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.[5] Its inhabitants are called "Wattenais".
Watten | |
|---|---|
 The windmill in Watten | |
.svg.png.webp) Coat of arms | |
Location of Watten | |
  Watten  Watten | |
| Coordinates: 50°50′01″N 2°12′47″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Nord |
| Arrondissement | Dunkerque |
| Canton | Wormhout |
| Intercommunality | Hauts de Flandre |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Daniel Deschodt[1] |
| Area 1 | 7.32 km2 (2.83 sq mi) |
| Population | 2,587 |
| • Density | 350/km2 (920/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 59647 /59143 |
| Elevation | 1–73 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.
Climate
Watten has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Watten is 11.3 °C (52.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 822.8 mm (32.39 in) with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 18.6 °C (65.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 4.8 °C (40.6 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Watten was 41.9 °C (107.4 °F) on 25 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −19.3 °C (−2.7 °F) on 14 January 1982.
| Climate data for Watten (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1970−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
25.9 (78.6) |
28.9 (84.0) |
32.8 (91.0) |
35.8 (96.4) |
41.9 (107.4) |
37.0 (98.6) |
33.6 (92.5) |
29.9 (85.8) |
20.3 (68.5) |
16.4 (61.5) |
41.9 (107.4) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) |
8.5 (47.3) |
11.7 (53.1) |
15.5 (59.9) |
18.6 (65.5) |
21.3 (70.3) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.8 (74.8) |
20.7 (69.3) |
16.1 (61.0) |
11.1 (52.0) |
7.9 (46.2) |
15.5 (59.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
5.3 (41.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
10.3 (50.5) |
13.5 (56.3) |
16.3 (61.3) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.6 (65.5) |
15.7 (60.3) |
12.1 (53.8) |
8.1 (46.6) |
5.2 (41.4) |
11.3 (52.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.0 (35.6) |
2.0 (35.6) |
3.5 (38.3) |
5.1 (41.2) |
8.3 (46.9) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.4 (56.1) |
13.4 (56.1) |
10.8 (51.4) |
8.1 (46.6) |
5.0 (41.0) |
2.6 (36.7) |
7.1 (44.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19.3 (−2.7) |
−14.6 (5.7) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
1.1 (34.0) |
4.5 (40.1) |
4.7 (40.5) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−13.8 (7.2) |
−19.3 (−2.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 69.5 (2.74) |
57.8 (2.28) |
50.0 (1.97) |
43.9 (1.73) |
56.4 (2.22) |
58.8 (2.31) |
67.0 (2.64) |
72.9 (2.87) |
71.9 (2.83) |
83.9 (3.30) |
97.3 (3.83) |
93.4 (3.68) |
822.8 (32.39) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.8 | 10.9 | 9.8 | 8.6 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 10.2 | 12.5 | 14.1 | 14.2 | 130.0 |
| Source: Météo-France[6] | |||||||||||||
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 3,005 | — |
| 1975 | 2,819 | −0.91% |
| 1982 | 3,235 | +1.99% |
| 1990 | 3,030 | −0.81% |
| 1999 | 2,925 | −0.39% |
| 2007 | 2,731 | −0.85% |
| 2012 | 2,536 | −1.47% |
| 2017 | 2,563 | +0.21% |
| Source: INSEE[7] | ||
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
- "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
- 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
- Démolition des anciens ateliers municipaux de Watten, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-07-27
- INSEE commune file
- "Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records" (PDF) (in French). Météo-France. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
External links
