One of the houses of the Cité des Électriciens
It is called so because Marconi, Volta, Edison, Franklin or Ampère, among others, they give names to their streets. The City of Electricians , or City of Electricians, is resurrected mining history in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais basin in northern France. And more importantly, It is the day-to-day story of those who made it possible, of those miners whose habits and routines on the surface we know little about today.
Built in 1856 to house the miners who worked in the town of bruay and their families, the Cité des Électriciens was gradually depopulating, while the mining activity ceased towards the end of the 70s, to be completely abandoned back in 2008.
Aerial view of the Cite des Électriciens
More than ten years later, in May 2019, this mining town has come back to life converted into a tourist and cultural destination who wants to make known a past about which little is often known.
“In 2009, I cited it, although it had already been registered as a Historical Monument, it was in ruins and the population had a very bad image of it. To change this conception, the Communauté d'agglomération and the city They decided to host artists in residencies to give the place a bit of charm” Isabelle Mauchin, head of the Cité des Électriciens, explains to Traveler.es.
Thus was born a movement that would value the patrimonial vocation of the Cité, for its typical mining town architecture; and its cultural vocation, by the presence of artists, which led to the rehabilitation works of the place that were undertaken from 2012-2013.
She began “with the invitation of the company Les Pas perdus who conceived facilities with the inhabitants of the area. This company came three years in a row. The initiative brought with it the constitution of a group of inhabitants, les Occasionnels de l'Art, who were present every year to prepare the works with the artists in a co-creative dynamic. This procedure ended in 2011”, says Mauchin.
The Tisons in the fall of 1962
The city of Béthune became the Regional Capital of Culture at that time and nearly 50,000 people visited the Cité, which, like the rest of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining area, in June 2012 it would receive the qualification of UNESCO World Heritage.
“The Cite des Électriciens is the oldest preserved mining town in Pas-de-Calais (…) Due to its heritage and cultural value, the Cité has become a gateway for visitors to the mining basin. It allows to appreciate, discover and understand this territory and its peculiarities”.
Seven years after its inclusion in the famous list, its nine barracks have become an example of how it is possible to preserve the architectural heritage while committing to sustainable development.
The three-hectare complex has come to be made up of six rows of terrace houses, 1.5 hectares of gardens and orchards planted with vegetables and fruit trees; an interpretation center in which you learn about coal mining in France and a restaurant that offers homemade food using local products and what is obtained from the orchards.
Interior of the interpretation center
Since last May 19, you can visit the Cité from 6 euros the ticket (the interpretation center is open between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and the temporary exhibition rooms from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.); O well, spend the night there or why not? stay for a season.
And it is that within the complex they have vacation rentals available to rent. “The price per night at the Chez Roland house (for two people) it ranges from 68 euros in low season to 80 euros in high season; at Chez Liliane (for five people) it goes from 150 euros in low season to 175 in high season” , explains Mauchin, who indicates that to reserve them it is necessary to call 03 21 01 94 20 or send an email to [email protected].
In addition, as we said, it is possible to settle in the Cité for a while, since they have continued with the artist residency program that was so successful a decade ago. Visual artists, landscapers, novelists, poets, historians... Any professional who is working on an artistic project or in some research related to mining You can aspire to a place to move to the complex for a season.
"There is no criteria as such" to choose them, says Mauchin. "Our projects always revolve around the mining heritage and, particularly, around the landscape, the habitat and the question of the reconversion of an industrial territory".
The restaurant works with local producers and the fruits and vegetables they obtain from the gardens of the Cité
“Artistic expressions are free: We have already welcomed plastic artists, sculptors, a photographer, a writer and, shortly, we will have designers” , he explains, adding that the only limitations are those related to logistics, technique, human and financial capacity.
“It all depends on the project. The artists are in residence to immerse themselves in the territory, to impregnate themselves, to meet the inhabitants who keep it alive, to carry out workshops with visitors to the Cité, even outside the site”, Mauchin sums up about a project that continues to uphold this will to create community.
The orchards are very present throughout the complex