Gardanne

Gardanne (French pronunciation: [ɡaʁdan]; Occitan: Gardana) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Gardannais.

Gardanne Gardana (Occitan)
Commune
View of Gardanne
Coat of arms
Location of Gardanne
Gardanne Show map of France Gardanne Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Coordinates: 43°27′19″N 5°28′34″E
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement	Aix-en-Provence
Canton	Gardanne
Intercommunality	Aix-Marseille-Provence
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Hervé Granier[1]
Area 1	27.02 km2 (10.43 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	21,534
• Density	797.0/km2 (2,064/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	13041 /13120
Elevation	170–387 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

Situated close to Aix-en-Provence and Marseille and on the rail link connecting the two cities, Gardanne is bordered by the Massif du Montaiguet. The terrain is moderately elevated, with some areas reaching over 200 meters (656 feet) above sea level. The surrounding countryside includes forests, vineyards, and former mining sites from the town’s historical coal-mining industry. The Arc River flows nearby, contributing to the region’s drainage and agricultural viability. Following devastating bush fires in 1979 and 2005, garrigue now covers a wide area of the region.

History

The history of Gardanne dates back to 4000 BC, with the discovery of a Neolithic site in 2003. Walls dating back to the first century AD have also been found.^[3]

Throughout the Middle Ages the town was enclosed within ramparts and the lordship of Gardanne belonged to different noble families. From the 13th century, the inhabitants claimed franchises and freedoms through their municipal magistrates. In 1454 René d'Anjou bought the estate and would go there until 1480.^[3] In 1482 it was bought back by the Forbins^[3] and in 1676 the villagers themselves bought back their own land.^[3]

In the 1860s a railway was built^[3] and mines were dug, attracting Italian, Armenian, Polish, Czech, Spanish and African workers to the village.^[3] The deep mine, one of the last surviving in France, was closed down in 2003.^[3] During this time frame, The population grew rapidly, from 1,600 inhabitants in 1809, to 20,000 in 1999) until the mine ceased operations in 2003.

In 1886, French painter Paul Cézanne settled in Gardanne with his family, and that year, he began his cycle of paintings on Mount Sainte-Victoire.

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.^[4] 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.^[5] The plant will be closed before 2022 in order to reduce greenhouse gas (CO₂) emissions in accordance with the PPE law.^[6]

• Gallery
• 
  Gardanne power station seen from Mimet
• 
  Clocher of Gardanne

Population

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 2,253 —     1800 2,353 +0.62% 1806 2,428 +0.52% 1821 2,823 +1.01% 1831 3,234 +1.37% 1836 2,795 −2.88% 1841 2,609 −1.37% 1846 2,869 +1.92% 1851 2,837 −0.22% 1856 2,710 −0.91% 1861 2,739 +0.21% 1866 2,570 −1.27% 1872 2,566 −0.03% 1876 3,062 +4.52% 1881 2,781 −1.91% 1886 2,657 −0.91% 1891 2,797 +1.03% 1896 3,062 +1.83%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 3,593 +3.25% 1906 4,062 +2.48% 1911 4,242 +0.87% 1921 5,301 +2.25% 1926 6,460 +4.03% 1931 7,128 +1.99% 1936 7,334 +0.57% 1946 7,979 +0.85% 1954 8,973 +1.48% 1962 11,261 +2.88% 1968 12,601 +1.89% 1975 14,120 +1.64% 1982 15,122 +0.98% 1990 17,864 +2.10% 1999 19,323 +0.88% 2007 20,903 +0.99% 2012 20,616 −0.28% 2017 20,794 +0.17%
Source: EHESS[7] and INSEE (1968-2017)[8]

Politics

The commune of Gardanne was governed by the French Communist Party under Mayor Roger Meï from 1977 until 2020. 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.^{[citation needed]}

List of successive mayors

Term	Name	Party
1977–2020	Roger Meï	PCF
2020–incumbent	Herve Granier	LR

See also

• Provence Power Station
• Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department
• Olivier Dubuquoy