Billy-Berclau is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

A small town east of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D163 and N47 roads, surrounded by the Canal d’Aire. Light industry and a little farming have replaced the coal mining of the past.

History

The city was completely destroyed during the First World War.
On March 27th, 2003, an explosion at the dynamite factory killed 4 people.

Population

Population Evolution

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
2963	2979	3163	3579	4149	4259
Census count starting from 1962 : Population without double counting

Places of interest

• The church of Notre-Dame, rebuilt, as was most of the town, after the First World War.
• The remains of a Prévôté building (once belonging to an abbey)..
• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.
• A German World War I cemetery.

See also

Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

External links

• Official website of Billy-Berclau
• Website about Artois
• The CWGC at the communal cemetery
• Billy-Berclau on the Quid website
• Website of the Communauté d'agglomération de l'Artois

Notes

• This article is based on the Billy-Berclau from the French Wikipedia, consulted on July 11th 2008.