Watten, Nord

Watten (French pronunciation: ​[wat];[3][4] Dutch: Waten, meaning "ford" as in "river-crossing") is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Its inhabitants are called "Wattenais".

This article is about the French commune. For the nearby V-2 rockets launch site called the Watten bunker, see Blockhaus d'Éperlecques.
Watten
Commune
The windmill in Watten
Coat of arms
Location of Watten
Watten
Watten
Coordinates: 50°50′01″N 2°12′47″E
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentNord
ArrondissementDunkerque
CantonWormhout
IntercommunalityHauts de Flandre
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Daniel Deschodt[1]
Area
1
7.32 km2 (2.83 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2019)[2]
2,599
 • Density360/km2 (920/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
59647 /59143
Elevation1–73 m (3.3–239.5 ft)
(avg. 55 m or 180 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Watten is located at the limit of the French Flanders historical county. However, the local Dutch dialect (French Flemish) is virtually extinct. The neighbouring villages are Wattendam (commune of Holque), Millam, Serques, Éperlecques and Wulverdinghe.

While Watten belongs to the Nord département, it is bordering the Pas-de-Calais département. The village is crossed by the rivers Aa and Colme.

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±%
20062,730—    
20072,731+0.0%
20082,704−1.0%
20092,655−1.8%
20102,608−1.8%
20112,568−1.5%
20122,536−1.2%
20132,523−0.5%
20142,536+0.5%
20152,549+0.5%
20162,561+0.5%

Heraldry
Arms of Watten
 The arms of Watten are blazoned :
Per fess argent and gules, 3 pales counterchanged.



Sights

The village is famous for its old ruined abbey, and for its mill, which was restored in the 1990s. These two buildings are located on the "Mountain of Watten" (72 metres high). Its church dates from the thirteenth century.

Nearby is the Blockhaus d'Éperlecques, a massive German bunker site from World War Two, wrecked by Allied bombing. It is now a museum.

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. "Populations légales 2019". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2021.
  3. Watten, Wasquehal, Boeschepe... : comment on prononce les communes du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais ?, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-07-27
  4. Démolition des anciens ateliers municipaux de Watten, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-07-27


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