Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The school of girls of the city Nouméa, located in Rouvroy in the Pas-de-Calais, was built as part of the urbanization linked to the mining of pit Nouméa 2 of the Compagnie des mines de Drocourt. Founded in the late 19th century (circa 1895), it was expanded in the 1930s-1931 by architects Charles Duval and Emmanuel Gonse, in a context of post-First World War reconstruction. The school is part of a coherent architectural complex, including a church (Saint Louis), presbyteries, and mining towns, organised around a central square.

The No.2 pit, opened in 1891 and operational in 1894, was destroyed during World War I and rebuilt with modern installations. After the nationalization of the mines in 1946, the site ceased extractive activity in 1955, but the school and related buildings were preserved. In 2010, its facades and roofs (dated 1895 and 1930-1931) were listed as historical monuments, before being listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, alongside Burial No.84 and Nouméa City.

The school illustrates the mining school architecture, marked by a functional extension (four child classes added in 1930) and a harmonious integration into the urban landscape of the corons. Architects Duval and Gonse also designed the presbyteries and participated in the development of the surrounding square, strengthening the social and community role of these infrastructures. Today, the site bears witness to the industrial and human heritage of the mining basin, with enhanced heritage protection.

The Conical Burial No.84 (80 meters high), adjacent to the pit, and nearby mining towns complete this classified landscape. Although the oldest corons were destroyed, the Nouméa city, the girls' school, and the Saint-Louis church (registered in 2009) formed a coherent whole, symbolizing the daily lives of minors and their families between the late 19th and mid 20th centuries.

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