contrary to the city close to Sainghin-in-Weppes which shaved what one commonly called ´le Nouveau Monde'. Lastly, the current town hall; surmounted by a gracious bell-tower and equipped with a clock since 1933; was built under the authority of Mr Arthur Dalenne, mayor of 1919 to 1944. At the time, the building was regarded as modern, comprising a wedding hall, a room of the fétes with a scene for the artistic representations. Opposite this new town hall current Place of the Republic was arranged which accommodated the ducasses (installed since 1993 on the carpark of the versatile room) which however always take place 3rd of June and 1st Sunday of October. Formerly, this place was the theater many demonstrations such as the sports events (cycle races, matches of tennis shoe); processions of July 14th, of November 11th, the gathering of the horses with St-Eloi,…; finally popular fireworks and balls.

the main street: This street was at its origin the Way of Great Communication 41 connecting Carvin to Haubourdin. It was successively called street of the Presbytery, Grand' street, street St-Eloi and finally street Achille Pinteaux, doctor devoted to the population which was also mayor of the commune of 1893 to 1904. Close to the vault St-Eloi, with the angle which form the street Gambetta and the street Pinteaux existed a maladrery (hospital intended for leprous) built in 1625 with a vault. This one was used as church when ours collapsed in 1801 until 1818, date on which it was yielded for the services of the town hall and the housing of the teacher. It was then transformed into pub destroyed in 1918. If we carry on our way towards the church, some will remember, opposite the street Leclerc, that there was a cinema ´A my Grujon' (today ´Au Bonheur of Dames'). After restorations, it changed name, became the ´Cinoche' inaugurated by Jack Lang but did not resist a long time the competition of the rooms inhabitants of Lille. We will notice some large houses built at last century during the industrial era and the first built social housing dice the end of the second world war between the schools and the crossroads. With the angle formed with the street Salengro we discover the Martyrdom, set up on July 14th, 1812 and which resisted the bombardments of the First World War. Unfortunately, it regularly underwent the pangs of vandals as in March 1902 dates to which brigands vainly tried to unbolt the crucifix. In April 1920, four young people of Wavrin wanted to remove Christ and the two arms without success detached to him. In 1924, it catch but was found in the marshes. Lastly, in August 1994, very surprised Wavrinois had to note its disappearance. Only three fingers of the left hand remained hung on the cross. This Christ out of wooden dated from the XVIII éme century and is registered on the inventory of the historic buildings since 1968.

Lastly, we arrive towards the most animated part street, whose certain trade still existing dates from the XIX éme century. Initially, an open pharmacy in 1904 (one of the first of the area). In 1924, Debarge drapery disappeared today. Then, the bakery created in 1903 by the Charlet family. This place was more known under the name ´A Mo Canonni' because the grandfather was gunner during the Franco-German war of 1870. There was also the Fortrie café become the P.M.U, then the coffee-hatter ´Au Petit Paris' replaced by a fruit merchant and vegetables ´Gros Bill' before being invested by the Scalbert-Dupont bank. Opposite, there was a cinema ´Le Cinéma Familial' who ceased her activity in 1962.

At the current place of the Lidl store a tannery founded in 1855 by the Peucelle family was. She was one of the most important factories of Wavrin. Some still remember the stench which emerged in the district at certain periods. Being used as barracks with the German troops during the First World War, it was destroyed partly in 1918. Rebuilt, it took again its activity until the middle of the Sixties. The building accommodated then a joinery, a printing works and was used even as room of repetition with the Municipal Harmony before being demolished.

the church: All that we know of the preceding building the church destroyed in 1918 is registered in an old engraving of the album of ´De Croy' and would have according to it this aspect. In 1717, it menaÁait ruin and of important consolidation work were undertaken there until the end of the century. However, with the Revolution, the church was seized and resold with some inhabitants before collapsing on June 14th, 1801. After many administrative difficulties, an imperial decree ordered its rebuilding on February 10th, 1811. The first stone was posed in March 1812 under the aegis of the mayor Pierre François Beaurepaire and the blessing was made on September 27th, 1813. Let us not forget that at that time, France is directed by the Napoleon emperor 1st who, even if he already knew some great defeats, makes the admiration of the people including Wavrinois which returned through the construction of the building a nice homage. Indeed the church, with its monumental peristyle which points out that of the Greek temples, presented as well inside as outside a character of originality which distinguished it from all the other churches of the area. Its ceiling was flat, its pulpit located on the right and it was richly decorated with a way with Cross and niches framed with mouldings worked well with statues with St Joseph and the twelve apostles. It was also equipped with an organ inaugurated in 1871, the high altar placed under the tower was surmounted by a large table representing Rèsurection. On the sides, there were two other furnace bridges of which one dedicated to the Virgin and the other to St Eloi which is the subject since strong a long time of a worship particular to Wavrin. Unfortunately in 1918, it was dynamited by furious German to have to beat a retreat. Only some sections of the 6 columns supporting the pediment were recovered and were used as retaining wall for the place. Those exist besides still…

Dice the Armistice of November 1918, a provisional church was built thanks to the generosity of American whose son aviator, lieutenant Louis Bennett, was killed on August 24th, 1914 with the top of Marquillies. Brought back to the hospital of Wavrin, it there is deceased the very same day and was buried with the German cemetery by German (surprised and perhaps moved by the heroism of the young aviator) with the military honors. A monument in its memory was set up at the entry of this Church but was damaged at the second world war. Only a plate-memory points out the short epopee of BENNETT (41 hours of flight) in the current church. The latter was built in less than one year and was solemnly blessed on May 27th, 1928.

Small anecdotes concerning the church: The History of our Churches in particular that of the XIX éme century presents some memories for the least astonishing. Thus, on June 21st, 1940, the former Hitler corporal, income to make a kind of pilgrimage in Weppes stops in Wavrin or it was estafette cyclist in 1914. It entered a black anger by seeing the peristyle of the old Church disappeared (forgetting that they are his/her own comrades who had dynamited it) before entrusting to Rudolf Hess to be photographed by an young man of the country on the steps of the church with other soldiers. Another anecdote summarizes with it only the Frame of mind of rage, fury and thirst for revenge in which was German in their conquest-flash of the French territory. Thus dice their arrival in Wavrin, the enemy, furious troops to see that simple hairy crushed of its foot the imperial eagle (on the war memorials of the place of the church) it déboulonnérent and made it fall using a tank. The head which was detached during the fall was recovered with the detriment of the enemy and was kept until the end of the war at the School of the girls street of Fouath.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

Park of Deule
the mill: arts center
the versatile room
the room leclercq
the room Carnot

Animations

Wavrin became very famous for its international festival of the magic

Personalities related to the commune

Jean de Wavrin

See too

Common of North

External bonds

Lille Metropolis - Urban community of Lille
Wavrin on the site of the national geographical Institute
Wavrin on the site of INSEE
Wavrin on the site of Quid
Localization of Wavrin on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Wavrin on Mapquest

Wavrin, official site of the town of Wavrin. Www.ville-wavrin.fr

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