Auchel is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.GeographyAn ex-mining town, nowadays a light industrial & farming commune, situated 8mi southwest of Béthune and 34mi southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D183 and the D183E roads.HistoryFollowing the discovery of coal deposits in the area in 1851, the town grew as the demand for coal increased in France. This old mining town had close to 15,000 inhabitants in the 1950s.  The coal recession in the late 1960s lead to a constant decline in population, despite the efforts of the municipality to attract and keep people here during and after the recession.PopulationThe inhabitants are called Auchellois.Sights The church of St. Martin, dating from the sixteenth century. A museum about coal mining.International relationsAuchel is twinned with:  West Malling, in the county of Kent, England. Iserlohn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.PersonalitiesAuchel is the birthplace of:  Augustin Lesage, French spiritualist artist. Lesage is one of the most fascinating figures associated with Art Brut Fred Personne, actor Xavier Beauvois, actor, director and screenwriter. Pierre Laigle, football player