Bousignies-sur-Roc

Bousignies-sur-Roc
A general view of Bousignies-sur-Roc
A general view of Bousignies-sur-Roc
Coat of arms of Bousignies-sur-Roc
Location of Bousignies-sur-Roc
Map
Bousignies-sur-Roc is located in France
Bousignies-sur-Roc
Bousignies-sur-Roc
Bousignies-sur-Roc is located in Hauts-de-France
Bousignies-sur-Roc
Bousignies-sur-Roc
Coordinates: 50°15′51″N 4°10′58″E / 50.2642°N 4.1828°E / 50.2642; 4.1828
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentNord
ArrondissementAvesnes-sur-Helpe
CantonFourmies
IntercommunalityCA Maubeuge Val de Sambre
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Aurélie Welonek[1]
Area
1
12.14 km2 (4.69 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
376
 • Density31/km2 (80/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
59101 /59149
Elevation130–224 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.

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

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]

  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.