Écoust-Saint-Mein

Écoust-Saint-Mein
Écoust-Saint-Mein
Commune
	The church of Écoust-Saint-Mein
	Coat of arms
	show Location of Écoust-Saint-Mein
	Écoust-Saint-Mein Show map of FranceShow map of Hauts-de-FranceShow all
	Coordinates: 50°10′57″N 2°54′39″E / 50.1825°N 2.9108°ECoordinates: 50°10′57″N 2°54′39″E / 50.1825°N 2.9108°E
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Arras
Canton	Bapaume
Intercommunality	CC Sud-Artois
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Yves Ledieu
Area 1	8.43 km2 (3.25 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2018)	493
• Density	58/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62285 /62128
Elevation	84–117 m (276–384 ft) ; (avg. 97 m or 318 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Écoust-Saint-Mein is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Geography[]

A farming village situated 10 miles (16.1 km) southeast of Arras at the junction of the D956 and D5 roads.

Population[]

Historical population of Écoust-Saint-Mein
Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
Population	460	466	453	468	443	429
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

Places of interest[]

The church of St. Mein, dating from the sixteenth century.
Traces of an old castle.
World War I cemeteries.

History[]

During World War I, Écoust-Saint-Mein was located on the Hindenburg Line when its inhabitants were evacuated by German forces. The church tower was mined and served as a landmark for gunners. Following the battle of Arras in 1917, it was captured by the Allies until it was recaptured by the Germans in March 1918 and finally retaken on September 3rd, 1918.

In popular culture[]

In the 2019 film 1917, Écoust-Saint-Mein is depicted as a ruined waypoint on the mission of the main character.^[2] The film's depiction of the town is largely based on actual history. As the town became a war zone during the First World War, the villagers had no choice but to abandon Écoust-Saint-Mein, returning after the war to rebuild.^{[citation needed]}