Bousignies-sur-Roc

Bousignies-sur-Roc (French pronunciation: [buziɲi syʁ ʁɔk]) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.^[3]

Bousignies-sur-Roc
Commune
A general view of Bousignies-sur-Roc
Coat of arms
Location of Bousignies-sur-Roc
Bousignies-sur-Roc Show map of France Bousignies-sur-Roc Show map of Hauts-de-France
Coordinates: 50°15′51″N 4°10′58″E
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Nord
Arrondissement	Avesnes-sur-Helpe
Canton	Fourmies
Intercommunality	CA Maubeuge Val de Sambre
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Aurélie Welonek[1]
Area 1	12.14 km2 (4.69 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	376
• Density	31/km2 (80/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	59101 /59149
Elevation	130–224 m (427–735 ft) (avg. 160 m or 520 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

In early 2021, the commune made international headlines^[4] after some historians on a walk noticed that a stone marking the French-Belgian border near the village was moved by about two meters into the French territory.^[5] Internationally, it was initially reported that the stone was moved by a Belgian farmer who was frustrated about the stone blocking the path of his tractor.^[6][7] However, the owner of the area that encompasses the stone, David Lavaux, is a veterinarian who claims that he never moved the stone.^[8] In June 2021, YouTuber The Tim Traveller published a video showing that the stone has not been moved back since the initial report.^[9]

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	526	—
1975	531	+0.14%
1982	503	−0.77%
1990	401	−2.79%
1999	410	+0.25%
2009	421	+0.27%
2014	417	−0.19%
2020	379	−1.58%
Source: INSEE[10]

See also

• Communes of the Nord department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. INSEE commune file
4. "Angleterre, Japon, Équateur, USA, Canada… Buzz mondial pour la borne d'Erquelinnes!". sudinfo.be (in French). 6 May 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
5. Bonvoisin, Alice (27 April 2021). "Bousignies-sur-Roc : il déplace une borne frontière… et réduit la superficie du village et donc de la France". La Voix du Nord (in French). Retrieved 3 July 2021.
6. Schaverien, Anna (5 May 2021). "A Farmer Moved a 200-Year-Old Stone, and the French-Belgian Border". New York Times.
7. O'Kane, Caitlin (6 May 2021). "A Belgian farmer was annoyed by the stone in his tractor's path. He moved it and the French border". CBS News.
8. Biry-Vicente, Rafaela (10 May 2021). "Frontière franco-belge déplacée : une commission bientôt convoquée pour remettre la borne à Bousignies-sur-Roc". France Bleu (in French). Retrieved 3 July 2021.
9. The Tim Traveller (3 June 2021). Can You REALLY Move The French-Belgian Border By Accident With A Tractor?. YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
10. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE