Last modified: 2007-11-24 by ivan sache
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![[Flag of Farciennes]](../images/b/be-whtfa.gif)
Municipal flag of Farciennes - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 11 November 2005
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The municipality of Farciennes (11,071 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 1,038 ha) is located a few kilometers east of Charleroi, on the border with the Province of Namur. The municipality of Farciennes is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Farciennes and Pironchamps.
Farciennes was in the past a main city in the Pays Noir (Black
Country), the Belgian coal mining basin.
In the XVIIIth century, the neighbouring collieries of Roton and
Sainte-Catherine were exploited separately. In 1853, the two
concessions were merged as Roton-Sainte-Catherine; they were merged
again in 1859 with the concessions of Baulet and Oignies and three
shafts in Roton-Sainte-Catherine, Baulet and Roignies-Aiseau. On 26 June 1890, the S.A. des Charbonnages Réunis de
Roton-Farciennes, Baulet et Oignies-Aiseau was formed. The company
employed 2,200 workers and extracted 230,000-400,000 tons of coal per
year. After a dispute with the company of Petit-Try in Lambusart, the
concession of Baulet was sold in 1906 and the company was renamed S.A.
des Charbonnages Réunis de Roton-Farciennes et Oignies-Aiseau. It
progressively incorporated the smaller collieries of Falisole,
Auvelais-Saint-Roch, Ham-sur-Sambre and Moustier. After the Second
World War, all the sites were closed but two, Aulniats and
Sainte-Catherine. Aulniats was closed in 1969, whereas Sainte-Catherine
maintained a daily production of 2,500 tons. The production then
decreased to 400 tons per day and the Roton was closed in 1984. This
was the last active colliery in Wallonia.
The S.A. des Charbonnages d'Aiseau-Presles also
exploited shafts on the territory of Farciennes.
Sources:
Ivan Sache, 11 November 2005
The municipal flag of Farciennes is diagonally divided (per bend)
red-blue.
Armoiries communales en Belgique. Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et
germanophones describes the flag as Tranché rouge clair sur bleu marine,
and says that the origin of the flag se perd dans la nuit des
temps (is lost in the mists of time).
The flag is indeed based on the municipal
arms, granted by Royal Decree on 26 October 1955 as Bandé de vair et de gueules de six pièces. (Bendy vair and gules six pieces).
These arms are shown on the municipal website, which explains that
the collar shown around the arms refers to Count de Bucquoi, lord of
Longueval, who lived in the XVIIth century in the Old Castle of
Farciennes and was member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 2 July 2007