Gignac-la-Nerthe

Gignac-la-Nerthe (French pronunciation: [ʒiɲak la nɛʁt]; Occitan: Ginhac) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. It is located about 10 km north-north-west of Marseille and is primarily a residential community.

Gignac-La Nerthe
Commune
The Laure District of Gignac-la-Nerthe, with Marignane and the Étang de Berre, seen from the hill of Saint-Michel
Coat of arms
Location of Gignac-La Nerthe
Gignac-La Nerthe Show map of France Gignac-La Nerthe Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Coordinates: 43°23′35″N 5°14′08″E
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement	Istres
Canton	Marignane
Intercommunality	Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Christian Amiraty[1]
Area 1	8.64 km2 (3.34 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	10,030
• Density	1,160/km2 (3,010/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	13043 /13180
Elevation	11–128 m (36–420 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

During Antiquity, what is now Gignac hosted a Roman villa.^[3]

In the 13th century, the Knights Templar built the Saint-Michel de Gignac castle. After the Middle Age, agriculture developed (wheat, olive, vineries,…). The church of Gignac was built in 1780. At that time, Gignac was part of the Marignane seigneurie.^[3]

The commune was created during the French Revolution. At first, it included Le Rove, which separated in 1835. In 1919, the commune changed its name from Gignac to Gignac-la-Nerthe to differentiate from other towns with the same name.

In the 19th century, many migrants from Spain and Italy came to live in the area, but the town only started to grow in the 1960s with the arrival of Pieds-Noirs from Algeria.

Geography and population

Gignac-la-Nerthe is situated just north of the Estaque hills and south of the Étang de Berre.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 553 —     1800 578 +0.63% 1806 1,037 +10.23% 1821 1,378 +1.91% 1831 1,509 +0.91% 1836 706 −14.09% 1841 731 +0.70% 1846 810 +2.07% 1851 876 +1.58% 1856 909 +0.74% 1861 956 +1.01% 1866 908 −1.02% 1872 928 +0.36% 1876 887 −1.12% 1881 863 −0.55% 1886 915 +1.18% 1891 940 +0.54% 1896 938 −0.04%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 946 +0.17% 1906 991 +0.93% 1911 987 −0.08% 1921 1,314 +2.90% 1926 1,270 −0.68% 1931 1,240 −0.48% 1936 1,364 +1.92% 1946 1,527 +1.14% 1954 1,687 +1.25% 1962 1,963 +1.91% 1968 2,666 +5.23% 1975 3,568 +4.25% 1982 4,361 +2.91% 1990 8,772 +9.13% 1999 9,189 +0.52% 2007 9,245 +0.08% 2012 9,070 −0.38% 2017 9,326 +0.56%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

See also

• Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department