Bénifontaine

Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

Coat of arms

Location of Bénifontaine

(2020–2026) Nicolas Godart^[1]Area

4.84 km² (1.87 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

343 • Density71/km² (180/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

62107 /62410

Elevation22–54 m (72–177 ft)
(avg. 25 m or 82 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bénifontaine (French pronunciation: [benifɔ̃tɛn]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.^[3]

Geography

A farming village situated just 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Lens at the junction of the N47 and D39 roads.
The airport of Lens-Bénifontaine (code LFQL) is located in the commune.

History

The commune owes its name to the quality of the local water, which is used for brewing the regional Ch'Ti beer. During World War I, the village, along with many others, was completely destroyed.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	275	—
1975	289	+0.71%
1982	295	+0.29%
1990	303	+0.34%
1999	275	−1.07%
2009	325	+1.68%
2014	363	+2.24%
2020	350	−0.61%
Source: INSEE^[4]

Sights

The Castelain Ch’ti brewery.
The aerodrome.

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ INSEE commune file
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE