Hirson

For the surname, see Hirson (surname).

Hirson (French pronunciation: [iʁsɔ̃]; Picard: Urchon) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Hirson
Commune
The town hall of Hirson
Coat of arms
Location of Hirson
Hirson Show map of France Hirson Show map of Hauts-de-France
Coordinates: 49°55′18″N 4°05′02″E
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Aisne
Arrondissement	Vervins
Canton	Hirson
Intercommunality	CC Trois Rivières
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Jean-Jacques Thomas[1]
Area 1	33.77 km2 (13.04 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	8,662
• Density	260/km2 (660/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	02381 /02500
Elevation	157–268 m (515–879 ft) (avg. 189 m or 620 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Location

Hirson situation among the municipalities of the Aisne

Hirson is adjacent to Belgium. It is located in the northeastern department of Aisne, near the departments of Nord and Ardennes. Hirson is part of Thiérache. It is located near two large forests, the forest of Hirson and the forest of Saint-Michel.

Hydrography

Hirson is watered by the Oise and Gland. The various streams of the town: stream of Anor, stream of Brugnon, stream of La Marquette, stream of Les Marais, stream of Blangy, stream of Le Catelet, stream of Le Rie De Bon Feu, stream of Four Matot.

Geology and Relief

The culmination of Hirson is located 268 meters above sea level. The lowest altitude is 157 meters above sea level.

Neighboring municipalities

Hirson is bordered by eight municipalities: Éparcy, Buire, Neuve-Maison, Mondrepuis, Anor (Nord), Momignies (Belgium), Saint-Michel, Bucilly.

Toponymy

The name Hirson derives from latin Iricio meaning hedgehog, or from picard hirchon, of the same meaning.^[3]

History

As of the early 20th century, there was a permanent fort and two artillery batteries near the railway junction. Also at that time, the town was engaged in the manufacture of glass bottles, tiles and iron and tin goods, as well as wool-spinning and brewing.^[4]

The town is served by the Fives-Hirson railway.

Population

The inhabitants of the town are called Hirsonnais.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 2,023 —     1800 2,144 +0.83% 1806 2,061 −0.66% 1821 2,231 +0.53% 1831 2,718 +1.99% 1836 2,880 +1.16% 1841 3,005 +0.85% 1846 3,140 +0.88% 1851 3,212 +0.45% 1856 3,203 −0.06% 1861 3,224 +0.13% 1866 3,334 +0.67% 1872 3,951 +2.87% 1876 4,445 +2.99% 1881 4,809 +1.59% 1886 5,743 +3.61% 1891 6,294 +1.85% 1896 6,632 +1.05%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 7,461 +2.38% 1906 8,541 +2.74% 1911 9,638 +2.45% 1921 9,759 +0.12% 1926 11,344 +3.06% 1931 11,403 +0.10% 1936 11,203 −0.35% 1946 10,462 −0.68% 1954 11,134 +0.78% 1962 11,715 +0.64% 1968 11,858 +0.20% 1975 11,986 +0.15% 1982 11,348 −0.78% 1990 10,173 −1.36% 1999 10,337 +0.18% 2007 9,473 −1.09% 2012 9,348 −0.27% 2017 8,813 −1.17%
Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968-2017)[6]

Monuments

Churches

• Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, built in 1908.
• Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus, built around 1930; owned by the pianist Kit Armstrong since 2012.

See also

• Communes of the Aisne department
• Alfred Desmasures

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. Semblat, Jean-Pierre (2010). Dictionnaire des noms de lieux de l'Aisne. Paris: Archives & culture. ISBN 978-2-35077-146-5.
4.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hirson". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 525.
5. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Hirson, EHESS (in French).
6. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE