Halluin (French pronunciation: [alɥɛ̃]; Dutch: Halewijn) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.[3]

Halluin
Mont d'Halluin district
Mont d'Halluin district
Coat of arms of Halluin
Location of Halluin
Map
Halluin is located in France
Halluin
Halluin
Halluin is located in Hauts-de-France
Halluin
Halluin
Coordinates: 50°47′01″N 3°07′32″E / 50.7836°N 3.1256°E / 50.7836; 3.1256
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentNord
ArrondissementLille
CantonTourcoing-1
IntercommunalityMétropole Européenne de Lille
Government
 • Mayor (2021–2026) Jean-Christophe Destailleur[1]
Area
1
12.56 km2 (4.85 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
20,829
 • Density1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
59279 /59250
Elevation20 m (66 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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It is located at the north of the Métropole Européenne de Lille, on the Belgian border, contiguous with the Belgian town of Menen.

History

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The family of Halluin is mentioned as early as the 13th century. In 1587 the title of duke and peer of the realm was granted to it, but in the succeeding century it became extinct.[4]

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 3,030—    
1800 2,459−2.94%
1806 2,831+2.38%
1821 3,242+0.91%
1831 3,750+1.47%
1836 4,240+2.49%
1841 4,264+0.11%
1846 4,851+2.61%
1851 5,408+2.20%
1856 8,410+9.23%
1861 10,803+5.14%
1866 13,673+4.82%
1872 12,946−0.91%
1876 13,771+1.56%
1881 14,020+0.36%
1886 14,678+0.92%
1891 14,841+0.22%
1896 15,781+1.24%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 16,599+1.02%
1906 16,158−0.54%
1911 15,480−0.85%
1921 13,760−1.17%
1926 13,932+0.25%
1931 13,588−0.50%
1936 13,278−0.46%
1946 12,935−0.26%
1954 13,345+0.39%
1962 14,138+0.72%
1968 14,829+0.80%
1975 15,491+0.63%
1982 16,444+0.86%
1990 17,629+0.87%
1999 18,997+0.83%
2007 19,757+0.49%
2012 20,770+1.01%
2017 20,800+0.03%
Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968-2017)[6]

Transport

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The Halluin railway station, closed in the 1970s, was situated on the Somain-Halluin Railway. The town is now served by buses of Ilévia.

The A22 autoroute links the town to Lille and Belgium.

Heraldry

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Arms of Halluin
The arms of Halluin are blazoned :
Argent, 3 lions sable langued gules, armed and crowned Or.



Politics

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An erstwhile bastion of the left, Halluin owes its nickname Halluin the Red to the powerful trade unions who used their influence to support Communist mayors during the interwar period. However, since the 1990s Halluin has become gentrified (see also below), and in the 2007 and 2012 presidential elections the town backed Nicolas Sarkozy.

In the 2014 mayoral elections, 62% of voters chose right-wing parties: Gustave Dassonville (UMP) received 40% of the votes and Jean‑Christophe Destailleur (Centre-right) received 22% of the votes. Left-wing parties, with 38% of the votes, were defeated, and Gustave Dassonville was elected.[7] Six years later, in 2020, Jean‑Christophe Destailleur (Centre-right) was elected mayor of Halluin.

Despite the noted gentrification of Halluin, the neighbouring town of Menen, Belgium, situated within walking distance of central Halluin, underwent a simultaneous radicalization, given the municipality's attempts to ban its employees from speaking French to Francophone people whose command of Dutch may be limited, and to use sign language instead. While some townsfolk of Halluin's adjoining conurbation may have regarded this as a brave attempt to enforce Flemish supremacy over Francophone neighbours, others, including Francophone neighbours themselves, and international observers may have regarded such a measure as allegedly fanatical and insensitive to the needs of Francophone neighbours with limited command of Dutch. International press comment was provoked by these municipal regulations.[8]

Points of interest

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Twin towns

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Halluin is twinned with:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ INSEE commune file
  4. ^   One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Halluin". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 863.
  5. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Halluin, EHESS (in French).
  6. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  7. ^ 2014 Municipal election Halluin (Newspaper Le Monde)
  8. ^ "Français interdit: Belgian town of Menen bans the use of French". Independent.co.uk. 5 September 2013.
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