Biache-Saint-Vaast is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.[3]

Biache-Saint-Vaast
The town hall of Biache-Saint-Vaast
The town hall of Biache-Saint-Vaast
Coat of arms of Biache-Saint-Vaast
Map
Location of Biache-Saint-Vaast
Biache-Saint-Vaast is located in France
Biache-Saint-Vaast
Biache-Saint-Vaast
Biache-Saint-Vaast is located in Hauts-de-France
Biache-Saint-Vaast
Biache-Saint-Vaast
Coordinates: 50°18′45″N 2°56′42″E / 50.3125°N 2.945°E / 50.3125; 2.945
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentPas-de-Calais
ArrondissementArras
CantonBrebières
IntercommunalityCC Osartis Marquion
Government
  Mayor (20202026) Hervé Naglik[1]
Area
1
9.29 km2 (3.59 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
4,568
  Density492/km2 (1,270/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
62128 /62118
Elevation42–70 m (138–230 ft)
(avg. 56 m or 184 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

edit

A small farming and light industrial town located 8 miles (13 km) east of Arras, on the banks of the Scarpe river, at the junction of the D42, D43 and D46 roads. The A26 autoroute passes by just yards from the commune. Biache-Saint-Vaast station has rail connections to Arras and Douai.

Prehistory

edit
Partial skull of a Neanderthal found at Biache-Saint-Vaast

Biache-Saint-Vaast is well-known for an eponymous Middle Palaeolithic archaeological site immediately to the south of the town on the left bank of the Scarpe River, produced by Neanderthals dating to around 240,000 years ago (MIS 7) showing evidence for the use of fire and the butchery of aurochs, narrow-nosed rhinoceros, and brown bear. Neanderthal bones have also been recovered from the site.[4][5]

Population

edit
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 3,860    
1975 4,224+1.30%
1982 4,032−0.66%
1990 3,981−0.16%
1999 3,923−0.16%
2007 3,872−0.16%
2012 3,985+0.58%
2017 4,083+0.49%
2023 4,568+1.89%
Source: INSEE[6]

Sights

edit

Personalities

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
  3. INSEE commune file
  4. Bahain, Jean-Jacques; Falguères, Christophe; Laurent, Michel; Dolo, Jean-Michel; Shao, Qingfeng; Auguste, Patrick; Tuffreau, Alain (October 2015). "ESR/U-series dating of faunal remains from the paleoanthropological site of Biache-Saint-Vaast (Pas-de-Calais, France)". Quaternary Geochronology. 30: 541–546. doi:10.1016/j.quageo.2015.02.020.
  5. Guipert, Gaspard; de Lumley, Marie-Antoinette; Tuffreau, Alain; Mafart, Bertrand (2011). "A late Middle Pleistocene hominid: Biache-Saint-Vaast 2, North France". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 10 (1): 21–33. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2010.10.006.
  6. Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
edit