Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

and south-west of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

. It is the capital of the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

department in the region of

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. The ...

. In 2021, the population of Amiens was 135,429. A central landmark of the city is

Amiens Cathedral , image = 0 Amiens - Cathédrale Notre-Dame (1).JPG , imagesize = 200px , img capt = Amiens Cathedral , pushpin map = France , pushpin label position = below , coordinates = , country ...

, the largest

Gothic cathedral Gothic cathedrals and churches are religious buildings created in Europe between the mid-12th century and the beginning of the 16th century. The cathedrals are notable particularly for their great height and their extensive use of stained glass t ...

in France. Amiens also has one of the largest university hospitals in France, with a capacity of 1,200 beds. The author

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the '' Voyages extra ...

lived in Amiens from 1871 until his death in 1905, and served on the city council for 15 years. Incumbent French president

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

was born in Amiens. The town was fought over during both World Wars, suffering significant damage, and was repeatedly occupied by both sides. The 1918 Battle of Amiens was the opening phase of the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

which directly led to the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

. The

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

heavily bombed the town during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. In the aftermath, the city was rebuilt according to

Pierre Dufau Pierre Dufau (21 June 1908 – 26 September 1985) was a French architect. He is particularly known for his work on the reconstruction of Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located ...

's plans with wider streets to ease traffic congestion. These newer structures were primarily built of brick, concrete and white stone with slate roofs. The architect

Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the ...

designed the

Gare d'Amiens Amiens station (locally known as: ''Gare du Nord'') is the main railway station for the Northern French city of Amiens. History The station opened on 15 March 1847 when the line to Abbeville started passenger operations. It was razed by German she ...

train station and nearby Tour Perret. Amiens has an important historical and cultural heritage, on which a significant amount of tourism is based. Apart from the cathedral, there is the , the , the Tour Perret, the

Musée de Picardie The Musée de Picardie is the main museum of Amiens and Picardy, in France. It is located at 48, rue de la République, Amiens. Its collections include artifacts ranging from prehistory to the 19th century, and form one of the largest regiona ...

, the , and the quarters of Saint-Leu and Saint-Maurice. A total of 60 monuments are listed in the inventory of monuments historiques, over 1600 places and monuments listed in the , and 187 objects listed in the inventory of monuments historiques. During December, the town hosts the largest

Christmas market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

in northern France. It is known for a few local foods, including " macarons d'Amiens", almond paste biscuits; "tuiles amienoises", chocolate and orange curved biscuits; "pâté de canard d'Amiens", duck pâté in pastry; "la ficelle Picarde", an oven-baked cheese-topped

crêpe A crêpe or crepe ( or , , Quebec French: ) is a very thin type of pancake. Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: ''sweet crêpes'' () or ''savoury galettes'' (). They are often served with a wide variety of fillings such as cheese, ...

; and "

flamiche aux poireaux Flamiche is a specialty of Picardy (located in northern France), and a puff pastry tart made with leeks and cream. The pastry is made of a brioche-type dough. It resembles a quiche. It is also a speciality of Dinant and of Walloon cuisine, a tart ...

", a puff pastry tart made with leeks and cream.

History

The first known settlement at this location was Samarobriva ("Somme bridge"), the central settlement of the

Ambiani The Ambiani (Gaulish: ''Ambiāni'', 'those around') were a Belgic coastal tribe dwelling in the modern Picardy region during the Iron Age and Roman periods. They settled in the region between the 4th century and the second part of the 2nd centur ...

tribe, one of the principal tribes of Gaul. The Romans named the town Ambianum, meaning settlement of the Ambiani people. Amiens was part of

Francia Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks du ...

starting from the 5th century. The

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

sacked the city in 859 and again in 882. In 1113, the city was recognized by King

Louis VI of France Louis VI (late 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat (french: link=no, le Gros) or the Fighter (french: link=no, le Batailleur), was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Chronicles called him "King of Saint-Denis". Louis was the first member ...

, and in 1185 it was linked to the Crown of France. In 1597, Spanish soldiers held the city during the six-month

Siege of Amiens The siege of Amiens (French: Siège d'Amiens) was a siege and battle fought during the Franco-Spanish War (1595–1598), as part of both the French Wars of Religion and the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604), between 13 May and 25 September 1597.Jacq ...

, before Henry IV regained control. During the 18th and 19th century, the textile tradition of Amiens became famous for its

velours Velour, occasionally velours, is a plush, knitted fabric or textile similar to velvet or velveteen. It is usually made from cotton, but can also be made from synthetic materials such as polyester. Often, it contains a percentage of elastane, ...

. As a result of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, the provinces of France were dismantled and the territory was organised into

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

. Much of

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hist ...

became the newly created department of

with Amiens as the departmental capital. During the

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, the city walls were demolished, opening up space for large boulevards around the town center. The Henriville neighborhood in the south of the city was developed around this time. In 1848, the first railway arrived in Amiens, linking the city to

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Department ...

. During the 1870 Battle of Amiens, the city was occupied by invading

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

n forces. The town was fought over during both the First and

Second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ea ...

World Wars, suffering significant damage and being occupied several times by both sides. The 1918 Battle of Amiens was the opening phase of the

which led directly to the

that ended the war. It was heavily bombed by the Royal Air Force during the

. The city was rebuilt according to

's plans with a focus on widening the streets to ease traffic congestion. These newer structures were primarily built of brick, concrete and white stone with slate roofs. The architect

designed the

train station and nearby Tour Perret.

Geography

Location

Amiens, the regional prefecture of

, also functions as the prefecture of the

department, one of the three departments (with

Oise Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,41 ...

and

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Paris Basin The Paris Basin is one of the major geological regions of France. It developed since the Triassic over remnant uplands of the Variscan orogeny (Hercynian orogeny). The sedimentary basin, no longer a single drainage basin, is a large sag in th ...

, the city benefits from a privileged geographical position, with close proximity to Paris,

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...

, London and

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. At the crossroads of major European routes of travel ( A1, A16 and A29), the city is also at the heart of a major rail star.

As the crow flies __NOTOC__ The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points, rather similar to "in a beeline". This meaning is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver ...

, the city is north of Paris, south-west of Lille, north-east of Rouen, east-north-east of

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

and north-west of

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded b ...

. At the regional level, Amiens is located north of

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most popul ...

, west of Saint-Quentin, from

Compiègne Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with ...

and from

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. ...

. In area, Amiens is the third-largest settlement in the Somme, after

Crécy-en-Ponthieu Crécy-en-Ponthieu (), known in archaic English as Cressy, is a commune located south of Calais in the northern French department of Somme. It gives its name to Crécy Forest, which starts about two kilometres to the south-west of the town and i ...

and

Hornoy-le-Bourg Hornoy-le-Bourg () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated at the junction of the D18 and D211 roads, some southwest of Amiens. It is the second largest commune of the Somm ...

Geology and relief

The area of the commune is ; the altitude varies between .

Hydrography: Somme and canal, Avre and Selle

LL 69 - AMIENS - Vue prise dans la vieille ville

The

main stem In hydrology, a mainstem (or trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". Water enters the mainstem from the river's drainage basin, the land area through which the mainstem and its tributaries flow. ...

of the

River Somme The Somme ( , , ) is a river in Picardy, northern France. The river is in length, from its source in the high ground of the former at Fonsomme near Saint-Quentin, to the Bay of the Somme, in the English Channel. It lies in the geologica ...

passes through Amiens and is generally benign, except during exceptional floods that can last up to several weeks (such as in spring 2001). It is also, on its southeastern outskirts, close to Camon and

Longueau Longueau (; pcd, Londjeu) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Longueau is situated southeast of Amiens, a suburb just by the airport, on the N29 road. Longueau station has rail connections to ...

, the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

with its main

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

on the left bank (to the south), and the Avre. The Selle enters from the northwest of Amiens, with two arms (including the Haute Selle) passing behind the Unicorn Stadium, the exhibition park, the megacity and horse racing track, then passing the end of the ''Promenade de la Hotoie'' and the zoo of Amiens, and to the right of the water treatment plant, in front of the island Sainte-Aragone, opposite the cemetery of La Madeleine in Amiens. The city developed in a natural narrowing of the river at the level of the , due to the advance of the rim of the Picard plateau in Saint-Pierre ( ford crossing). The Amiens citadel is built on this limestone butte of the Picard plateau and ''Rue Saint-Pierre'' is a slightly inclined path to leave the city from the north. At this narrowing, a network of narrow canals led to the construction of bridges and buildings including textile mills in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The marshes of the old bed of the river Somme was used to dig peat. Farmers maintained rieux, canals and ditches by cleaning out the silt and used it to append to their vegetable garden plot, the hortillons. Beginning in the 20 th century the descendants of hortillons stopped maintaining the canals and the areas were gradually left to lie fallow or sold to private individuals who created pleasure gardens accessible by boat. The hydrographic network has always been an important city-operated asset. The river helped shape the identity of the landscape, urban and economic territory. It is around the quarters of Saint-Leu, Saint-Maurice bordering the River Somme and most of the administrative and civil area of the current city center which the city has developed since

antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

. The Canal de la Somme dates from the beginning of the 19th century and the bridge at the foot of the citadel was built after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Climate

Amiens has the typical

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

of the north of France, with relatively mild winters, cool summers, and rainfall well distributed throughout the year. Ombrothermic diagram of Amiens

Transport

Amiens is a hub between the Île de France and the rest of northern France;

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

and

Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico- economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe ...

; and France and Great Britain. Amiens is not directly on principal European road and rail arteries, such as the

A1 motorway A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to: Education * A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages * Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects * A1, a ...

and the Paris-Lille

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

train line, at present. However, due to its position halfway between the urban areas of Lille and Paris, Amiens has good conditions for service and accessibility, including motorways (at the junction of the A16 and A29).

Rail

Amiens station Amiens station (locally known as: ''Gare du Nord'') is the main railway station for the Northern French city of Amiens. History The station opened on 15 March 1847 when the line to Abbeville started passenger operations. It was razed by German she ...

is served by regional train services to destinations that include Rouen, Calais, Lille, Reims, Compiègne and Paris-Nord.

Saint-Roch (Somme) station __NOTOC__ Saint-Roch (Somme) is a station in the Northern French city of Amiens. The station was opened in 1847 when the line from Amiens to Abbeville opened. The station was heavily bombarded during the nights of 18 and 20 May 1940, but the build ...

in the western part of the city is served by local trains towards Rouen and Abbeville. A regular bus route with the

TGV Haute-Picardie station Haute-Picardie TGV station (French: ''Gare de TGV Haute-Picardie'') is a railway station on the LGV Nord-Europe between Lille and Paris. Geographically, it is located about west of Péronne, between the towns of Saint Quentin and Amiens, in th ...

also provides access to the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport station. On the horizon of 2025, the Roissy–Picardie Link will put Amiens 55 minutes from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport and its TGV station. By train, Amiens is located at:

Roads

Since antiquity, Amiens has been a crossroads of important routes. The contemporary city is served by the A16 and A29 autoroutes. The Jules Verne Viaduct, long, crosses the

to the east of the city and allows circumvention of the city by motorway-type roads. The A16 and A29 autoroutes, the RN1 and the RN25 form a bypass-type motorway around the city that the population has called the ''Rocade d'Amiens'' ing road of Amiens Initially constituting national roads which are downgraded today, mostly as departmental roads, the greater urban area of Amiens is served by: Amiens is served by several motorways: * A16 to

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

via

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

and

* A16 to Paris via

* A29 to

and

via

Neufchâtel-en-Bray Neufchâtel-en-Bray (; Norman: ''Neucâtel-en-Bray, Le Câtel'') is a commune situated in the Seine-Maritime department of the Normandy Region, northern France. The Neufchâtel cheese is made in the area. Geography Location Neufchâtel is a ...

* A29 to

via Saint-Quentin and

* The proposed A24 autoroute from Amiens to

via

Doullens Doullens (; pcd, Dourlin; former nl, Dorland) is a commune in the Somme department, Hauts-de-France, France. Its inhabitants are called ''Doullennais'' and ''Doullennaises''. Geography Doullens is situated on the N25 road, in the northern p ...

was cancelled in 2006.

Parking

According to the (PDU) approved 19 December 2013 for the period 2013–2023 parking supply is considered abundant in Amiens. Although important, demand for parking is less than what is available (capacity reserves are still 20% minimum: If the road is sometimes saturated, the occupancy rate of the underground parking remains globally less than 100%). In 2013, the city counted approximately 70,000 public parking spaces, including 8,400 in the city center and in its immediate vicinity, where 70% of places are paid. * 4,400 spaces on highways (1,950 in the inner city, including 1,600 paid) * 4,000 spaces in underground parking (620 other new places are programmed in a project for the Gare La Vallée development zone). The underground car parks in the city center are organised thus: , a residential parking system has been deployed in Saint-Anne ward to cope with congestion in the streets caused by SNCF railway station users. During the campaign for the municipal election of 2008, parking was one of the important topics of debate. A year after the change of majority, the team launched a consultation with the population. From 2011, residential parking was extended to the Gare-La-Vallée and Riolan neighborhoods, then in 2012 to the Noyon neighborhood and the area east of the Riolan sector. In 2014, 2,600 parking spaces were affected by this system which allowed city residents more parking near their homes in order to promote a better rotation of vehicles in the streets and reduce permanent occupation of public space by the cars cluttering the highway.

Public transport

Amiens was originally served by two tram lines over , opened in 1887. They intersect at ''Place Gambetta'', one linking , the Church of Saint-Acheul, Cagnard bridge, ''Rue de Noyon'' and ''Rue Jules-Barni''; the other from the Church of Saint-Pierre at the racecourse, by the streets of Saint-Leu, Frédéric-Petit and Colbert. Electrified in 1899, the network grew to seven lines totaling in 1906. From 1932,

was linked to Amiens by a bus service. German bombing in 1940 destroyed most of the city center and hit the Jules-Ferry Road tram , totally destroying the tram fleet. Only the Longueau bus survived. A few old Parisian buses were also used in an extremely reduced service. These buses as well as the surviving bus were then converted to city gas and equipped with tanks on the roof covered by a huge white dome. This service continued until approximately 1946. There were only two urban lines: An east–west line (Saint-Acheul – Montieres) and a northeast–southwest line (Beauville – road to Rouen). It was decided after the war to serve the city by a

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

with one route to Longueau. This was only in part realized, serving Saint-Acheul, Rouen, La Madeleine and Saint-Pierre. In 1964, trolleybuses were abandoned and the bus became ubiquitous in Amiens transportation. The bus network is today managed by the Ametis , whose network covers Amiens Métropole, the agglomeration of Amiens. The establishment of dedicated

bus lane A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, often on certain days and times, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term busway describes a roadwa ...

s began in 2006. Former Mayor

Gilles de Robien Le vicomte Gilles de Robien (; born 10 April 1941) is a French politician and former government minister. The son of Count Jean de Robien by his wife Éliane Le Mesre de Pas, he is descended from the noble Breton family de Robien. In 1989 ...

had envisioned the creation of a tram, but the choice of dedicated

s had been preferred for reasons of cost and patronage. His successor, Mayor , had been considering the development of a in the metropolitan area. As a result of numerous studies and conferences, elected representatives voted for the creation of a tram at the municipal Council of 15 November 2012. The project had been endorsed by the

Communauté d'agglomération Amiens Métropole The Communauté d'agglomération Amiens Métropole is a ''communauté d'agglomération'' in the Somme ''département'' and in the Hauts-de-France ''région'' of France. It was created in December 1999.Brigitte Fouré Brigitte Fouré (born 13 August 1955 in Amiens) is a French university lecturer and former government minister, a member of the ''Nouveau Centre'' and of ''Société en mouvement'' ("Society on the Move") She is also a lecturer in law at the Un ...

, and by extension the new president of Amiens Métropole Alain Gest, decided to suspend the project at least during the time of their respective mandates, thus applying a campaign promise (the tram was at the heart of debate) and despite a project announcement of trams on tyres (of TVR type). Improvement of public transit would then be only by that of the bus network. Indeed, in December of the same year, the Community Council approved funding for a study (the sixth in 20 years) relating to the establishment of a

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...

(BHNS), which should enter into service in March 2019, and whose vehicles could be electric. LL 35 - AMIENS - La Place Gambetta (couleur, 2 trams dt le 30).jpg, The ''Place Gambetta'': An important hub of the former tram network of Amiens at the beginning of the 20th century LL 65 - AMIENS - Le lycée de Jeunes Filles.JPG, The lycée de jeunes filles and tramway, ''Rue des Otages'', now Lycée Madeleine-Michelis Mercedes Citaro O530GII n°331 AMETIS Gare du Nord.jpg, A bus of the network of

Cycle networks

Amiens has developed two bike services: ''Buscyclette'' and . * ''Buscyclette'' is a service of rental bikes on demand, created in May 1999. In 2014, nearly 2,400 "green bikes" are available for rent, essentially city bikes but also electric bikes (VAE),

folding bicycle A folding bicycle is a bicycle designed to fold into a compact form, facilitating transport and storage. When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings, on public transportation (facilitating mixed-mode commuting and bicycl ...

s and specific bikes (kids bikes, child trailers,

mountain bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which m ...

cargo bike A cargo bike (also known as a box bike, carrier cycle, freight bicycle, cycletruck, or freight tricycle) is a human powered vehicle designed and constructed specifically for transporting loads. Cargo bike designs include a cargo area consisting o ...

s, tandems, etc.). The rental period varies from half a day to one year. * is a

bike sharing system A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include bo ...

(VLS) created on 16 February 2008, an adaptation of the system managed by

JCDecaux Decaux Group (JCDecaux SA, ) is a multinational corporation based in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, known for its bus-stop advertising systems, billboards, public bicycle rental systems, and street furniture. It is the largest outdoor ...

, similar to

Vélo'v Vélo'v is a bicycle sharing system run by the city of Lyon, France, in conjunction with the advertising company JCDecaux. It has been the pioneer of smart bicycle-sharing systems, previous systems being more ad hoc and run similar to a ch ...

in Lyon and

Vélib' is a large-scale public bicycle sharing system in Paris, France. Launched on 15 July 2007, the system encompassed around 14,500 bicycles and 1,400 bicycle stations, located across Paris and in some surrounding municipalities, with an average d ...

in Paris. offers 313 bikes distributed every 300 to 400 metres in the center of Amiens and 26 stations. In 2012, Amiens Métropole had of routes for cyclists. Despite the development of a bicycle plan in 1997 which was planning the development of of equipped cycleways, the network of the territory in terms of paths is still incomplete. The blueprint of the bicycle facilities of the agglomeration (SDAC) provides, over a period of 10 years (2014–2024), for of cycle routes and equips 490 sites for the parking of bikes. This plan also includes the deployment of parking facilities over the entire territory of the city, close to the facilities frequented by bikers, as well as at traffic lights or even the maintenance of existing facilities.

Railways

Verrère place Alphonse Fiquet, Gare d'Amiens

There are three railway stations: * Two stations on the Paris-Boulogne and Amiens – Rouen lines: *The

, main station, known as ''Gare du Nord'', in memory of the

Compagnie du Nord The (also referred to as the Northern Company) was a French colonial fur-trading company, founded in Québec City 1682 by a group of Canadien financiers with the express intent of competing with the English Hudson's Bay Company. It was founded by C ...

who created it. Every day, 15,000 travelers use its seven lines.Benoit Delespierre, ''Longueau, l'autre gare d'Amiens'', '' Courrier picard'', 11 avril 2013. *The station of Saint-Roch Connections from these two stations include to

via

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of ...

and

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...

, to

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...

via

, to Paris-Nord via

Creil Creil is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. The Creil station is an important railway junction. History Archaeological remains in the area include a Neolithic site as well as a late Iron Age necropolis, perhaps belonging ...

, to

via

Tergnier Tergnier () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Its location on the Canal de Saint-Quentin and the Creil–Jeumont railway ( Tergnier station) supported its development as an industrial centre in the se ...

, and to

. * A station located on the Paris – Lille line in

serving south of Amiens and the communes of Longueau, Cagny, Boves, etc. *

Longueau station Longueau station (French: ''Gare de Longueau'') is a railway station in Longueau near Amiens, France. It is situated on the Paris–Lille railway. Longueau is served by trains of the TER Hauts-de-France and Intercités Intercités (before Septe ...

, a passenger station of the historic railway hub in

. Every day, 2,500 travellers use its two lines. * , station assigned to the freight traffic, it serves only the industrial zone of Amiens. This station is located on the former railway line of

. Many regional and extra regional links (Normandie, Grand Est and Île-de-France) pass through Amiens, especially by TER Hauts-de-France. A station located from Amiens, the Haute-Picardie TGV station, allows access to the

network. It is served by buses from Amiens. Its isolated character earned it the name of ''gare des betteraves'', or ''gare betteraves'', at the time of its construction. CARON 328 - AMIENS - La Gare du Nord.jpg , Gare du Nord (old postcard published by Caron No. 328, postmarked in 1909) INCONNU_-_AMIENS_-_Intérieur_de_la_Gare_Saint-Roch.jpg , Inside Saint-Roch railway station (postcard postmarked in 1905) Amiens_St_Roch_(extérieur).jpg , Gare Saint-Roch Gare de Longueau - La Halle.JPG, Gare de Longueau

Air transport

In addition to

Amiens – Glisy Aerodrome Amiens – Glisy Aerodrome (french: Aérodrome d'Amiens - Glisy, ) is an airport serving Amiens, the capital city of the Somme department of the Picardy (''Picardie'') region in France. The airport is located east-southeast of Amiens, in Glisy ...

, bordering the town's eastern edge from the center, there are several airports nearby. * Albert – Picardie Airport is located 20 minutes northeast of the city. * Beauvais-Tillé Airport, the ninth largest French airport by usage, located 45 minutes by car south of the city, and served by a bus service from Amiens. *

Lille Airport Lille Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport de Lille) is an airport located in Lesquin, south-southeast of Lille, a city in northern France. It is also known as Lille-Lesquin Airport or Lesquin Airport. Lille is the principal city of the Lille ...

, reachable by train or by road using the A29 and A1. *

Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, ), also known as Roissy Airport or simply Paris CDG, is the principal airport serving the French capital, Paris ( and its metropolitan area), and the largest intern ...

, reachable by train or by road using the A29 and A1, or A16 and N104. The creation of a railway between

and Roissy will put Amiens 55 minutes from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport by 2020.

Waterways

The Somme

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

runs through the town to the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

. This canal is linked to the

Canal du Nord The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the North'') is a long canal in northern France. The canal connects the Canal latéral à l'Oise at Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal at Arleux. The French government, in partnership with coal-min ...

(Paris to Lille metropolitan area).

Urbanism

Urban morphology

Amiens comprises a number of neighbourhoods ("quartiers" in French) with their own characteristics, including Saint-Leu, St-Maurice, Henriville, and Saint-Acheul.

Saint-Leu quarter

St-Leu forms part of Amiens, north of the city center. It has many older wooden and brick houses and several canals. At the foot of the cathedral, traversed by canals, this picturesque area was largely rehabilitated during the 1990s. It extends to the

canal, located more to the north, at the foot of the Coteau Saint-Pierre on which the fortress of , called ''Citadelle'', was built. Historically, it was the poor quarter of the city, where butchers, tanners and dyers gathered. Amiens University's Faculty of Sciences, present since the 1960s, has been renovated and expanded on occasion. The Faculty of Law and Economics has also been transferred since the mid-1990s from the campus (offset to the south of the city) to its new location at the foot of the cathedral.Work had also been delayed, because some people wanted to "preserve the cathedral", the situation was exceptional. The open-air parking it replaces was a "gap" in the landscape dating from

. Nonetheless, it allowed an unobstructed view of the cathedral. Most of the buildings have been renovated and transformed into housing much of which is for students, many of whom are in the quarter. The area became the heart of the Amiens people's evenings, with many establishments (bars, restaurants, etc.) on ''Place du Don'' and ''Quai Bélu''. The church is found at ''Rue Saint-Leu'', located just between the Faculty of Science and Law-Economy (UPJV). Two theatres were established in the quarter, that of the Chés Cabotans (puppet shows in the

Picard language Picard (, also , ) is a '' langue d'oïl'' of the Romance language family spoken in the northernmost part of France and Hainaut province in Belgium. Administratively, this area is divided between the French Hauts-de-France region and the Belgi ...

) and the ''Maison du Théâtre'' at the foot of the Saint-Leu Church. There is also ''La Lune des Pirates'', a concert hall. 0 Amiens - Place du Don - Cathédrale (1).JPG, ''Place du Don'': The River Somme and cathedral 0_Amiens_-_Quartier_Saint-Leu_%281%29.JPG, Saint-Leu: ''Rue du Hocquet'' Saint Leu rue d'Engoulvent.jpg, Saint-Leu: ''Rue d'Engoulvent'' and ''Rue des Majots'' Saint Leu rue d'Engoulvent depuis Majot.jpg, Saint-Leu: ''Rue d'Engoulvent'' Place Aristide Briand Amiens.jpg, Saint-Leu: ''Place Aristide Briand'' Amiens quartier saint leu canaux 200503.jpg, Canal in the Saint-Leu quarter Quai belu amiens.JPG, Quai Bélu on the banks of the Somme, near the old market on the waterside Amiens Passerelle Samarobriva 190908.jpg, The Samarobriva footbridge towards the Saint-Pierre Park

Saint-Maurice quarter

Located to the west of the

Citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

le, and east of the , this very old working-class quarter of Amiens acted as an industrial center in the 18th century. It is currently undergoing significant housing renovation and development. Bordered by the Canal de la Somme, it offers a stopover for leisure boats, which must go through a lock. The walls of the city's former

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...

factory are now those of the (ESAD) as well as those of the Faculty of Arts. The

École supérieure d'ingénieurs en électronique et électrotechnique ESIEE (previously named ''École Supérieure d'Ingénieurs en Électrotechnique et Électronique'') is a network of French graduate schools ("French Grande Ecole") composed of two graduate schools of engineering known as ESIEE Paris, ESIEE Amiens, ...

(ESIEE) is in the same quarter. As the Citadelle, it will be renovated by the architect

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (2 ...

to accommodate the university departments (UFR) of: letters, history and geography, languages, the (ESPE), the House of Languages, the House of Research and the University Library in 2015. The , known as the ''Jardin du Roy'' within the city, is also located in this quarter. Ami1b

Henriville-quarter

The Henriville neighborhood was mostly built during the 19th century after the demolition of the city wall. It lies at the south of the town center. It has numerous

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. ...

houses and

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...

s, predominantly in brick, blending architectural styles of the period, including neoclassical,

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobair ...

and

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. There are also private mansions, such as the Acloque mansion and the house of

Saint-Acheul quarter

The Saint-Acheul quarter () existed before Amiens' inception, as people have lived there since prehistoric times. This is where archaeological excavations in the nineteenth century discovered prehistoric tool sets typical of the "

Acheulean Acheulean (; also Acheulian and Mode II), from the French ''acheuléen'' after the type site of Saint-Acheul, is an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture characterized by the distinctive oval and pear-shaped "hand axes" associated ...

" prehistorical era, named after this neighborhood (also spelled Acheulian, pronounced ). Civilians can freely visit the archaeological garden there. Not to be confused with the commune of

Saint-Acheul Saint-Acheul is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is not to be confused with Saint-Acheul, a suburb of Amiens after which the Acheulean archaeological culture of the Lower Paleolithic is named. Geogr ...

situated to the north, the quarter of Saint-Acheul is the site of a military cemetery from the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

(1914–1918). It also contains the Church of Saint-Acheul, and the former

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

of teachers which became the Lycée Robert-de-Luzarches. A number of famous people are buried in the former Saint-Acheul cemetery such as the creator of ''

Bécassine ''Bécassine'' is a French comic strip and the name of its heroine, appearing for the first time in the first issue of '' La Semaine de Suzette'' on February 2, 1905. She is considered one of the first female protagonists in the history of French ...

'' J.P. Pinchon, and many resistance fighters. Part of the quarter includes a so-called "English neighborhood," with typical English style houses. At the feet of this area lie the , a marshy area criss-crossed by canals.

Other neighborhoods

Amiens, like other big cities, has its large

HLM An habitation à loyer modéré (HLM, , ), is a form of low-income housing in France, Algeria, Senegal, and Quebec. It may be public or private, with rent subsidies. HLMs constitute 16% of all housing in France.Pigeonnier'', which is famous for its weekend market, ''Messenger'', ''Mozart'', ''Fafet-Brossolette-la Cité'', ''Balzac'', ''Léo Lagrange-Schweitzer'', etc.; * Southeast of the city: '' Victorine-Autier'', ''Philéas Lebesgue'', ''Condorcet'', ''Pierre-Rollin''. * West: '' Etouvie'' and ''Montières'' (an

ecodistrict An ecodistrict or eco-district is a neologism associating the terms "district" and "eco" as an abbreviation of ecological. It designates an urban planning aiming to integrate objectives of sustainable development and social equity and reduce the ...

is provided in this industrial space, where there are 19th century in brick buildings). * East: ''Saint-Acheul-la-Cité'' and the ''Clos de l'Avre''. These areas experience a lot of social troubles and have regularly been the place for riots. The northern quarters were the scene of violent events in 1994, 1999 and 2000 (clashes between several districts of the city and between the neighbourhoods of Amiens and the districts of

), in 2006 and 2008 (in the wake of incidents in the Paris suburbs) and more recently in August 2012 following a conflict between youth and the police. The cost of the latest vandalism to occur in the north of Amiens would amount, according to , to between four and six million euros. These extremely violent riots caused sixteen police officers to be injured. An extensive programme of redevelopment of these neighborhoods began recently, with demolition of HLM tower blocks and new infrastructure having been built, especially for schools. In 2009, the public transport network of the Amiens agglomeration was significantly modified.

Housing

In 2017, the total number of dwellings in the municipality was 73,541, while it was 63,178 in 1999. Among this housing, 88.7% were primary residences, 2.1% of secondary residences and 9.2% vacant housing. These dwellings were 35.6% of houses and 63.4% of apartments. The proportion of principal residences, which were the properties of occupants, was 31.9%, down from 2007 (34.4%). The share of empty rented

HLM An habitation à loyer modéré (HLM, , ), is a form of low-income housing in France, Algeria, Senegal, and Quebec. It may be public or private, with rent subsidies. HLMs constitute 16% of all housing in France.Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

. The ''amiénoise simple'' includes a window on the ground floor and floors for attic and basement. It is built on a plot of a few metres wide but is very deep, and includes a garden, forming hearts with green islets and sparse areas. The ''amiénoise double'' has two windows at each level. The ''grandes amiénoises'' and townhouses rise to at least two floors with large rooms. They can have a gate opening onto a paved courtyard. The official buildings or mansions regularly use brick façades on a sandstone base, decorated by stone window and door frames. The Chanoines quarter has stone façades exclusively. In historic areas such as the quarter, façades widely use wood,

half-timbered Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large woode ...

or siding, and

wattle and daub Wattle and daub is a composite building method used for making walls and buildings, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung a ...

Development projects

* Amiens 2030: Amiens, in the context of the

Communauté d'agglomération Amiens Métropole The Communauté d'agglomération Amiens Métropole is a ''communauté d'agglomération'' in the Somme ''département'' and in the Hauts-de-France ''région'' of France. It was created in December 1999.University of Picardie in letters, languages, history, geography, philosophy, sociology, psychology and the (ESPE) on the site of La Citadelle. It is to be set on on the outskirts of downtown. This university construction program is intended to strengthen regional competitiveness and the development of higher education and research. The project, entrusted to the Italian architect

, will be accessible to all inhabitants. * ZAC Gare-la-Vallée: The project intends to strengthen Amiens in its role as the regional capital and allow the creation of a genuine business district in the heart of the city. With a budget of €157 million, the project combines tertiary activities, shops and a habitat walk from the station and the inner city. The first buildings were inaugurated in 2008. The second phase of development extended from 2012 to 2017. Under the control of the Chief Architect,

Paul Chemetov Paul Chemetov (born 10 october 1928) is a French architect and urbanist. He is best known for his collaborations with Borja Huidobro. Biography Chemetov was born in Paris on 6 September 1928. As a student, he belonged to the Union of Communist S ...

, the quarter must accommodate 2,000 homes, of offices and two urban parks creating a visible link between downtown, the

and the . * ZAC Intercampus: This new housing and services quarter in the south of the city is projected to host 1,900 dwellings by 2030. A first tranche of 850 dwellings must be delivered in 2015. Located in the immediate vicinity of the campus and the CHU d'Amiens, it will be served by a future TCSP. The

of is projected to provide green spaces and gardens, with 60% of its total area to not be built-up. It will include of gardens. * ZAC Paul Claudel: This new housing and services quarter of is located at the southern entrance to the city. Intended as a small neighborhood, it must accommodate 1,400 units and of commercial space. Designed in 4 slices, together with its inhabitants, it entered its final phase of development in 2013. * ZAC Renancourt: This new quarter must ensure the development of the city to the west. Located between the Grâce Valley, the Selle Valley, the Renancourt quarter and its suburb, this planning area is a natural viewpoint over the city. It is also adjacent to emblematic facilities of the city: The Zenith of Amiens, the

Stade de la Licorne Stade de la Licorne () is a multi-use stadium in Amiens, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Amiens SC. The stadium is able to hold 12,097 people and was built in 1999. The first match held in the s ...

and the . By 2018, this residential area is projected to accommodate 1,400 houses, a hotel, facilities and shops. *

Bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

(BRT): A project of three BRT lines is under consideration for commissioning in 2019, at the end of two years of work. Estimated at €85 million excluding taxes, and spanning , the project would include the construction of a new bus depot and four

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

stops. This project follows the cancellation of a tram project, which was endorsed by the municipal team in place between 2008 and 2014.

Toponymy

The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

is derived from the name of the local Gallic people, the

, which in the 4th century, replaced the old name of the town (the bridge on the Samara – Somme). Amiens then became the episcopal headquarters. In Picard, Amiens is called ''Anmyen''.

Politics and administration

Political trends and results

Municipal administration

The number of inhabitants is estimated between 100,000 and 149,999, and the number of members of the municipal council is 55. As a result of the French municipal elections of 2014, the distribution of seats is as follows:

The cantons

Amiens is divided into seven cantons:

Deputies

Amiens is divided into two legislative districts: * (including Amiens II North-West, Amiens IV East, Amiens VIII North): Pascal Demarthe ( PS) (he succeeded Pascale Boistard, named Secretary of State for the rights of women of the Second Valls Government on 26 August 2014) * (including Amiens I West, Amiens III North-East, Amiens V South-East, Amiens VII South-West, Amiens VI South):

Barbara Pompili Barbara Pompili (born 13 June 1975) is a French politician who served as Minister of the Ecological Transition under Prime Minister Jean Castex from 2020 to 2022. Pompili has previously served as member of the National Assembly for the 2nd cons ...

( EELV)

List of mayors

On 4 April 2014,

Brigitte Fouré Brigitte Fouré (born 13 August 1955 in Amiens) is a French university lecturer and former government minister, a member of the ''Nouveau Centre'' and of ''Société en mouvement'' ("Society on the Move") She is also a lecturer in law at the Un ...

( IDU ( NC)) succeeded ( PS). Her list was elected in the second round on 30 March 2014 with 50.39% of the votes.

Judicial and administrative authorities

Amiens is a city marked by a strong judicial tradition, with the historical presence of its

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much ...

, the , as well as all courts of first and second degree of . The Court of Appeal of Amiens has jurisdiction over the three departments of Picardy, with nine . More recently, Amiens has become the seat of: * The . * An whose rulings may be to the of

. * The of Picardy.

Environmental policy

Twin towns – sister cities

Amiens is twinned with: *

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

, Germany (1960) *

Görlitz Görlitz (; pl, Zgorzelec, hsb, Zhorjelc, cz, Zhořelec, East Lusatian dialect: ''Gerlz'', ''Gerltz'', ''Gerltsch'') is a town in the German state of Saxony. It is located on the Lusatian Neisse River, and is the largest town in Upper Lus ...

, Germany (1971) *

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underw ...

, England, United Kingdom (1973) *

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...

, United States (2006) Amiens also has friendly relations with

Mianyang Mianyang (; formerly known as Mienchow) is the second largest prefecture-level city of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Located in north-central Sichuan covering an area of consisting of Jiangyou, a county-level city, five counties, and thr ...

in China and

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

in Australia.

Population and society

Demography

The inhabitants of Amiens are called the ''Amiénois'' and their

blason populaire Blason populaire is an umbrella genre in the field of folkloristics used to designate any item of any genre which makes use of stereotypes, usually, but not always, negative stereotypes, of a particular group. "These stereotypes are manifested in ...

is ''Chés maqueux d'gueugues'' (the eaters of nuts). The population of Amiens has risen sharply since the mid-19th century: Its population doubled between 1850 and 1960, from 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, i.e. a gain of 50,000 people over this period of 110 years, and gaining about 30,000 others since (over 50 years only this time).

Demographic evolution

In 2017, the commune had 134,057 inhabitants.Population en historique depuis 1968
INSEE

Age structure

Amiens is distinguished by the youthfulness of its population. In 2017, more than 25% of the population of the city was less than 20 years old. The rate of people of an age over 60 years (19.3%) is also lower than the national rate (25.5%) and the departmental rate (25.4%). Like national and departmental allocations, the female population of the municipality is greater in number to the male population, with a rate of 52.5%, whereas the national rate is 51.6%.

Education

Primary and secondary education

Educational institutions of the city fall under the supervision of the which develops curriculum according to the Inspection académique la Somme. On 1 September 2010, 10,658 children were enrolled in the Amiens public schools: 4,341 in

nursery school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary schoo ...

and 6,317 in . In 2011, the Amiens agglomeration included 46 nursery schools, six elementary schools and 54 primary schools including eleven private. It had nine public colleges and six private colleges. Amiens has 24 schools: * Vocational high schools: Acheuléen, Édouard-Branly, Edouard-Gand, La Providence (private), Montaigne, Romain Rolland, (private), Saint-Martin (private), Saint-Rémi (private) and Saint-Riquier (private). * General and technological high schools: Robert de Luzarches, La Hotoie, Jean Baptiste Delambre, La Providence (private), (private), Saint-Martin (private), Saint-Rémi (private), Saint-Riquier (private) and Sainte-Famille (private). * General secondary schools: , Madeleine Michelis (former high school for girls, established in 1883 by Marie Hugonin, wife of Charles Eugène Bertrand, mother of

Paul Bertrand Paul Charles Édouard Bertrand (10 July 1879, Loos-lez-Lille – 24 February 1944, Paris) was a French paleobotanist. He was the son of botanist Charles Eugène Bertrand (1851–1917). He studied at the University of Lille, receiving his de ...

and niece of Bishop , Bishop of

Bayeux Bayeux () is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England. It is also known as the first major tow ...

and

Lisieux Lisieux () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland. Name The name of the town derives from the ...

– the inaugural speech was delivered by

.) * Technological lycées: Édouard-Branly, Édouard-Gand.

Higher education

The Amiens metropole welcomes one of the largest student populations in France. In 2013, the city had 26,000 students (3,300 in short-term) and 800 researchers who are divided into some 40 institutions of higher education, 32 laboratories, and 10 units associated with the National Scientific Research Centre or the French Institute of Health and Medical Research.

Health

The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) or, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Amiens Picardie, is organized around four sites: * South Hospital, ''Avenue René-Laënnec'' * North Hospital, ''Place Victor-Pauchet'' * Saint-Victor Centre, 354 ''Bis Boulevard de Beauville'' * Obstetrics and Gynaecology Centre, 124 ''Rue Camille-Desmoulins'' Since 2014, the four sites have been gradually gathered on the current site of the South Hospital, with the exception of the long stay units for the elderly remaining in the Saint-Victor Centre. This merger will be completed in 2016 and allow the CHU of Amiens to increase its national and inter-regional dimension. This group represents the largest hospital construction of France and one of the most important in Europe with more than €630 million for work and equipment. At the end of the work, the total space of the CHU of Amiens will be . It will total three blocks of hospitals with 400 beds each. The CHU of Amiens is the largest employer in the

region. At the end of the merger, there will be 6,700 employees, 1,300 students of the health professions, and 1,250 consultants who will go there each day. In order to maintain the availability of health units to the north of the city, a health center will open its doors in the first quarter of 2016, at the crossroads of the ''Avenue de l'Europe'' and the ''Rue Maurice-Ravel''. This health space of will host general practitioners and specialists of the CHU such as: cardiologist, a service of gynaecology-obstetrics, psychologists, dentist, and masseurs-physiotherapists. There is a promise of a , 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. Alongside the CHU, there are three private clinics, resulting from the consolidation of old clinics in the city. These care and hospitalisation institutions for medical, surgical, and obstetrics came together to create a private hospital center in the Vallée des Vignes quarter, south of the city. * Polyclinic of Picardy, 43 ''Rue Alexandre Dumas'' * Clinic of Europe, 5 ''Allée des Pays-Bas'' * Victor Pauchet Heath Group, 2 ''Avenue Irlande'' The CHU of Amiens figured in 11th place in the ''2013 awards of the hospitals and clinics'' of the magazine ''

Le Point ''Le Point'' () is a French weekly political and news magazine published in Paris. History and profile ''Le Point'' was founded in September 1972 by a group of journalists who had, one year earlier, left the editorial team of '' L'Express'', w ...

''. In this ranking, the CHU stands out for ankle surgery (3rd), hip prosthesis (5th), foot surgery (7th) and paediatrics (14th). In this same classification, the Victor Palmer Health Group, equipped with a solid "mother-to-child hub", gained a 5th place in the table for the gynaecological clinics and an 8th place for breast cancers. In 2005, the CHU of Amiens became of international renown thanks to Professor

Bernard Devauchelle Bernard Devauchelle is a French oral and maxillofacial surgeon, best known for successfully completing the first face transplant in November 2005 at Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern Franc ...

, a native of the city, where his team performed the first partial

face transplant A face transplant is a medical procedure to replace all or part of a person's face using tissue from a donor. Part of a field called "Vascularized Composite Tissue Allotransplantation" (VCA) it involves the transplantation of facial skin, the ...

in the world.

Sport

Thanks to a large proportion of youth in its population and the dynamism and the success of its sports clubs, Amiens has been awarded the title of by the ''

L'Équipe ''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor ...

'' newspaper in 1999. The city had already won the title in 1969. In 2013, Amiens Métropole had nearly 300 sports associations and Sports Recreation: approximately 150 associations are grouped within the Office of Amiens Metropole Sports and 150 others are referenced without being adherents. According to this same Office for Sports, Amiens has 25,000 members of sports clubs, excluding school and university members. * American football pictogram

American Football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

The Amiens Spartiates, operating in the top-level

Ligue Élite de Football Américain The Championnat Élite Division 1 () is the top-level American football league of France. The league was founded in 1982. History American football was introduced to France in the early 20th century, but for decades it remained an infrequent ac ...

, have been champions of France in 2004, 2010 and 2012. Created in 1987, the club has more than 400 licensees. * Archery pictogram

Archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In ...

The Compagnie d'Arc d'Amiens is an archery club founded on 14 November 1803. * Athletics pictogram

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

{{interlanguage link, Amiens Université Club Athlétisme, fr, 3=Amiens Université Club Athlétisme, lt=AUC Athlétisme is a multidisciplinary athletic club which particularly developed Stella Akakpo, specialist of the sprint and the relay. Bertrand Moulinet specialist of the

20 km The 20K run (20 kilometres, or approximately 12.4 miles) is a long distance foot race. It is a rarely held race that is not recognized as an Olympic event. The event held IAAF world championship status in 2006 only, when the existing IAAF World ...

and 50 km walk. * Badminton pictogram

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

The AUC Badminton (Amiens University Badminton Club) was founded in 1986. Labeled "French school of badminton" by the

French Badminton Federation French Badminton Federation (FFBaD, french: Fédération Française de Badminton) is the national governing body for the sport of badminton in France. As of 2017, it has more than 191,600 registered players across the country and 1,977 affiliated ...

, the club had 205 members in 2014. The city hosted the French National Badminton Championships in 2011. * Valencian pelota pictogram

Ballon au poing Each 15 August at the Parc de la Hotoie, Amiens receives the final stages of Ballon au poing. * Fencing pictogram

Fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

The Circle of Fencing of Amiens Métropole is one of the oldest French clubs. It was succeeded in the Hall of arms of Amiens opened in 1886. The circle has approximately 150 members and remains a major club of French fencing with many qualifications and results at the {{interlanguage link, Championnats de France d'escrime, fr, 3=Championnats de France d'escrime, lt=French Fencing Championships. The club held the Elite French Championships in 2001 and 2011. * Field hockey pictogram

Field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

The {{interlanguage link, Amiens Sports Club (field hockey), fr, 3=Amiens Sports Club (hockey sur gazon), lt=Amiens Sports Club, currently playing in {{interlanguage link, Championnat de France de hockey sur gazon, fr, 3=Championnat de France de hockey sur gazon, lt=League Elite D1), were men's champions of France in 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and women's champions France in 1983, 1984, 1993, and 1995. * Indoor hockey pictogram

Floorball Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team. Men and women play indoors with sticks and a plastic ball with holes. Matches are played in three twenty-minute periods. The sport of bandy also played a role ...

The {{interlanguage link, Association amiénoise de floorball, fr, 3=Association amiénoise de floorball, lt=Hoplites d'Ambiani, {{interlanguage link, Championnat de France de floorball D1, fr, 3=Championnat de France de floorball D1, lt=D1. A second team is evolving in {{interlanguage link, Championnat de France de floorball D2, fr, 3=Championnat de France de floorball D2, lt=D2. * Football pictogram

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

The main club in the city is

Amiens SC Amiens Sporting Club (; commonly referred to as Amiens SC or simply Amiens) is a French association football club based in the northern city of Amiens in the Hauts-de-France region. The club was formed in 1901 and play in Ligue 2, the second d ...

. The team was finalist of the

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

in 2001 and reached semifinals in 1930 and 2008, and played top-division

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...

last time in 2020. Its associated women's team is CS Amiens Club. Before the 2012–2013 season, the team was known under the name of CS Amiens Montieres Etouvie.

AC Amiens Athlétic Club Amiens is a French association football club founded in 1977. They are based in Amiens, Picardie, located in northern France, north of Paris. They are currently playing in the Championnat National 3 the fifth tier of the French ...

is the second biggest club in the city, currently playing in semi-professional Championnat National level. * Golf pictogram

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

The Golf Club D'amiens was founded in 1924. The men's team plays in {{interlanguage link, Trophée Gounouilhou, fr, 3=Trophée Gounouilhou, lt=D1, women team in D2. The club has 530 members in 2013. * Handball pictogram

Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...

The {{interlanguage link, Amiens Picardie Hand, fr (APH), currently playing in {{interlanguage link, Championnat de France de handball masculin de Nationale 2, fr, 3=Championnat de France de handball masculin de Nationale 2, lt=National 2 (D4). The club, a result of the merger of several Amiens clubs, was created in 1991. * Ice hockey pictogram

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

The Gothiques d'Amiens, currently playing in Ligue Magnus (D1), were champions of France in 1999 and 2004, and runners-up in France for 1989, 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2006. The team plays at the Coliséum on the largest area of permanent ice in France (3800 seats). Amiens hosted Division I of the

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual ...

. *

Longue paume Amiens won the Championship of France in 6/6, 10 times. * Inline hockey pictogram

Roller in-line hockey Roller inline hockey, or inline hockey is a variant of hockey played on a hard, smooth surface, with players using inline skates to move and ice hockey sticks to shoot a hard, plastic puck into their opponent's goal (sport), goal to score poi ...

The {{interlanguage link, Roller Skating Amiens, fr, 3=Roller Skating Amiens, lt=Écureuils d'Amiens, {{interlanguage link, Championnat de France de roller in line hockey, fr, 3=Championnat de France de roller in line hockey, lt=Elite League (D1), were the runners-up of France in 2010, finalists of the Coupe de France in 2007 and finalists of the European Cup of clubs in 2008. * Rowing pictogram

Rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

The Sport Nautique d'Amiens (SNA) was founded in 1866. Located on the edge of the Parc Saint-Pierre, it is labeled "French rowing school 3 stars" by the {{interlanguage link, Fédération française d'aviron, fr, 3=Fédération française d'aviron, lt=French Federation of rowing. With 465 members in 2013, the club currently competes in the 2nd division. * Rugby union pictogram

Rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

The Rugby Club Amiénois (RCA) was founded in 1900. The men's first team plays in

Fédérale 3 Fédérale 3 is the seventh division of rugby union in France. The competition involves 226 clubs in 21 pools of 8, and winners can progress up into higher division of competition. The competition above Fédérale 3 is Fédérale 2 and above that, ...

. *

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

The {{interlanguage link, Amiens Métropole Natation, fr, 3=Amiens Métropole Natation, lt=Amiens Métropole swim team, is that of

Jérémy Stravius Jérémy Stravius (born 14 July 1988) is a French swimmer, swimming freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly. Career Stravius appeared on the world stage at the 2009 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Istanbul where he was part of the wi ...

, who was a triple world champion of swimming and Olympic champion in the 4 × 100 m relay. The club hosted the French Youth Championships in 2012 at the Coliséum * Table tennis pictogram

Table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

The {{interlanguage link, Amiens Sport Tennis de table, fr, 3=Amiens Sport Tennis de table, lt=Amiens Sport Table Tennis (ASTT) was founded in 1945. It was twice crowned champion of France in 1968 and 1969. The men's first team also won the Coupe de France in 1966 and 1967. * Tennis pictogram

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

Amiens Athletic Club (AAC) was founded in 1904. It is one of the 10 biggest clubs in France with almost 1,000 members in 2013. * Volleyball (indoor) pictogram

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

The {{interlanguage link, Amiens Longueau Métropole Volley-Ball, fr (ALMVB) including women's first team plays in {{interlanguage link, Championnat de France d'Élite Féminine de volley-ball, fr, 3=Championnat de France d'Élite Féminine de volley-ball, lt=Women's Elite Division (D2) and the {{interlanguage link, Amiens Métropole Volley-Ball, fr (AMVB). The men's first team plays in {{interlanguage link, Championnat de France d'Élite Masculine de volley-ball, fr, 3=Championnat de France d'Élite Masculine de volley-ball, lt=Nationale 1 (D3).
Stadlic3.JPG,

Gothiques-Amiens-2008.jpg, The Gothiques d'Amiens in 2008 Jérémy Stravius.jpg,

, member of the {{interlanguage link, Amiens Métropole Natation, fr, 3=Amiens Métropole Natation club Since the start of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

in 1903, Amiens has hosted the start of a stage on ten occasions (

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

) and the stage finish ten times (1932, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1975,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, 1999, 2015). Amiens hosted the finish of Stage 8 of the

2018 Tour de France The 2018 Tour de France was the 105th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 7 July in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, in western France, and concluding on 29 July with the ...

. On 29 April 2006, Amiens hosted the French Federation of ice hockey created during the World Cup of Ice Hockey of Group B (antechamber of the world elite) organised in Amiens at the same time. It is now installed at

Issy-les-Moulineaux Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called ''Isséens'' in French. It is one of Paris' entrances and is located from Notre-Dame Cat ...

. Each 15 August at the ''Parc de la Hotoie'', the city receives the final stages of the Picardy sports and in particular those of the most emblematic, traditional Picard sport: The Ballon au poing. This Picard game is played by teams of six. To be able to hit the ball, players surround their hand and their wrist with a strip of canvas or leather. From August 29 to September 1, 2012, the Compagnie d'Arc d'Amiens organizes the French FITA Archery Championships at the {{ill, Hippodrome du petit Saint-Jean, fr.

Media

Newspapers and news magazines

* {{interlanguage link, Le Courrier picard, fr, 3=Le Courrier picard, lt=''Le Courrier picard'', the principal regional newspaper was founded in 1944. Its headquarters are located at 29 ''Rue de la République'' (it sold 64,587 copies in 2013). * {{interlanguage link, Fakir (journal), fr, 3=Fakir (journal), lt=''Fakir'', an independent journal was founded in Amiens in 1999 by

François Ruffin François Marcel Joseph Bernard Ruffin (; born 18 October 1975) is a French journalist, filmmaker, author and politician. The founder and editor-in-chief of the satirical quarterly ''Fakir'', he is best-known for directing the film '' Merci patr ...

. * ''Le Télescope d'Amiens'',

pure play A pure play company focuses solely on a particular product or activity. Investing in a pure play company can be considered as investing in a particular commodity or product of a company. Pure play firms either specialize in a specific niche, or hav ...

er of local information, was in publication from September 2012 to April 2014. Free newspapers '' Metro'' and ''

20 minutes 20 minutes may refer to: * ''20 minutes'' (France), a newspaper * ''20 minutes'' (Switzerland), a French-language newspaper See also *'' 20 Dakika'' ( "20 Minutes"), a 2013 Turkish television series *''20 Minuten ) , logo = 20Min ...

'' are distributed in the city, including in Amiens railway station. Since 7 February 1996,{{cite web, url=http://www.amiens.fr/actualite/3728/jda-743-est-en-ligne.html, title=Le JDA 743 est en ligne, date=15 January 2015, publisher=amiens.fr, access-date=16 January 2015, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116143612/http://www.amiens.fr/actualite/3728/jda-743-est-en-ligne.html, archive-date=16 January 2015, url-status=dead the

Communauté d'agglomération Amiens Métropole The Communauté d'agglomération Amiens Métropole is a ''communauté d'agglomération'' in the Somme ''département'' and in the Hauts-de-France ''région'' of France. It was created in December 1999. as well as on the internet site of the city in its digital version. Over time, the journal has evolved through various forms. Carried out by the Directorate of communication of Amiens Métropole, the latest form dates to 16 January 2015. In addition to the JDA which is attached to information on the whole of the territory of Amiens Métropole, the city has also had monthly publications specific to the city, which no longer exist today: ''Amiensville'' then ''Amiens Forum'' (from April 2009 to June 2014). The people of Amiens have other sources of information on their territory, such as the monthly publication of the {{interlanguage link, Picardy regional Council, fr, 3=Conseil régional de Picardie, ''Agir en Picardie''. The {{interlanguage link, Departmental Council of the Somme, fr, 3=Conseil départemental de la Somme also sees its magazine distributed each month to the samariens homes, ''Vivre en Somme''. Since 2006, the {{interlanguage link, regional tourism committee, fr, 3=Comité régional de tourisme of

publishes {{interlanguage link, Esprit de Picardie, fr, 3=Esprit de Picardie, lt=''Esprit de Picardie'', a travel magazine on the Picardy region, every six months. Several associative journals and specialised magazines are also distributed free of charge in public places: ''L'Écho des Amphis'' (student monthly), ''Bon Temps'' (quarterly magazine dedicated to the culture of Amiens and the art of living), ''Style & Co Amiens'' (deco magazine, trends and lifestyle), ''Night Clubbing Magazine'' (magazine of the nightlife in Amiens), ''Picardie la Gazette'' (economics weekly), ''Entreprises 80'' (monthly of the {{interlanguage link, Chamber of commerce and industry of Amiens-Picardie, fr, 3=Chambre de commerce et d'industrie d'Amiens-Picardie).

Audiovisual

=Television channels

* The headquarters of

France 3 Picardie France 3 Picardie is one France 3's regional services, broadcasting to people in the Picardy region. France 3 Picardie is headquartered in Amiens. France 3 Picardie produces news programs and other content. The channel was founded in 1950 as RTF T ...

, the channel that broadcasts ''Picardie Matin'' - Picardy Morning among other programming, is located on ''Rue Roger Martin du Gard'', to the north of the city. * Canal Nord, a local channel created in the mid-1980s in the northern districts, is now extended to the entire city via the Wibox network; * {{interlanguage link, Wéo Picardie, fr, (broadcast suspended since 8 January 2014). * {{interlanguage link, TV Amiens, fr, a local television channel on the internet. * ''WebTV Picardie'', an internet television channel of the {{interlanguage link, Regional Council of Picardie, fr, 3=Conseil régional de Picardie.

=FM radio stations

= Most of the national radio stations broadcast their programs in the Amiens area and can be added to France Bleu Picardie (100.2 MHz) and local stations {{interlanguage link, Radio Campus Amiens, fr (87.7 MHz) and {{interlanguage link, Radio Galaxie programme Évasion, fr (97.7 MHz). {, class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:center; width:100%;" , + FM radio stations broadcast to Amiens, as of 27 February 2015 , - ! scope=col , Frequency ! scope=col , Station ! scope=col , RDS ! scope=col , Transmitter ! scope=col , Power , - , 87.7 MHz , {{interlanguage link, Radio Campus Amiens, fr , CAMPUS , Amiens/Campus , 500W , - , 88.4 MHz , Radio Nova , NOVA , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 89.3 MHz , France Musique , MUSIQUE , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 2 kW , - , 90 MHz , {{interlanguage link, Metropolys (Lille), fr, 3=Metropolys (Lille), lt=Radio Métropolys , METRO , Amiens/Dury 3 , 500W , - , 91 MHz ,

Mouv' ''Mouv '' (formerly ''Le Mouv'') is a French youth-oriented radio station which began broadcasting on 17 June 1997. As part of Radio France, it is a public radio station. The station primarily plays youth-oriented music, centered on urban music ...

, MOUV' , Amiens/Dury TDF , 1 kW , - , 91.4 MHz , Rire & Chansons , RIRE & , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 91.8 MHz , Fun Radio , F U N , Amiens/Dury TDF , 1 kW , - , 92.2 MHz , Nostalgie , NOSTALGI , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 92.6 MHz , France Inter , INTER , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 2 kW , - , 93.6 MHz ,

Virgin Radio Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale. In 2001, ...

(Amiens) , VIRGIN , Amiens/Dury TDF , 1 kW , - , 94.2 MHz , {{interlanguage link, Contact (radio), fr, 3=Contact (radio), lt=Contact , CONTACT , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 95.4 MHz , France Inter , INTER , {{interlanguage link, Amiens Saint-Just transmitter, fr, 3=Émetteur d'Amiens Saint-Just, lt=Amiens/Saint-Just TDF , 20 kW , - , 96.3 MHz ,

Radio FG Radio FG (; since February 2013, formerly FG DJ Radio, acronym for Feel Good) is a French-language radio station that began broadcasting from Paris on 98.2 MHz in the FM band in 1981. It is France's first radio station that broadcasts deep ...

, RADIO FG , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 97 MHz ,

France Culture France Culture is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: * France Inter — Radio France's " generalist" sta ...

, CULTURE , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 2 kW , - , 97.7 MHz , {{interlanguage link, Radio Galaxie programme Évasion, fr , EVASION , Amiens/Dury TDF , 500W , - , 98.4 MHz ,

Skyrock Skyrock may refer to: *Skyrock (social network site), a French social network site *Skyrock (radio) Skyrock is a French radio station based in Paris created in 1986, and is mainly dedicated to mainstream rap music Rapping (also rhyming, s ...

(Amiens) , SKYROCK , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 99 MHz ,

NRJ NRJ (NRJ is an acronym read as Nouvelle Radio Jeune, or ''énergie'' in French, pronounced , literally "energy") is a private French radio station created by Jean-Paul Baudecroux and Max Guazzini in June 1981, and was widely popularized th ...

(Amiens-Abbeville) , NRJ , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 99.4 MHz , France Musique , MUSIQUE , {{interlanguage link, Amiens Saint-Just transmitter, fr, 3=Émetteur d'Amiens Saint-Just, lt=Amiens/Saint-Just TDF , 20 kW , - , 99.8 MHz ,

TSF Jazz TSF Jazz, previously known as TSF 89.9, is a jazz radio station in Paris, France, that was started in 1999 and owned by Nova Press. The station broadcasts in the Île-de-France: in Paris on 89.9 FM where it can almost be heard in the whole region ...

, TSF JAZZ , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 400W , - , 100.2 MHz , France Bleu Picardie , BLEU.PIC , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 2 kW , - , 101 MHz ,

Chérie FM Chérie FM is a French radio station created in 1987 and belongs to the NRJ Group. History Chérie FM is created in 1987 in Paris by Jean-Paul Baudecroux on the then defunct frequency of Gilda la Radiopolitaine. Chérie FM then started broadcas ...

(Amiens-Abbeville) , CHERIEFM , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 101.4 MHz ,

Radio Classique Radio Classique is a French commercial radio station created in 1983 that broadcasts mainly classical music. Its programmes also contain segments of economic and political news. As of 2015, it had 1.1 million listeners per day. Radio Classique ...

, CLASSIQ , Amiens/Dury TDF , 1 kW , - , 102.5 MHz ,

, CULTURE , {{interlanguage link, Amiens Saint-Just transmitter, fr, 3=Émetteur d'Amiens Saint-Just, lt=Amiens/Saint-Just TDF , 20 kW , - , 103.2 MHz , RTL2 , RTL2 , Amiens/Dury TDF , 1 kW , - , 104.3 MHz , RTL , RTL , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 104.7 MHz , Europe 1 , EUROPE 1 , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 105.5 MHz ,

France Info France Info (stylised as franceinfo:) is a French Public broadcasting, public broadcasting service produced in collaboration with France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde and the Institut national de l'audiovisuel. The serv ...

, INFO , Amiens/Dury {{interlanguage link, Towercast, fr , 1 kW , - , 106.1 MHz , {{interlanguage link, France Maghreb, fr, 3=France Maghreb, lt=France Maghreb 2 , FMAGHREB , Amiens/Dury TDF , 1 kW , - , 107.3 MHz , RMC , RMC INFO , Amiens/Dury TDF , 500W , - , 107.7 MHz , {{interlanguage link, Sanef 107.7, fr , 107.7 FM , Péage d'Argœuves , 200W , - , 107.7 MHz , {{interlanguage link, Sanef 107.7, fr , 107.7 FM , Péage de Dury , 200W , - , 107.7 MHz , {{interlanguage link, Sanef 107.7, fr , 107.7 FM , Guignemicourt/Le Poirier , 200W , - , 107.7 MHz , {{interlanguage link, Sanef 107.7, fr , 107.7 FM , Péage de Glisy , 200W , - , 107.7 MHz , {{interlanguage link, Sanef 107.7, fr , 107.7 FM , Péage de Saleux , 200W

=Digital terrestrial radio stations

= As of 1 March 2015, the

CSA CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

has not selected Amiens for broadcast or experimentation of this broadcasting standard.

Telecommunications

The city of Amiens is covered for: *

Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

by {{interlanguage link, CityPlay, fr, 3=CityPlay, lt=Wibox/Cityplay since 2002. *

Fibre optic An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means t ...

by {{interlanguage link, CityPlay, fr, 3=CityPlay, lt=Wibox/Cityplay since 2007 and by Orange since 2013. *

ADSL Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. ...

, with five telephone exchanges, the majority of which are unbundled, by

SFR SFR (; ''Société française du radiotéléphone'', ) is a French telecommunications company. As of December 2015, it had 21.9 million customers in Metropolitan France for mobile services, and provided 6.35 million households with high-spee ...

, Free,

Bouygues Telecom Bouygues Telecom () is a French mobile phone, Internet service provider and IPTV company, part of the Bouygues group. It is the third oldest mobile network operator in France, after Orange and SFR, and before Free Mobile. Its headquarters, de ...

and {{interlanguage link, Completel, fr.

Houses of worship

Buddhist

The Zen

Sōtō Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh� ...

Zen centre affiliated with the international Zen Association, on ''Rue Vulfran Warmé''.

Catholic

Notre-Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to th ...

, ''Place Notre-Dame'' * Chapelle du Bon Pasteur (first of the name): Situated on ''Rue Daire'', it belonged to the {{interlanguage link, Conseil départemental de la Somme, fr, 3=Conseil départemental de la Somme, lt=Conseil général de la Somme. Leased to the

Society of St. Pius X The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X; FSSPX) is an international fraternity of traditionalist Catholic priests founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a leading traditionalist voice at the Seco ...

from 1983 to 2007, it was sold, with the property complex to which it belonged, to Picardy in May 2007. * {{interlanguage link, Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul (Amiens), fr, 3=Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul (Amiens), lt=Chapelle ''Saint-Vincent-de-Paul'', situated on ''Rue Jules Barni'', the offices are run by the Society of St. Pius X according to the

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass (liturgy), Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in Editio typica, typical editions of the Roman Missal published from ...

(an ''extraordinary form the Roman rite''). * The church of Saint Honoré known as the ''église de Beauvais'',{{Base Mérimée, IA80000144 ''Rue Dom Bouquet'' * The church of Saint-Acheul, ''Chaussée Jules Ferry'' * The church of Saint-Firmin-le-Martyr, 137 ''Rue du Faubourg du Hem'' * The {{interlanguage link, Église Saint-Germain-l'Écossais d'Amiens, fr, 3=Église Saint-Germain-l'Écossais d'Amiens, lt=church of Saint-Germain-l'Écossais, ''Rue Pingre'' * The church of Sacré-Cœur, ''Rue de Mareuil'' * The church of Saint-Jacques, ''Rue Saint-Jacques'' * The {{interlanguage link, Église Saint-Leu d'Amiens, fr, 3=Église Saint-Leu d'Amiens, lt=church of Saint-Leu, ''Rue Saint-Leu'' * The church of Saint-Martin, ''Rue Morgan'' * The church of Saint-Maurice, ''Rue Turgot'' * The church of Saint-Pierre, ''Rue St Pierre'' * The {{interlanguage link, Église Saint-Rémi d'Amiens, fr, 3=Église Saint-Rémi d'Amiens, lt=church of Saint-Rémi, ''Rue des Cordeliers'' * The church of Saint-Roch, ''Rue de l'Abbaye'' * The {{interlanguage link, Église Sainte-Anne d'Amiens, fr, 3=Église Sainte-Anne d'Amiens, lt=church of Sainte-Anne, ''Rue Vulfran Warmé'' * The church of Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc, ''Route de Rouen'' * The church of Saint-Paul, ''Rue de l'Île-de-France'' * The church of Saint-Pierre in the Montières quarter * The church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in the Renancourt quarter * The church of Sainte-Thérèse, ''Avenue de la Paix'' * The church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, ''Rue de Cagny'' Amiens - Eglise Saint-Acheul (4).JPG, The church of Saint-Acheul Portail Saint-Germain d'Ecosse Eglise Saint-Germain d'Amiens ERNOUF Guillaume.JPG, Door of the church of Saint-Germain-l'Écossais Amiens, Eglise Saint-Leu (4).JPG, The Gothic façade of the church of Saint-Leu Amiens - Eglise Saint-Remi (5).JPG, The church of Saint-Remi Amiens - Eglise Sainte-Anne (3).JPG, The church of Sainte-Anne Amiens église St-Pierre 1.jpg, The bell tower of the church of Saint-Pierre Amiens - Esplanade Édouard Branly et église Saint-Honoré.jpg, The church of Saint-Honoré, ''Esplanade Branly''

Jewish

The synagogue in Amiens is located at 12 ''Rue du Port d'Amont'', near Pont-Beauville.

Mormon

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

has a place of worship on the Doullens road.

Muslim

The city of Amiens has the largest Muslim community of

and one of the largest in the north of the France. Places of worship are evolving, several mosques are in a phase of expansion or relocation. The city has fifteen Muslim places of worship including eight independent prayer rooms and seven mosques: * The An-Nour mosque where sits the Institute of the Arab-Muslim world of Picardy in ''Rue de la Hotoie''. * The Al-Fath mosque (currently moving premises), also the Association of Worship and Culture of Muslims in Picardy located at 375 ''Boulevard Beauvillé''. * The Al Badr mosque, also the Association of workers and Moroccan traders of Amiens, located at 33 ''Rue Winston-Churchill''. * The Masjid Al Muhsinin mosque located on the ''Rue de l'île-de-France''. * The Sounnahs mosque located ''Rue Victorine-Autier''. * The Chekkar mosque, also Association of the Committee of the Briqueterie located at 40 ''Rue Ronsard''. * The Mosque of the "19" is located at 19 ''Avenue de l'Europe'' and is home to the Association of Muslims in Picardy. Several independent prayer rooms are present in the urban community. On the other hand, Muslim committees and associations exist in the image of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Amiens in the ''Rue de Savoie'', the Muslim Cultural Freedom Association – Institute of Enlightenment and also the Association of residents of the home at 21 ''Route d'Allonville''.

Protestant

The Protestant Church of Amiens, ''Rue Saint-Jacques''.

Economy

As both an industrial hub and a services center, Amiens enjoys a large pool of workers with a labor pool of over 350,000 inhabitants and numerous professional training courses. The magazine {{interlanguage link, L'Entreprise (magazine), fr, 3=L'Entreprise (magazine), lt=''L'Entreprise'' elected Amiens "Most attractive city of France" for businesses, in 2009 and 2007, for the category less than 200,000 inhabitants. The city finished second in 2010, 2008 and 2006. The strengths of the city include a developed real estate business and taxation around the average for French cities. In addition, its geographical position in the center of the triangle "Paris – London – Brussels", is between three major European cities. The magazine '' Challenges'' has also designated Amiens as "Best managed city of France", for the category large cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, in 2011, 2010 and 2008.

Income of the population and taxation

In 2010, the median taxable household income was €22,539, which placed Amiens at 177th place among the 31,525 communes with more than 39 households in metropolitan France. In 2017, the proportion of taxable households was 45%.

Employment

In 2017, the population aged 15 to 64 years amounted to 91,555 persons, among which there were 64.5% of assets including 51.4% having a job and 13.1% of unemployed. There were 78,284 jobs in the employment area, against 80,908 in 2007. The number of assets employed and residing in the area of employment being 47,588. The concentration of jobs indicatorThe concentration of employment indicator equals the number of jobs in the area per 100 people in active employment residing in the area, according to the Insee definition. is 164.5%, which means that the employment area offers three jobs for every two active inhabitants. {{center, Distribution of employment (2017) {, class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; font-size:90%; width:90%; border:0; text-align:center; line-height:120%;" , - ! style="background:#f5f5f5; color:#000; width:100px;", ! style="background:#f5f5f5; color:#000;", Public services ! style="background:#f5f5f5; color:#000;",

Tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...

! style="background:#f5f5f5; color:#000;", Industry ! style="background:#f5f5f5; color:#000;", Construction ! style="background:#f5f5f5; color:#000;", Agriculture , - ! style="background:#f5f5f5; color:#000;", Amiens , style="background:#d1e8ff; color:#000;", 42.7% , style="background:#d1e8ff; color:#000;", 42.3% , style="background:#d1e8ff; color:#000;", 10.5% , style="background:#d1e8ff; color:#000;", 4.3% , style="background:#d1e8ff; color:#000;", 0.2% , - , colspan="5" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;", Source: Insee Agriculture has very little representation among Amiens jobs with only 0.2%, just as the construction sector which represents 4.3% of jobs. Unlike these two sectors whose share is below the national average, the tertiary sector (trade, transport, services) represents a significant part of the Amiens workforce, 42.3%. Public services (public administration, education, health, social work) accounts for 42.7%. Industry includes 10.5% of jobs. The

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturing company founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling and based in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, motorcycles, ...

announced more than 400 job cuts in May 2008 at the Amiens plant, which has had 1,450 employees; in March 2009, the management announced new {{interlanguage link, Plan of safeguarding of employment, fr, 3=Plan de sauvegarde de l'emploi, lt=collective redundancies of a thousand jobs.

Businesses and shops

Chambre Régionale de Commerce et d'Industrie de Picardie, Amiens, 2012

On 31 December 2015, at Amiens, there were 10,436 businesses: 51 in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, 394 in industry, 685 in construction, 7,110 in trade, transportation and various services and 2,196 were related to the administrative sector. In 2018, 1,505 companies had been recorded as being established in Amiens, including 1,206 companies owned by sole proprietors.

Philatelic Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...

publishers

Yvert et Tellier Yvert et Tellier is a postage stamp dealer and a philatelic publishing company founded in 1895 in the northern French city of Amiens, where the head office is still located. The logo is a circle divided into a snowflake and a smiling sun. It i ...

(catalogues of quotes) and ''

l'Écho de la timbrologie ''L'Écho de la timbrologie'' is a French monthly magazine about philately and stamp collecting. First published in 1887, it is the French oldest surviving philatelic publication. Its subtitle is "La tribune des philatélistes" (the philatelists' ...

'' (magazine) have their management in Amiens, even if they have more of their services in the Paris region. The Gueudet Group, one of the largest car dealers in France, was established at Amiens in 1918. The old textile tradition of the city remains with the factory of

Lee Cooper Lee Cooper is an English-American clothing and footwear manufacturing company, based in London, that specialises in denim products. As well as its own production, the company licences the sale of many Lee Cooper-branded items worldwide. Fou ...

France (122 employees). Since the end of

, much of the city's economy was tied to automotive equipment with companies such as

Valeo Valeo is a French global automotive supplier headquartered in France, listed on the Paris Stock Exchange ( CAC-40 Index). It supplies a wide range of products to automakers and the aftermarket. The Group employs 113,600 people in 33 countries wo ...

, Goodyear and

Sumitomo The is one of the largest Japanese ''keiretsu'', or business groups, founded by Masatomo Sumitomo (1585-1652) around 1615 during the early Edo period. History The Sumitomo Group traces its roots to a bookshop in Kyoto founded circa 1615 by Mas ...

- Dunlop tires. In 2003, the American Goodyear company bought Dunlop. These two companies suffered financially through late 2007 and early 2008, and in response, the American Goodyear company headquarters in the United States offered workers a change to their working hours and the number of posts, which a high percentage of staff refused.

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...

, settled in Amiens in 1964 to produce soap, and inaugurated its new detergents unit in 1966. Established on over more than {{convert, 45, ha, acre, it is one of the largest factories in the world for laundry cleaning products ( Ariel, Dash, Bonux, Gama) and for domestic cleaning products ( Mr. Clean,

Febreze Febreze is an American brand of household odor eliminators manufactured by Procter & Gamble. It is sold in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. First introduced in test markets in March 1996, the fabric ...

). More than 85% of its production is intended for export. The Amiens plant employs approximately 930 people. Since the mid-1990s, the city has tried to convert the economy towards the internet and telephony industries. Many

call centre A call centre ( Commonwealth spelling) or call center (American spelling; see spelling differences) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephone ...

s (Intracall center, Coriolis France, Médiamétrie) have opened mainly within the city, region or state. The Unilog (now

Logica Logica plc was a multinational IT and management consultancy company headquartered in London and later Reading, United Kingdom. Founded in 1969, the company had offices in London and in a number of major cities across England, Wales and Sc ...

) computer service company has installed a service center in Amiens (the CSA). Amiens is the seat of the {{interlanguage link, Regional Chamber of commerce and industry of Picardy, fr, 3=Chambre régionale de commerce et d'industrie de Picardie. It is also the seat of the {{interlanguage link, Chamber of commerce and industry of Amiens, fr, 3=Chambre de commerce et d'industrie d'Amiens. It manages the Amiens - Glisy Aerodrome.

Culture, tourism and heritage

{{hatnote, 1=Main article: {{interlanguage link, List of historic monuments of Amiens, fr, 3=Liste des monuments historiques d'Amiens The strategic position of Amiens makes it an attractive destination for a weekend or a few days, from Paris,

. Amiens also benefits from the proximity of the

Baie de Somme Baie de Somme (''Bay of the Somme'' or ''Somme Bay'') is a large estuary in the Hauts-de-France region of France. The bay drains six rivers into the English Channel, principally the River Somme, and covers a total area of . The bay is noted for ...

, a tourist hotspot registered at the {{interlanguage link, Club des plus belles baies du monde, fr and labelled {{interlanguage link, Label Grand Site de France, fr, 3=Label Grand Site de France, lt=Great Site of France. Amiens has the label of Towns and Lands of Art and History since 1992. Within this framework, the host of the heritage organises guided tours on themes intended for an audience of adults and children, with educational workshops. A signposted circuit allows an independent tour of the town, with information panels offering comment on places and notable buildings. Amiens has an important historical and cultural heritage, and an accessible and varied natural heritage, on which tourism is based. The main attractions are the cathedral, which is included in the world heritage of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

, the {{interlanguage link, Hortillonnages d'Amiens, fr, 3=Hortillonnages d'Amiens, lt=hortillonnages, {{interlanguage link, Maison de Jules Verne, fr, 3=Maison de Jules Verne, lt=Jules Verne House, the Tour Perret, the

, the {{interlanguage link, Zoo d'Amiens, fr, 3=Zoo d'Amiens, lt=zoo, and the quarters of Saint-Leu and Saint-Maurice.

Places and monuments

The commune has an exceptional heritage: 60 monuments listed in the inventory of monuments historiques and over 1600 places and monuments listed in the {{interlanguage link, Inventaire général du patrimoine culturel, fr, 3=Inventaire général du patrimoine culturel, lt=general inventory of cultural heritage; and on the other hand, 187 objects listed in the inventory of monuments historiques and 254 objects listed in the general inventory of cultural heritage. The information given below is relative only to a brief selection.

Notre-Dame d'Amiens

{{main, Amiens Cathedral Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens-3420

{{pull quote, It's a lovely old woman, this Cathedral is a Virgin. ... Point of pain confusion, here, point of exaggeration or smell. It is absolutely empirical of supreme swelling., author =

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

{{pull quote, Amiens Cathedral deserves the name given by M. Viollet-le-Duc, 'the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; grc, Παρθενών, , ; ell, Παρθενώνας, , ) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. Its decorative sculptures are considere ...

of Gothic architecture'., author =

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...

, source=The Bible of Amiens The city is famous for its Notre-Dame Cathedral, masterpiece of

Gothic art Gothic art was a style of medieval art that developed in Northern France out of Romanesque art in the 12th century AD, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, and much of Northern, Southern and ...

and one of the largest cathedrals in the world by its interior volume ({{convert, 200000, m3, cuft, abbr=on). The largest religious and medieval building of France, its interior could twice hold

Notre Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

. The cathedral measures {{convert, 145, m, ft long and its spire rises {{convert, 112, m, ft high. The vaults of the central

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

, finished in 1247, are {{convert, 42.3, m, ft, close to the maximum limit for this architecture. Dating back to the 13th century, its construction is due to the wealth of the city in the Middle Ages and to the fire of the Romanesque cathedral which stood previously. Three architects, including

Robert of Luzarches Robert of Luzarches (born in Luzarches near Pontoise towards the end of the twelfth century) was a 13th-century French architect who worked on the cathedral of Notre Dame in Amiens. He is said to have been summoned to Paris by King Philip II ...

succeeded to complete the construction. Amiens Cathedral is notable for the coherence of its plan, the beauty of its three-tier interior elevation, the particularly fine display of sculptures on the principal façade and in the south transept, and inlays of its floor. It is also described by

as "Gothic, clear of Roman tradition and of Arabian taint, Gothic pure, authoritative, unsurpassable, and unaccusable." Regarded as the archetype of the classic

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style, the cathedral also presents some elements of the radiant Gothic style and flamboyant Gothic. The speed of construction, barely 70 years for the shell (1220 to 1269), explains this remarkable homogeneity of style. Its façade is decorated with more than 3,000 statues, gargoyles and chimeras. Registered since 1981 as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, it is a "masterpiece of world heritage". For a second time in 1998, it is a monumental step on the

Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Sai ...

. Despite the two World Wars of the 20th century, which severely affected the city, it managed to stay intact. A show of the reproduction of the original polychromy of façades, discovered as a result of recent

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The ...

cleaning, is given annually for free in December and during the summer period. The show is a projection on the façade of slides in color. The {{interlanguage link, Zodiaque de la cathédrale d'Amiens, fr, 3=Zodiaque de la cathédrale d'Amiens, lt=zodiac is a set of reliefs on the foundations of the western façade formed series of quatrefoil medallions, carved in a representative agrarian calendar and the signs of the zodiac. The statue of the {{interlanguage link, L'Ange pleureur, fr, 3=L'Ange pleureur, lt=weeping Angel that is on a tomb carved by {{interlanguage link, Nicolas Blasset, fr, and the reliefs evoking Saint-Firmin and St. John the Baptist, are some of the well-known works of the cathedral. At ground level lies the intact {{interlanguage link, Labyrinthe de la cathédrale d'Amiens, fr, 3=Labyrinthe de la cathédrale d'Amiens, lt=labyrinth of {{convert, 234, m, ft long. On the north side of the cathedral is the former {{interlanguage link, Palais de l'évêché d'Amiens, fr, 3=Palais de l'évêché d'Amiens, lt=Palace of the Bishop of Amiens, occupied by the {{interlanguage link, École supérieure de commerce d'Amiens, fr, 3=École supérieure de commerce d'Amiens, lt=École supérieure de commerce in Amiens. Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens.jpg, The cathedral seen from the ''Rue André'' Amiens cathédrale (les 3 portails Ouest) 1.jpg, West entrance Amiens cathédrale4.JPG, Entrance Amiens Cathedral Interior 1.jpg, The labyrinth Amiens Cathedral choir Wikimedia Commons.jpg, The choir Stalles Cathédrale d'Amiens 280808 12.jpg, Columns Mausolée de Charles de Vitry Amiens 110608 3.jpg, Mausoleum of Charles de Vitry Tombeau du chanoine Lucas Amiens Ange pleureur130608 .jpg, Tomb of Canon Lucas

Belfry

{{hatnote, 1=Main article: {{interlanguage link, Belfry of Amiens, fr, 3=Beffroi d'Amiens The origin of the Belfry of Amiens dates back to the establishment of the commune of Amiens by Louis VI. It is mentioned for the first time in an arbitral award issued by the chapter of Amiens in 1244. Symbolizing the independence of the commune, it was formerly used for meetings of the notables of the city and then as archive rooms, weapons store and prison. A spotter nearby monitored arrivals and warned the population of the external dangers. During the Middle Ages, the building was repeatedly engulfed by fire. The belfry is composed of a base in white cut stone, built in the 15th century between 1406 and 1410, a stone superstructure bell tower built from 1749 with Baroque

volute A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an Ion ...

s at its base, and a dome covered with slate and then the renowned arrow weather vane. At the time, a huge 11-ton bell was installed inside, it was later destroyed along with the dome, whose copper component melted, in the bombardment and fire of the city on 19 May 1940. Abandoned and devoid of a roof since

, the monument was fully restored between February 1989 and July 1990. Located on the ''Place au Fil'', the old central square of the city before the arrival of the railway and the rise of the ''Rue des Trois Calloux'', the belfry is adjacent to ''Les Halles'' and the back of the city hall. At a height of {{convert, 52, m, ft, it rings every hour of the day. Since July 2005, the belfry of Amiens is a

, as part of a set of 56

Belfries of Belgium and France The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of emerging civic indep ...

which were inscribed because of their architecture and their importance in the rise of municipal power in Northern France and Belgium.{{cite web , url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/943 , title=Belfries of Belgium and France , website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre , publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization , access-date=5 November 2021 The belfry is also recorded in the inventory of Historic Monuments.

Cirque Jules-Verne

{{hatnote, 1=Main article: {{interlanguage link, Cirque Jules-Verne, fr Cirque Amiens foule début XXe

In 1845, the traditional fair of Saint-Jean, formerly held at ''Place René Goblet'', was transferred to ''Place Longueville''. It is a wide esplanade that took the place of the Longueville bastion, after the demolition of the city walls in the early 19th century. Each year, a temporary circus is established for this occasion. In 1865, a circus company emerged to claim a permanent circus, which would be built in wood by the Schytte contractor in 1874. However, expensive maintenance prompted the municipality to consider the construction of a new building. The decision was made in 1886 under the leadership of Mayor Frédéric Petit and the work began. The Chief Architect of the Somme, {{interlanguage link, Émile Ricquier, fr, a disciple of

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...

, was responsible for its construction. It was inspired by the

Cirque d'hiver The Cirque d'Hiver ("Winter Circus"), located at 110 rue Amelot (at the juncture of the rue des Filles Calvaires and rue Amelot, Paris 11ème), has been a prominent venue for circuses, exhibitions of dressage, musical concerts, and other events, i ...

of Paris but with a cast metal frame, supplemented by brick from the local countryside. The architect of civil buildings, Charles Garnier, claimed that the frames should be hidden with a plaster imitating stone. The "moderninst" design of Ricquier, who chose to display the structure, and to favor local material such as brick, is visible at the rear of the monument. With its 16-sided polygonal shape and a diameter of {{convert, 44, m, ft, it includes lodges and stalls in its enclosure. As a completely modern project, it hosted two steam engines, dedicated to fully electric lights and central heating. Since its construction, it was also the first circus which included a buffet and a refreshment bar. The cost of the construction of the building finally reached double the forecast. In 1888, the new city councilor responsible for festivals and celebrations, Jules Verne, was responsible for monitoring the work, and it was he who opened it on Sunday 23 June 1889, for the opening of the fair and the centenary of the French Revolution: {{pull quote, The new circus is a work of art that your municipal administration wanted to build with all of the enhancements of modern industry. It is the very best, undoubtedly, it is also the most comprehensive, with its facilities and equipment, to have been built in France and abroad., author =

The roof was damaged by a shell in 1916. The circus was the setting for

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most ...

's '' The Clowns'' (1971), and the film by

Jean-Jacques Beineix Jean-Jacques Beineix (; 8 October 1946 – 13 January 2022) was a French film director best known for the films ''Diva'' and '' Betty Blue''. His work is regarded as a prime example of the '' cinéma du look'' film movement in France. Early lif ...

, ''

Roselyne et les lions ''Roselyne et les lions'' (''Roselyne and the Lions'') is a 1989 French film directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix. Plot Thierry does odd jobs in a zoo in Marseille in exchange for lessons from Frazier the lion trainer. He meets Roselyne and they leav ...

'' (1989), with

Isabelle Pasco Isabelle Pasco (born 25 April 1966) is a French actress and model. Pasco was born in Perpignan. She began her career as a model, modelling for photographers including: Paolo Roversi; Peter Lindberg; David Lachapelle; Helmut Newton; Antony Arms ...

as lead actress. The largest of the circuses of the province with its 3,000-seats, the building has acquired a multidisciplinary use for decades of performances of theatre, dance, concerts, galas, sports and public meetings. Renovated in 2003, it now bears the name of Cirque Jules Verne. After hosting the performances of {{interlanguage link, Cirque Rancy, fr, it hosts resident {{interlanguage link, Cirque Arlette Gruss, fr. Since 1 January 2011, the circus has been labelled "national hub circus and street arts", managed by an {{interlanguage link, Établissement public de coopération culturelle, fr, 3=Établissement public de coopération culturelle, lt=EPCC. It is one of seven in France and is still in use today.

The house of Jules-Verne

{{hatnote, 1=Main article: {{interlanguage link, Maison de Jules Verne, fr In 1882, Jules Verne and his wife, Honorine, rented the house at the corner of ''Rue Charles-Dubois'' and ''Boulevard Longueville'' until 1900. Acquired in 1980 by the city, the house is labeled Maisons des Illustres by the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

. Restored in 2006, thanks to the work of the {{interlanguage link, Centre international Jules-Verne, fr, this 19th-century mansion, listed in the {{interlanguage link, supplementary inventory of historic monuments, fr, 3=Inventaire supplémentaire des monuments historiques, traces through the exhibition of more than 700 objects, the personality, the sources of inspiration and memories of Jules Verne.

Tour Perret

{{main, Tour Perret (Amiens) Opposite the

, is located the Tour Perret (from the name of its architect

). Over {{convert, 100, m, ft high, it was one of the first skyscrapers built in Europe, and the highest for a long time.

The Church of Saint-Leu

{{hatnote, 1=Main article: {{interlanguage link, Église Saint-Leu d'Amiens, fr This church was built at the end of the 15th century, on the model of the hall-churches. It is dedicated, as its district, to Saint Leu, referring to the 7th century bishop who was exiled to the

Vimeu The Vimeu () is a natural region of France, located west of Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region ...

. It has three naves. A flamboyant portal adorns the base of the steeple. The latter, struck by lightning, had to be rebuilt at the beginning of the 16th century. The ends of beams are carved. Stone and wood statues date from the 17th century. The choir houses the glory of the Duthoit brothers.

Other notable buildings or monuments

=Architecture from antiquity

= * Numerous archaeological excavations have uncovered remains from proto-historic times to the Roman era. Two skylights cut in the last development of ''Place Gambetta'', allow observation of a few remains of the forum. And, important remnants of a large Gallo-Roman theatre uncovered in early 2007, have been dismantled and stored in accordance with the rules of archaeological conservation, during the redevelopment of the Gare quarter in March 2007. * The archaeological garden of Saint-Acheul testifies to the presence of Paleolithic man in the Somme Valley some 450,000 years ago. A stratigraphic cut, classified as an historic monument since 1947, allows visualisation of successive strata of the Somme Valley. {{See also, {{interlanguage link, Archaeological garden of Saint-Acheul, fr, 3=Jardin archéologique de Saint-Acheul

=Architecture from the Middle Ages

= * The Church of Saint-Germain, is disused, but where exhibitions are regularly held on the colourisation of the cathedral and the St-Germain quarter, and historical competitor of the Saint-Leu quarter. The animosity, between the populations of the two districts has marked the history of Amiens. This church has a high and oddly leaning tower. Affected by the bombing of 1940, it was returned temporarily to worship in October 1965, after a thorough restoration. {{hatnote, 1=Main article: {{interlanguage link, Église Saint-Germain-l'Écossais d'Amiens, fr * The remains of the Hôtel-Dieu (Saint-Leu district, between the {{abbr, CRDP, Centre de Recherche et de Développement Pédagogique (Centre of research and pedagogical development) and the Faculty of Sciences), * The mills ''Passe avant'' and ''Passe arrière'' (at Saint-Leu).

=Architecture from the Renaissance

= * The renaissance façade of the Maison du Sagittaire (moved to adjoin the Logis du Roy). * The Logis du Roy (Faculty of Arts until 2003). * The House of the Bailiwick or Malmaison. * The Citadelle: First

ravelin A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the ''lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a castle ...

, erected north of the Montrescu gate, the fortress was located in 1531 by F. di Giorgio on the order of

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

(Francis I gate, with sculpted salamanders). After the capture by the Spaniards and its takeover by Henry IV (1597), {{interlanguage link, Jean Errard, fr received the charge to rebuild the defences of the city. 611 - Logis du Roi et maison du Sagittaire - Amiens.jpg, The ''Logis du Roy'' and the ''Maison du Sagittaire''. Amiens - Maison du Bailliage (1).jpg, The ''Maison du bailliage ou Malmaison'', former residence of the

bailli A bailiff (french: bailli, ) was the king's administrative representative during the ''ancien régime'' in northern France, where the bailiff was responsible for the application of justice and control of the administration and local finances in h ...

of Amiens, constructed in 1541. Amiens - Citadelle (6).jpg, Gate of the Ravelin of Montrescu constructed from 1524 to 1531.

=Architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries

= * {{interlanguage link, Abbaye Saint-Jean-des-Prémontrés d'Amiens, fr, 3=Abbaye Saint-Jean-des-Prémontrés d'Amiens, lt=Abbey of Saint-Jean-des-Prémontrés of Amiens (cloister Dewailly) *

Abbey of Saint-Acheul The Abbey of Saint-Acheul (french: Abbaye de Saint-Acheul) was a monastery of Canons Regular in the Saint-Acheul district of Amiens, France. It was founded in the 11th century on the site of an ancient church, and was suppressed in 1790 during the ...

(17th and 18th centuries) and the Church (built in 1760 on the vault of

Fermin Fermin (also Firmin, from Latin ''Firminus''; Spanish ''Fermín'') was a legendary holy man and martyr, traditionally venerated as the co- patron saint of Navarre, Spain. His death may be associated with either the Decian persecution (250) or ...

of Amiens) * The water tower and fountains of Amiens (1753) * The façade of the former theatre (now a bank). It was moved {{convert, 4, m, ft to the line of the ''Rue des Trois-Cailloux''. * The façade of the {{interlanguage link, Stengel barracks, fr, 3=Ancienne caserne Stengel (currently an apartment building) * The {{interlanguage link, Palais de l'évêché d'Amiens, fr, 3=Palais de l'évêché d'Amiens, lt=Palace of the Bishop of the 17th and 18th centuries. * The

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

of the

Lazarists , logo = , image = Vincentians.png , abbreviation = CM , nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians , established = , founder = Vincent de Paul , fou ...

: located on ''Rue Jules-Barni'', it was built between 1736 and 1741 and benefitted from several extensions of which the last was built under the aegis of {{interlanguage link, François-Auguste Cheussey, fr in 1828. Seized by the {{interlanguage link, State in France, fr, 3=État en France, lt=State, following the Act of 1905, the seminary was the

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

office (named after the general assigned to the Committee of fortifications,

Pierre Charles Dejean Charles Pierre Dejean, vicomte (16 February 1807, Paris – 30 July 1872, Paris) was a French general and politician . Life He was the son of General Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean. He was Major General of Engineering, and State Councilo ...

) from 1909 to 1993. During this period, it housed the headquarters of the 8th infantry division. * The city hall (partly 18th century and partly 19th century). Made in the regional style of stone and brick, with bedrock of sandstone, and stone pavilions. On the pediment is found the statues of King Louis VI and Bishop Geoffroi, which granted freedom to Amiens in 1115. Amiens - Hotel de Ville de nuit.jpg, The city hall Amiens - Caserne Stengel (2).jpg, The former Stengel barracks converted into apartments (18th century, historic monuments, 1992). Amiens, façade de l'ancien théâtre (3).JPG, Façade of the former theatre of Amiens, bank ''Rue des Trois-Cailloux''. Amiens, 6 r St-Jacques (1).jpg, Fountain of ''Rue Saint-Jacques''. Amiens - Couvent des Sœurs grises (5).JPG, Convent of the grey sisters (18th century, historic monuments, 1992). Amiens - Abbaye Saint-Jean-des-Prémontrés (2).jpg, {{interlanguage link, Abbaye Saint-Jean-des-Prémontrés d'Amiens, fr, 3=Abbaye Saint-Jean-des-Prémontrés d'Amiens, lt=Abbaye Saint-Jean-des-Prémontrés (18th century, historic monuments, 1992). Amiens - Hôtel Blin de Bourdon (1).jpg, Hôtel Blin de Bourdon (18th century: 1 ''Rue des Augustins'' (historic monuments, 1993). Amiens - Maison Cozette.JPG, Maison Cozette (18th century) : 26 ''Place Vogel'' (historic monuments, 1992). Amiens, hôtel de préfecture (4).JPG, Hôtel de la Préfecture (18th and 19th centuries, historic monuments, 1992).

=Architecture from the 19th century

= * The Palace of Justice was built from 1865 to 1880 on the site of the Abbey of Saint-Martin-les-Jumeaux (1073 to 1634) established at the supposed place of the sharing of the cloak of Saint Martin and the convent of the religious Order of the

Celestines The Celestines were a Roman Catholic monastic order, a branch of the Benedictines, founded in 1244. At the foundation of the new rule, they were called Hermits of St Damiano, or Moronites (or Murronites), and did not assume the appellation of Ce ...

(1634 to 1781). Les Célestins, whose order was abolished in 1778, left the premises in 1881. * Henriville quarter, including the hotel Acloque (neo-Louis XIII style) and the Saint-Martin Church (

, built by Louis Antoine in 1874). * The {{interlanguage link, House of Jules Verne, fr, 3=Maison de Jules Verne, lt=home of Jules Verne, which was reopened after renovation, in 2006, including the present neo-Gothic dining room and antique desk. The tower was covered with an armillary sphere commissioned from artist

François Schuiten François Schuiten (; born 26 April 1956) is a Belgian comic book artist. He is best known for drawing the series '' Les Cités Obscures''. Biography François Schuiten was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1956.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "François Sc ...

, who also signed the mural extending the imaginary garden of yesteryear. * The Madeleine Cemetery (Cimetière de la Madeleine) contains a number of listed monuments including the sculpture on Jules Verne's Tomb. His tomb is decorated with a sculpture by

Albert Roze Albert Auguste Roze (1861-1952) was a 19th century sculptor from Amiens, France. He was a prolific sculptor creating many notable works displayed in public spaces in France. Career One of his more important sculptures was entitled The Golden V ...

symbolising the resurrection: Jules Verne lifting the slab to glimpse the modern world. * {{interlanguage link, Cimetière Saint-Acheul, fr, 3=Cimetière Saint-Acheul, lt=Saint-Acheul cemetery where various Amiens personalities are buried and where there is a domed tomb with a sculpture by

. * The Dewailly clock, by {{interlanguage link, Émile Ricquier, fr (completely redone in 1999), supplemented by the statue of ''Marie-sans chemise'' of Albert Roze, originally in the ''Place Gambetta''. * The former insurance house, ''Rue Marotte'', built by E. Ricquier in 1893 (now a bar). * The {{interlanguage link, Bibliothèques d'Amiens Métropole, fr, 3=Bibliothèques d'Amiens Métropole, lt=Louis Aragon library, ''Rue de la République'', built by {{interlanguage link, François-Auguste Cheussey, fr in 1823, neoclassical style with a peristyle with columns in Tuscan drums. * The monastery of the visitation, built between 1839 and 1841 by Herbault. * The Palace of Justice, new buildings constructed by Cheussey in 1834 and 1846. * The renovations by Cheussey (1816–1848) of the cathedral. * Place Saint-Denis (now place René Goblet) is designed in 1839 by the architect François Auguste Cheussey. * The parish church Saint-Firmin-le-Martyr by Cheussey in 1843. * The {{interlanguage link, Église Sainte-Anne d'Amiens, fr, 3=Église Sainte-Anne d'Amiens, lt=Church of Sainte-Anne of the architect {{interlanguage link, Victor Delefortrie, fr. * The {{interlanguage link, Église Saint-Rémi d'Amiens, fr, 3=Église Saint-Rémi d'Amiens, lt=Church St-Rémi of architect {{interlanguage link, Victor Delefortrie, fr, 3=Victor Delefortrie, lt=Paul Delefortrie. P7210050 Palais de justice Amiens.JPG, Palace of Justice (19th century, historic monuments). Amiens - Hôtel Acloque 1.jpg, Hôtel Acloque (19th century, historic monuments, 1999). Amiens Couvent-Visitation Facade-ouest 2010.JPG , The convent of the Visitation-Sainte-Marie (19th century, historic monuments).

=Architecture from the 20th century

= * The hotel Bouctot-Vagniez (seat of the Regional Chamber of commerce and industry), built by Louis Duthoit in 1909, a rare

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

building in Amiens. * The English quarter, located on the road from Longueau, including a British phone box. An island of London in the heart of Amiens. * The ESIEE Amiens, designed by the architects Jean Dubus and Jean-Pierre Lott. A modern building identified by its saucer. * Complex of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

buildings on ''Rue Cauvin'', as well as the Gueudet garages (''Rue des Otages''). * Église Saint-Honoré, rebuilt between 1957 and 1961, by

Paul Tournon Paul Tournon (b. 19 February 1881 - 22 December 1964) was a French architect. He was born in Marseille and died in Paris. He was an architect in chief of many French civil buildings and national palaces, and a member of the Académie des Beau ...

, on the plans of the pontifical pavilion of the {{interlanguage link, Universal exhibition of Paris, fr, 3=Expositions universelles de Paris, lt=universal exhibition in Paris in 1937. * The hotel Vagniez-Renon (current headquarters of the administrative tribunal): A former residence of Henriville, it houses a Moorish-style hydrotherapy room, designed by {{interlanguage link, Émile Ricquier, fr. * The Saint-Pierre church, destroyed in 1940 and rebuilt in 1949 by Evrard, in glass and concrete, with a brick bell tower. * {{interlanguage link, Le Courrier Picard, fr, 3=Le Courrier Picard, lt=''Le Courrier Picard'': The headquarters of the daily life of Amiens, first ''Progrès de la Somme'', belongs to a set of

buildings. * The monument of

Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque (22 November 1902 – 28 November 1947) was a Free-French general during the Second World War. He became Marshal of France posthumously in 1952, and is known in France simply as le maréchal ...

by Jan and Joël Martel in 1950. * The Carmel of the Holy Spirit, on the Montjoie Hill, built in 1965 by architect {{interlanguage link, Pierre Pinsard, fr. * The {{interlanguage link, Maison de la culture d'Amiens, fr, 3=Maison de la culture d'Amiens, lt=House of culture of Amiens, inaugurated on 19 March 1966 by

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and Minister of Culture (France), minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Go ...

, built by {{interlanguage link, Jean Duthilleul, fr. * The Coliséum, inaugurated on 5 January 1996, built by the architect {{interlanguage link, ANPAR, fr, 3=ANPAR, lt=Pierre Parat (designer of the

Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace ** Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées ** Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River ...

). * The

, built in 1999 by architects {{interlanguage link, Atelier d'architecture Chaix & Morel et associés, fr, 3=Atelier d'architecture Chaix & Morel et associés, lt=Philippe Chaix and Jean-Paul Morel.

=Architecture from the 21st century

= * The ''Cinema Gaumont Amiens'' opened in 2005. It is the work of architects {{interlanguage link, Atelier d'architecture Chaix & Morel et associés, fr, 3=Atelier d'architecture Chaix & Morel et associés, lt=Philippe Chaix and Jean-Paul Morel. The interior decoration is the work of

Christian Lacroix Christian Marie Marc Lacroix (; born 16 May 1951) is a French fashion designer. The name may also refer to the company he founded. Lacroix's designs combine luxury and insouciance. He prefers artisanal trades, fringe, bead, and embroidery. He's ...

and artists Alain Balzac and François Michel. * The ''Verrière de la place de la

gare d'Amiens Amiens station (locally known as: ''Gare du Nord'') is the main railway station for the Northern French city of Amiens. History The station opened on 15 March 1847 when the line to Abbeville started passenger operations. It was razed by German she ...

'', also called the

Canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

. It is the work of architect

Claude Vasconi Claude Vasconi (24 June 1940 - 8 December 2009) was a French architect. Vasconi was born in Rosheim, and was educated at the ''Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et de l'Industrie'' in Strasbourg. In 1964, he set up office in Paris. After desi ...

, known especially for the

Forum des Halles Les Halles (; 'The Halls') was Paris' central fresh food market. It last operated on January 12, 1973, after which it was "left to the demolition men who will knock down the last three of the eight iron-and-glass pavilions""Les Halles Dead at 200 ...

in Paris. A subject of a controversy when it opened in March 2008, the canopy is designed to create a link between the

pedestrian zone Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

of the city center and the ZAC Gare la Vallée, and to become a business district of Amiens. Criticised for its massive and imposing area of more than {{convert, 10000, m2, sqft, the canopy rises to {{convert, 15, m, ft in height and is composed of pixellated glass panels created by {{interlanguage link, Bernard Pictet, fr. This is one of the largest canopies in Europe. * The Zenith of Amiens by

Massimiliano Fuksas Massimiliano Fuksas (born January 9, 1944) is an Italian architect. He is the head of ''Studio Fuksas'' in partnership with his wife, Doriana Mandrelli Fuksas, with offices in Rome, Paris and Shenzhen. Biography Fuksas was born in Rome in 194 ...

, in the Renancourt quarter between the Mégacité and the Hippodrome. Construction was completed in 2008.

Environmental heritage

With {{convert, 270, ha, acre of green space (excluding communal woodland) {{convert, 118300, ha, acre of {{interlanguage link, Hortillonnages d'Amiens, fr, 3=Hortillonnages d'Amiens, lt=hortillonnages, {{convert, 300, ha, acre of forests, {{convert, 30, ha, acre of marshland, and its river and its streams, Amiens proves to be green and blue city. Floral City awarded the maximum score of 4 flowers in the floral contest of cities and villages of France to Amiens, and it offers a particularly rich wooded heritage. With 38,650 trees (excluding woodland), of which 17,000 are situated on highways, Amiens to win the national tree award. In 2014, the city ranked in the top 10 greenest cities of France. Presenting itself as a city concerned with the environment, Amiens has made the link between the city and nature a central axis of its metropolitan development project called ''Amiens 2030''.

The Hortillonages

Amiens is also known for the {{interlanguage link, hortillonnages, fr, 3=Hortillonnages d'Amiens, gardens on small islands in over {{convert, 300, ha, acre of marshland between the

and River Avre, surrounded by a grid network of man-made canals (locally known as "rieux"). They are also known as the "floating gardens of Amiens". The hortillonnages are sometimes called "Little Venice of the North", because of the canals. Hortillon means market garden in Picard, and derives from the Latin ''hortillus'', small garden. It is navigated in flat bottom boats, formerly called ''barque à cornet'' ornet boat due to the very raised front, which allows the boats to easily dock on the fragile shores of the cultivated fields. It is the upstream port, located at the foot of the cathedral, where a weekly market is held on the water, although the arrival the growers by boat can only be accomplished once a year, in summer. De barco no Somme.jpg, On a boat Hortillonnages_d'Amiens_230908_05.jpg, Hortillonnages Amiens_ponts_des_Hortillonnages_1.jpg, Bridges Hort1.JPG, Hortillonnages Hortillonnages d'Amiens 190908 Passerelle 3.jpg, Bridge Amiens_(dans_les_Hortillonnages)_1.jpg, Hortillonages Amiens_barque_des_Hortillonnages_1.jpg, Boat

Amiens Metropolitan Zoo

Prior to its opening in May 1952, the {{interlanguage link, Zoo d'Amiens, fr, 3=Zoo d'Amiens, lt=Amiens Zoo is a green space bordering the basin of the {{interlanguage link, Parc de la Hotoie, fr, 3=Parc de la Hotoie, lt=Park of the Hotoie. It was the mayor of the time, {{interlanguage link, Maurice Vast, fr, who decided to develop the site in 1949. Originally intended as an entertainment venue, the zoo began its mission of conservation, education and research between 1970 and 1980. Between 1990 and 2000, the zoo was completely renovated and became a permanent member of the

European Association of Zoos and Aquaria The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), is an organisation for the European zoo and aquarium community that links over 340 member organisations in 41 countries. EAZA membership is open to all zoos and aquaria across Europe that compl ...

(EAZA) in 2001 and the {{interlanguage link, Association nationale des parcs zoologiques, fr, 3=Association nationale des parcs zoologiques, lt=National Association of Zoological Parks (ANPZ) in 2002. Today, there are 300 animals, representing approximately 75 species from all continents, cohabiting on {{convert, 6.5, ha, acre. They live in environments, which are close to their natural environment, favouring their well-being. In 2014, the zoo received 161,128 visitors. Traditionally, entry is free on 14 July,

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...

. Maki vari roux Amiens.jpg, Red ruffed lemur ''( Varecia rubra)'' Gibbon Amiens 26873.jpg, Lar gibbons ''(

Hylobates lar The lar gibbon (''Hylobates lar''), also known as the white-handed gibbon, is an endangered primate in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. It is one of the better-known gibbons and is often kept in captivity. Taxonomy There are five subspecies of ...

)'' Panda rouge Amiens 26871.jpg, Red panda ''( Ailurus fulgens)'' Coati roux Amiens 1.jpg, South American coati ''(

Nasua nasua The South American coati (''Nasua nasua''), also known as the ring-tailed coati, is a coati species and a member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae), found in the tropical and subtropical parts of South America. An adult generally weighs from ...

)''. Éléphants d'Asie au zoo d'Amiens.jpg, Jena and Praya, the two Asian elephants ''(

Elephas maximus ''Elephas'' is one of two surviving genera in the family of elephants, Elephantidae, with one surviving species, the Asian elephant, ''Elephas maximus''. Several extinct species have been identified as belonging to the genus, extending bac ...

)''. Otarie du zoo d'Amiens.jpg, California sea lion ''(

Zalophus californianus The California sea lion (''Zalophus californianus'') is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lions. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of Califo ...

)'' Manchots Amiens 02.jpg, Humboldt penguins ''( Spheniscus humboldti)''

The main parks and gardens

{{columns-list, colwidth=30em, # {{interlanguage link, Parc Saint-Pierre (Amiens), fr, 3=Parc Saint-Pierre (Amiens), lt=Parc Saint-Pierre, between the quarter of Saint-Leu and the {{interlanguage link, Hortillonnages d'Amiens, fr, 3=Hortillonnages d'Amiens, lt=Hortillonnages, poumon vert de {{convert, 22, ha, acre in the heart of the city, which was awarded the {{interlanguage link, Prix du paysage, fr in 2005. # {{interlanguage link, Parc du Grand Marais d'Amiens, fr, 3=Parc du Grand Marais d'Amiens, lt=Parc du Grand Marais, along the Somme Canal, to the west of the city. Covering over {{convert, 25, ha, acre, this park has many sports facilities: American football stadium, skate

bowl A bowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, or consuming food. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like a spherical cap, with the edges and the bottom forming a seamless curve. This makes ...

, football field, play structures. # {{interlanguage link, Jardin des plantes d'Amiens, fr, 3=Jardin des plantes d'Amiens, lt=Jardin des plantes originally called the ''Jardin du Roy''. Created in 1751, it is the oldest garden of Amiens on the ''Boulevard du jardin des plantes''. # Square Pierre Marie Saquez on ''Rue des Cordeliers'' # {{interlanguage link, Parc de l'Evéché d'Amiens, fr, at the foot of the cathedral on ''Place Saint-Michel'' # Jardin médiéval on ''Impasse Joron'' # Square Beauregard on ''Rue Louis Thuillier'' # {{interlanguage link, Parc Jean Rostand, fr on ''Rue Vulfran Warmé'' # {{interlanguage link, Château de Montières, fr, 3=Château de Montières, lt=Parc du Château de Montières on ''Rue Baudoin d'Ailly'' # Parc du Petit Marais on the ''Avenue des cygnes'' # Square Paul Gauguin on the ''Avenue de la paix'' # {{interlanguage link, Parc de la Hotoie, fr # Marais des trois vaches # Parc du Château blanc, on the ''Route de Rouen'' # {{interlanguage link, Bois Bonvallet, fr # Square de la rose des vents on ''Rue du Docteur Fafet'' # Plaine Saint Ladre # Parc Léon Pille on ''Rue de l'Agrappin'' # {{interlanguage link, Zoo d'Amiens, fr on the ''Esplanade de la Hotoie'' # {{interlanguage link, Cimetière de La Madeleine (Amiens), fr, 3=Cimetière de La Madeleine (Amiens), lt=Cimetière de la Madeleine, on ''Rue Saint Maurice'' # {{interlanguage link, Square Saint-Denis d'Amiens, fr, 3=Square Saint-Denis d'Amiens, lt=Le Square Saint-Denis # Square Montplaisir, on ''Place Joffre'' # Square Aimé Césaire, on ''Boulevard de Belfort'' # {{interlanguage link, Clos Alexandre (Amiens), fr, 3=Clos Alexandre (Amiens), lt=Clos Alexandre, jardin floral et paysager privé # {{interlanguage link, Cimetière Saint-Acheul, fr, on ''Rue de Cagny'' # {{interlanguage link, Jardin archéologique de Saint-Acheul, fr, on ''Rue de Boutillerie'' As a floral city, 4 flowers were awarded in 2013 by the National Council of Cities and Villages of France for the competition of floral cities and villages. The national Council of Cities and Villages awarded the 2012 National Tree Prize to the city for "its exceptional and innovative management of its wooded heritage" with its 37,000 trees, some more than a century old.

Cultural heritage

Museums

* The

is a key site in the history of the National Museum, since it is the first building to have been built in France to serve as a museum. Built under the Second Empire on the model of the new Louvre of Napoleon III, it opened its doors to the public in 1867 after the visit of the emperor. Considered the French model of a 19th-century museum, it was nicknamed the "Little Louvre of the Province". It hosted very early rich collections which are now divided into four departments:

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

in the basement, the

Medieval art The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art in Europe, and at certain periods in Western Asia and Northern Africa. It includes major art movements and periods, national and regional art, ge ...

on the ground floor, fine arts on the ground floor and the first floor, and

modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

and

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic ...

on the first floor. Rooms are also devoted to temporary exhibitions. The department of fine arts brings together paintings by

Van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh ...

, Jordaens, Ruysdael,

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El ...

, Ribera,

Tiepolo Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( , ; March 5, 1696 – March 27, 1770), also known as Giambattista (or Gianbattista) Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an import ...

Guardi Francesco Lazzaro Guardi (; 5 October 1712 – 1 January 1793) was an Italian painter, nobleman, and a member of the Venetian School. He is considered to be among the last practitioners, along with his brothers, of the classic Venetian school of ...

, Fragonard,

Chardin Chardin is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, (1699–1779), French painter noted for his still life works * Jean Chardin, (1643–1713), French jeweller and traveller, author of ''The Trave ...

, Boucher,

Quentin de La Tour Maurice Quentin de La Tour (5 September 1704 – 17 February 1788) was a French Rococo portraitist who worked primarily with pastels. Among his most famous subjects were Voltaire, Rousseau, Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour. Biography Maurice Q ...

Vouet Simon Vouet (; 9 January 1590 – 30 June 1649) was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and ...

Corot CoRoT (French: ; English: Convection, Rotation and planetary Transits) was a space telescope mission which operated from 2006 to 2013. The mission's two objectives were to search for extrasolar planets with short orbital periods, particularly th ...

and

Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( , , ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and t ...

. The modern and contemporary collection is represented by

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

, Picabia,

Balthus Balthasar Klossowski de Rola (February 29, 1908 – February 18, 2001), known as Balthus, was a Polish-French modern artist. He is known for his erotically charged images of pubescent girls, but also for the refined, dreamlike quality of his image ...

, Dubuffet, Hélion,

Bacon Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...

, Miró and Manessier. Access to the picture galleries of the first floor is by a mounumental staircase in a setting dedicated to the famous wall compositions of

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France". He became the co-founder and president of the Société Nationale des Beau ...

* The Hotel de Berny Museum is a regional museum of local art and history. This building, typical of the Louis XIII architecture, was built in 1634 as a mansion of the treasurers of France. Property of Gérard de Berny, Senator of the Somme in the first half of the 20th century, has restored the façades and settled its collections. Located a few metres from the cathedral, this

Museum of France Museum of France (''Musée de France'') is a title given to the main state museums in France. It was set up by a law of 4 January 2002, known as ''loi musée'' (museum law), now codified in the ''code du patrimoine''. As of 1 January 2019, the list ...

retains an exceptional collection of woodwork, furniture and objets d'art (tapestries, ceramics, ironworks) and memories (objects and arrays) of Amiens personalities:

Choderlos de Laclos Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos (; 18 October 1741 – 5 September 1803) was a French novelist, official, Freemason and army general, best known for writing the epistolary novel ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (''Dangerous Liaisons'') ...

Édouard Branly Édouard Eugène Désiré Branly (23 October 1844 – 24 March 1940) was a French inventor, physicist and professor at the Institut Catholique de Paris. He is primarily known for his early involvement in wireless telegraphy and his invention of the ...

, Jean-Baptiste Gresset,

Vincent Voiture Vincent Voiture (24 February 1597 – 26 May 1648), French poet and writer of prose, was the son of a rich wine merchant of Amiens. He was introduced by a schoolfellow, the count Claude d'Avaux, to Gaston, Duke of Orléans, and accompanied him ...

Joseph Pinchon Émile-Joseph Porphyre Pinchon (Amiens, 17 April 1871 - Paris, 20 June 1953) was a French painter, illustrator, designer and comic book creator, best known for his series ''Bécassine''. Biography Joseph Pinchon, born in Amiens in 1871, first s ...

, Maréchal Leclerc. The museum is currently undergoing a complete renovation of its buildings and an overhaul of the installation of its museum collections. Amiens Tour Jules Verne (depuis boulevard) 1a

Amiens Tour Jules Verne (depuis boulevard) 1a

* The {{interlanguage link, House of Jules Verne, fr, 3=Maison de Jules Verne, labeled Maisons des Illustres, is the home of the most translated writer in the world after Agatha Christie:

. He lived here from 1882 to 1900 with his wife Honorine, and wrote part of his work in this mansion of the 19th century. To visit is to enter into the intimate and creative universe of the author. The building largely retains its original decor and opens almost all of its rooms, from the ground floor to the attic. The permanent collections are presented on two floors, in the attic, the tower and the belvedere of the house: Approximately 700 collected objects evoke the personality, sources of inspiration and memories of Jules Verne. Costumed tours, performances, parties and literary encounters of thematic conferences are also regularly organised. * The Gallery of

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

is located in the workshop of master glassmaker Claude Barre, in a 16th-century house near to the cathedral. It presents a large collection to the public, including religious stained-glass windows and interiors, from the 11th to the 19th century. The gallery also offers demonstrations on the techniques of stained glass. * The {{interlanguage link, House of culture of Amiens, fr, 3=Maison de la culture d'Amiens (MCA or MACU) was inaugurated on 19 March 1966 by

. A major {{interlanguage link, Établissement public de coopération culturelle, fr, 3=Établissement public de coopération culturelle, lt=cultural institution in the region, it has two exhibition halls for

; the Matisse Hall and the Giacometti Room, which both regularly host exhibitions of sculptures, photographs and plastic arts. * The

Fonds régional d'art contemporain A Fonds régional d'art contemporain (Frac) is a public regional collection of contemporary art set in one of the metropolitan or overseas regions of France. There are currently 23 Fracs across the country, organised into a national network called P ...

of Picardie (FRAC Picardie), created in 1983, aims to promote contemporary art, in particular through dissemination actions. As early as 1985, FRAC Picardie had specialised its action in the field of the design and its contemporary dimensions. It is also interested in new media, on and off paper, since artists are now working through the video medium. This has allowed it to acquire a good reputation in France and abroad. In 30 years, the FRAC has brought together a unique collection of a thousand drawings which include major names of contemporary art, such as Basquiat, Dubuffet,

Oppenheim Oppenheim () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is a well-known wine center, being the home of the German Winegrowing Museum, and is particularly known for the wines from the Oppenheimer Kröten ...

, Twombly, Matta, Manessier, etc. In 2001, discussions are undertaken to construct a new building to accommodate the

fonds In archival science, a fonds is a group of documents that share the same origin and that have occurred naturally as an outgrowth of the daily workings of an agency, individual, or organization. An example of a fonds could be the writings of a poe ...

and its collections. Amiens was strongly tipped to host the Louvre II.

Concert halls

The city has a number of concert spaces, mostly small venues, and pubs also host numerous concerts throughout the year. * The Zenith of Amiens was inaugurated in September 2008. With a capacity of 6,000 seats, it is the work of the Italian architect

. Holder of the required Zénith label, this facility allows the hosting of national and international headline acts and ensures a high level of services and organisation. The accessibility of the place by motorway (A16, A29, A1), and the possibilities of free parking, the venue radiates to Belgium and to the Paris region. * The {{interlanguage link, Mégacité d'Amiens, fr, 3=Mégacité d'Amiens, lt=megacity is the Park of the Congress and Exhibitions of Amiens. Located in immediate proximity of the Zenith of Amiens and the

, there are two auditoriums of 350 and 1,000 places where concerts and {{interlanguage link, Spectacle comique, fr, 3=Spectacle comique, lt=comedy shows are programmed. * {{interlanguage link, Cirque Jules-Verne, fr, the biggest grand circus of France, has about 1,700 seating spaces since its renovation in 2003. It welcomes, among other shows, concerts. * The {{interlanguage link, Maison de la culture d'Amiens, fr, 3=Maison de la culture d'Amiens, lt=House of culture of Amiens offers many live shows and concerts. It manages also New Dreams, a room for 120 seated or 300 standing, which also hosts concerts. * The Auditorium Henri Dutilleux is the auditorium of the {{interlanguage link, Conservatoire à rayonnement régional d'Amiens, fr. With high acoustic quality, it offers 370 seats on three levels. It offers mainly classical concerts. * {{interlanguage link, La Lune des Pirates, fr is the {{interlanguage link, Musiques actuelles, fr, 3=Musiques actuelles, lt=stage of contemporary music (SMAC) of the city. Created in 1987 in a former banana warehouse of the Belu Wharf, La Lune has a capacity of 250 seats.

Theaters

* The {{interlanguage link, Maison de la culture d'Amiens, fr, 3=Maison de la culture d'Amiens, lt=House of Culture of Amiens has the {{interlanguage link, Scène nationale, fr accreditation from the

. Cultural place of the city, its mission is broad and covers many disciplines: theatre, music, dance, cinema and visual arts. It brings together two theatres: the ''Grand Théâtre'' (1,070 seats) and the ''Petit Théâtre'' (300 seats). * The {{interlanguage link, Comédie de Picardie, fr (ComDePic) is one of the city's main theatres. This {{interlanguage link, Scène conventionnée, fr was founded in 1989 by the {{interlanguage link, Conseil régional de Picardie, fr, 3=Conseil régional de Picardie, lt=Regional Council of Picardie and offers fifteen plays every year. The theatre has a room of 400 places and houses its own company. * The Maison du Théâtre was established in April 1988 in the historic quarter of {{interlanguage link, Saint-Leu (Amiens), fr, 3=Saint-Leu (Amiens), lt=Saint-Leu. Its activities range from creation to dissemination, training and theatrical information. Focused on contemporary theatre, the ''Maison du Théâtre'' also hosts local theatrical companies and their creations. * The puppet theatre "Chés cabotants of Amiens", founded in 1933, is the heir of some eighty cabotan theatres which were created in Amiens in the 19th century. Amiens is known as the French capital of the puppet son. Since 1997, a theatre is dedicated to Chés Cabotans of Amiens and his popular hero {{interlanguage link, Lafleur (marionnette), fr, 3=Lafleur (marionnette), lt=Lafleur. It is located in the heart of the Saint-Leu quarter. * The Boîte à Rire is a

café-théâtre Originally, a café-théâtre was a small room in a café or a cabaret, or even the café or cabaret itself, where people would put on Performance, spectacles. These spectacles were mostly unconventional or of limited means, and could range from o ...

, created in September 2012. This 48-seat hall is located near to

, and proudly displays a

one-man show A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including auto ...

and Boulevard theatre.

Cultural Centers

Amiens Métropole has nine cultural centers which cover much of the metropolitan area: Six in various districts of Amiens, and three in the neighbouring communes of

, Camon and

Glisy Glisy (; pcd, Glisu) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Glisy is situated east of Amiens on the D4029 road. Amiens airport is within the boundaries of the village. It was used as a military b ...

. These outreach facilities working in the field of art and creation are openly oriented "venues". Open to all, they offer an eclectic programme; theatre and concerts, shows for young people and dance, projections of films, exhibitions, meetings and debates, etc. In 2013, they accommodated 48,000 people. * The ''Briqueterie'' was installed in 2001 on the site of the former Friant military barracks in the Elbeuf quarter. As part of its programming, it hosts concerts, as well as exhibitions, public theatre and shows for youths. To this end, it has a room that can accommodate 120 people. * The ''Jacques Tati cultural center'' is located in the heart of the Pierre Rollin. Opened in January 2008, the Jacques Tati theatre has 198 seats and hosts plays, public youth performances, concerts, etc. * The ''Léo-Lagrange cultural center'' is located in Saint Germain district. A venue for exhibitions, meetings and performances of music, theatre, dance and circus, it has a room of 85 seats named the chapel. * The ''CSC'' is installed in the heart of the Etouvie quarter. Its missions include the dissemination of exhibitions and performances. To this end, it has a room of 150 seats. * The ''Étoile du sud'' is located in the neighbourhood Victorine-Autier. This cultural center is specialized in urban cultures and has the peculiarity of having a computer ({{abbr, MAO, Musique assistée par ordinateur (Computer music)) recording studio. * The ''Safran'' is located in the north quarter of Amiens. This 'multidisciplinary and experimental' {{interlanguage link, Scène conventionnée, fr offers diverse programming: Drama, public youth shows, dance and exhibitions. Its theatre hall, known as ''Gérard-Philipe'' has 220 spaces. Saffron also hosts a music complex, the ''Cité Carter'', which offers rehearsal studios, recording sessions and organises concerts of contemporary music in its 250-seat hall.

Libraries

{{hatnote, 1=Main article: {{interlanguage link, Bibliothèques d'Amiens Métropole, fr Libraries currently constitute a network of 28 facilities spread over the whole territory of the metropolis. The heart of this network is the Louis Aragon library, located on ''Rue de la République''. Built between 1823 and 1826, it is one of the oldest municipal libraries in France. It experienced several improvements, including campaigns of work between 1982 and 1993, which have endowed it with new spaces: Two auditoriums, a youth space, a library and an art library. Registration and borrowing is free for all of the people of Amiens in all libraries. Two libraries also provide service to neighborhoods and the communes of the agglomeration, and there is home delivery of documents for people with reduced mobility.

Cinemas

There are three cinemas: * The ''Cinema Gaumont Amiens'' (12 rooms, 2,700 seats) was inaugurated in September 2005. Located just steps from the Amiens railway station, it has a large lobby and a 600-seat room. A 500-space car park is located under the cinema. It is the work of the architects {{interlanguage link, Atelier d'architecture Chaix & Morel et associés, fr, 3=Atelier d'architecture Chaix & Morel et associés, lt=Philippe Chaix and Jean-Paul Morel and its interior decoration was entrusted to

. In 2011, this multiplex received 887,000 cinemagoers. * The ''Cine-Saint-Leu'' (one room with 250 seats) was inaugurated in October 2000, after the closure of the Regent Cinema located near the railway station. An

arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily ...

cinema, it is part of the major cultural facilities of the Cathedral Centre. Its eclectic and cinephile programming offers the possibility to see the original version of contemporary films. * The ''Studio Orson Welles'' (one room with 180 seats in the {{interlanguage link, Maison de la culture d'Amiens, fr). An arthouse cinema operated by the {{interlanguage link, Maison de la culture d'Amiens, fr, it offers arthouse films as well as retrospectives of great names of the seventh art, old or contemporary.

Cultural events and festivals

Throughout the year, Amiens is the seat of many cultural, traditional or economic events. Royal de luxe à Amiens en 2005

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;margin:1em auto" , + Annual Events ! Month ! Event ! Subject ! Number of editions (In 2015) , - ! January , style="text-align:center;", ''Festival Tendance Europe'' , This festival, organised by the {{interlanguage link, Maison de la culture d'Amiens, fr, is dedicated to contemporary creation. Programming highlights emerging European artists in a variety of areas: Theatre, dance, music, circus arts and visual arts. , style="text-align:center;", 9 , - ! February , style="text-align:center;", ''Salon des Antiquaires'' , The ''Salon des Antiquaires'' of the city is held, every year, at the {{interlanguage link, Megacity of Amiens, fr, 3=Mégacité d'Amiens, lt=Megacity. Its reputation makes it one of the most important events of its kind in the north of the France. , style="text-align:center;", 12 , - !rowspan="2", March , style="text-align:center;", ''Festival du jeu et de l'imaginaire : À toi de Jouer'' , This festival is dedicated to fun activities: Board games, card games, role plays, video games, comics, manga, etc. Many tournaments are organized during this event which takes place at {{interlanguage link, Megacity of Amiens, fr, 3=Mégacité d'Amiens, lt=Megacity. The first edition was held on 12 and 13 May 2012 with {{interlanguage link, Simon Astier, fr for sponsor. , style="text-align:center;", 4 , - , style="text-align:center;", ''Salon du chocolat et gourmandises en Picardie'' , For three days at the {{interlanguage link, Megacity of Amiens, fr, 3=Mégacité d'Amiens, lt=Megacity, the fair offers demonstrations, parades, contests around the theme of chocolate and food in general. , style="text-align:center;", 5 , - ! April , style="text-align:center;", {{interlanguage link, Grande Réderie d'Amiens, fr, 3=Grande réderie d'Amiens, lt=''Grande réderie de printemps'' , The {{interlanguage link, Grande Réderie d'Amiens, fr, 3=Grande réderie d'Amiens, lt=''Grande réderie de printemps'' (

jumble sale A jumble sale (UK), bring and buy sale (Australia) or rummage sale (U.S and Canada) is an event at which second hand goods are sold, usually by an institution such as a local Boys' Brigade Company, Scout group, Girlguiding group or church, ...

) is a popular event that takes place twice a year: in spring (the last Sunday in April) and autumn (the first Sunday in October). After the

Braderie de Lille The Lille Braderie (''French: Braderie de Lille'') is a braderie, or annual street market/flea market, that takes place on the weekend of the first Sunday of September in Lille, France, in the northern Hauts-de-France region. Its dates back to t ...

, the Réderie of Amiens is the second largest event of its kind in France. It hosts more than 2,000 professional traders and individuals as well as 80,000 to 100,000 visitors to each edition. , style="text-align:center;", – , - ! May , style="text-align:center;", ''Leitura furiosa'' , This festival, organized by the association "Cardan", offers various free activities relating to the world of words: Workshops, calligraphy, typography, writing games,

slam Slam, SLAM or SLAMS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional elements * S.L.A.M. (Strategic Long-Range Artillery Machine), a fictional weapon in the ''G.I. Joe'' universe * SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield), a fictional anti-ball ...

and shows. , style="text-align:center;", 23 , - !rowspan="4", June , style="text-align:center;", ''Foire Exposition de Picardie'' , It takes place at the park of the congress and exhibitions of Amiens, the {{interlanguage link, Megacity of Amiens, fr, 3=Mégacité d'Amiens, lt=Megacity. During nine days, it hosts approximately 50,000 visitors, 300 exhibitors and more than 20 activities. , style="text-align:center;", 76 , - , style="text-align:center;", {{interlanguage link, Rendez-vous de la bande dessinée d'Amiens, fr, 3=Rendez-vous de la bande dessinée d'Amiens, lt=''Rendez-Vous de la Bande Dessinée d'Amiens'' , This comic strip festival, organised by the association "Explorers on the bubble", is one of the most important comic strip festivals in France. Created in 1996, it takes place each first weekend in June, in the University Library of the Cathedral hub. Various activities in connection with the festival are also organized at different places in the city. , style="text-align:center;", 20 , - , style="text-align:center;", ''Fête dans la ville'' , This international festival of

street theatre Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves, college or universi ...

is also known under the name of "The street is in Amiens". Created in 1977, it invited 20 companies for four days of performances, parades, fairground theatre, circus, etc. in the streets of the city. , style="text-align:center;", 38 , - , style="text-align:center;", ''Marché sur l'eau'' , Once a year, in the context of the "Festival in the city", the walking on water takes place. Growers (gardeners) in traditional costumes boat down the

with their crafts loaded with fruit and vegetables from the hortillonnages. , style="text-align:center;", – , - ! June to July , style="text-align:center;", ''Foire de la Saint Jean'' , It is the largest funfair in the north of the France. It takes place during 3 weeks between mid-June and mid-July on the esplanade of {{interlanguage link, Parc de la Hotoie, fr, 3=Parc de la Hotoie, lt=Hotoie. , style="text-align:center;", – , - !rowspan="2", June to September , style="text-align:center;", '' Amiens, la cathédrale en couleurs'' , Created in 1999, this son et lumière show is the first world. Daily from mid-June to mid-September as well as in December, in the dark, the medieval colors of the portals of the façade of the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

are reborn thanks to projections of digital images. Since its inception, nearly two million people have attended the free event. , style="text-align:center;", 15 , - , style="text-align:center;", ''Un été en musique'' , This summer event, conducted from June to September, offers a series of free concerts outdoors (at ''Place René Goblet'' and ''Place Gambetta'', and the Jules Bocquet bandstand). Programming is mainly of local artists. , style="text-align:center;", – , - ! June to October , style="text-align:center;", ''Festival Art, villes et paysage – Hortillonnages Amiens'' , This festival, organized by the {{interlanguage link, Maison de la culture d'Amiens, fr, was born in 2010 under the heading "Imagine it now". Invited are landscapers, visual artists, architects and designers involved in the hortillonnages. In total, twenty artists facilities and landscaped gardens are located in several places in the {{interlanguage link, Hortillonnages d'Amiens, fr, 3=Hortillonnages d'Amiens, lt="hortillonnages". These unusual works (floating sculptures, reinvented huts, diverted gardens, revisited gardens etc.) are visible either by walking track or boat, from June to October. , style="text-align:center;", 6 , - !rowspan="2", July , style="text-align:center;", ''Voyage au cœur de l'été'' , The event, which takes place every July in the ''Espace Dewailly''. The programming consists of live performances around world cultures, traditions, folklore and modernity. , style="text-align:center;", 11 , - , style="text-align:center;", ''Bal du 14 juillet'' , This ball takes place on the ''Place de l'hôtel de ville''. It is followed by a fireworks display at the {{interlanguage link, parc de la Hotoie, fr. , style="text-align:center;", – , - ! July to August , style="text-align:center;", ''Un été à Amiens'' , This summer event, conducted by the city hall of Amiens, brings together four concepts spread across three sites in the city: "Amiens-les-Bains" (children) and "Beach Attitude" (adolescents) in the Parc Saint Pierre, "Zen Attitude" in ''Place Gambetta'' and "Sportez-vous bien" at Grand Marais. , style="text-align:center;", 2 , - !rowspan="2", August , style="text-align:center;", ''Défi Jules Verne'' , This event, also known as "Montgolfiade", commemorates the first balloon flight (1873) of the most illustrious adopted son of Amiens:

. Its uniqueness lies in the take-off of many balloons and unusual machines (between 20 and 30) from the {{interlanguage link, Parc de la Hotoie, fr. Music with readings of excerpts from novels by

accompany their flight in the sky of the city. Subject to favourable weather conditions, this event takes place every month of August. , style="text-align:center;", 10 , - , style="text-align:center;", ''Bal de la libération'' , This festive event, which is held at the ''Place de l'hôtel de ville'', celebrates the liberation of the city on 31 August 1944. It joins the various commemorations and tributes traditionally organised there on this day. , style="text-align:center;", 6 , - ! September , style="text-align:center;", ''Fête au bord de l'eau'' , This traditional festival, organised by the association "Jacobins Traditions and history", plunges the historic quarter of Saint-Leu into a medieval atmosphere for two days: Market and medieval camps, trades of yesteryear, parades in the streets and on the water, activities, etc. It is on this occasion that the popular tournament of

water jousting Water jousting is a form of jousting where the adversaries, carrying a lance and protected only by a shield, stand on a platform on the stern of a boat. The aim of the sport is to send the adversary into the water whilst maintaining one's own ba ...

runs. Created in 1990, this free event takes place every second weekend of September and gathers an average of 80,000 visitors. , style="text-align:center;", 25 , - !rowspan="3", October , style="text-align:center;", {{interlanguage link, Grande réderie d'Amiens, fr, 3=Grande réderie d'Amiens, lt=''Grande réderie d'automne'' , The autumn edition of the {{interlanguage link, Grande réderie d'Amiens, fr is held every first Sunday in October. , style="text-align:center;", – , - , style="text-align:center;", ''Ô mon Cloître'' , Evolution of the

Nuit Blanche Nuit Blanche () (White Night) is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival of a city. A Nuit Blanche typically has museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge, with the centre of the ...

(9 editions), this event is dedicated to the performing arts and visual arts and is held in the cloister of the grey nuns. , style="text-align:center;", 1 , - , style="text-align:center;", ''Festiv'Art'' , This festival, held since 2006 by the association of "Free radicals", allows regional, national and international artists to find themselves on the same stage for an evening which is followed by street arts and circus, theatre, concerts and graphic services. , style="text-align:center;", 8 , - !rowspan="2", November , style="text-align:center;", ''

Amiens International Film Festival Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of Am ...

'' , This international film festival ranks among the five largest film festivals in France. Created in 1980, it is held for nine days in November and records more than 60,000 entries each year. , style="text-align:center;", 35 , - , style="text-align:center;", ''Picardie Mouv'' , This festival of {{interlanguage link, musiques actuelles, fr, organized by the {{interlanguage link, Conseil régional de Picardie, fr, 3=Conseil régional de Picardie, lt=Picardy regional Council, offers eclectic programming that mixes a collage of artists of international, national and local groups. , style="text-align:center;", 10 , - !rowspan="2", December , style="text-align:center;", ''Christmas Market of Amiens'' , The largest Christmas market in the north of France, it attracts over one million visitors each year. The market consists of approximately 135 chalets in the city center and offers various animations (a Son et lumière show, Amiens, la cathédrale en couleurs, Ferris wheel, ice rink, village of Santa Claus, parades, rides, etc.). , style="text-align:center;", 18 , - , style="text-align:center;", '' Amiens, la cathédrale en couleurs'' , Winter Edition of the Son et lumière show of the cathedral. , style="text-align:center;", – {, class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;margin:1em auto" , + Multi-annual Events ! Month ! Event ! Subject ! Regularity ! Last edition (Number) , - ! March , style="text-align:center;", ''Rencontres internationales Jules Verne'' , These meetings, organised by the {{interlanguage link, Centre international Jules-Verne, fr, are held every two years since 1997. , Biannual , style="text-align:center;", 2015 (10)

Music

Even if it rarely achieves national notoriety (with the notable exceptions of

Les Fatals Picards Les Fatals Picards is a French rock/punk band, founded in 1996. The Fatals Picards (meaning "the fatal enfrom Picardy") are best known to general audiences because they represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song " L'Am ...

, {{interlanguage link, The Rabeats, fr,

Olympe Olympe ( grc, Ολύμπη) ( sq, Olimpi) was an ancient city located in the territory of the Amantes, between northern Epirus and southern Illyria in classical antiquity. It is located in modern day Mavrovë, Vlorë County, Albania. History ...

, Albin de la Simone,

Disiz Sérigne M'Baye Gueye (; born 28 March 1978), better known by his stage name Disiz, (pronounced "This is", formerly Disiz la Peste and Disiz Peter Punk), is a French rapper and actor. Born to a Senegalese father and Belgian mother, he grew up ...

and

Rokia Traoré Rokia Traoré (born 24. January 1974) is a Malian-born singer, songwriter and guitarist. She made six albums between 1998 and 2016. ''Bowmboï'' (2003) won the Critics Award category at the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in 2004 and ''Tcham ...

), the Amiens music scene is active and developed. In this dynamic, the {{interlanguage link, Nouvelle scène rock française, fr, 3=Nouvelle scène rock française, lt=New French Rock scene holds a central place and is organised around a collective, ''Amiens Burning'', which is responsible for networking the breeding ground for the local rock scene, to accompany its projects, and organize concerts. Since their creation, {{interlanguage link, La Lune des Pirates, fr and Cité Carter also provide support to the local scene. For example, the Cité Carter produces a compilation each year, with local groups. Here is an overview of the Amiens music scene: * Rock: The Rabeats (

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

), The Beyonders, Molly's, Sobo, The Void, Violent Scaredy Cats, Elegant Fall, Gene Trio * Electro: The Name (who created the soundtrack for the series

Bref ''Bref.'' (stylized with a period; English: ''In short.'') is a French television series created by Kyan Khojandi, cowritten with Bruno Muschio, and produced by Harry Tordjman for My Box Productions. The first episode was released on Canal+ 29 Au ...

), The Blue * Pop:

, Nathaniel Isaac Smog, {{interlanguage link, Ribo (band), fr, 3=Ribo, lt=Ribo * Metal: Anorak, DSK, Vakarm, Decline of Humanity, Altered beast, Infected Society * Hip Hop/Rap:

(born in Amiens), D.S.C. (Dirty South Crew), Lj Crackus * French singers: Albin de la Simone (born in Amiens), EmilieAnneCharlotte * World Music:

(Malian-born singer who lived in Amiens in the 1990s) * Multiple genres:

, Zic Zazou (group of nine musicians created in 1982 and winner of La Grande Battle in November 2012) Classical music is represented by the {{interlanguage link, Orchestre de Picardie, fr and the University Orchestra of Picardy. Vocal practice is represented by the Regional Choir of Picardy, the University Choir of Picardie, and the Choir of France Picardy. One can also include the Harmony Saint-Pierre, a

fanfare A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets, French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental perf ...

of 70 musicians, which has become a local institution since its inception in 1894. The city has the {{interlanguage link, Conservatoire à rayonnement régional d'Amiens, fr, seat of strong musical activity (framed by 70 teachers, an administrative and technical team with an additional 20 people).

Literature

Amiens saw rise, over the centuries, to major writers. In the first half of the 17th century,

, poet and letter writer, was the darling of the

Précieuses The French literary style called ''préciosité'' (, ''preciousness'') arose in the 17th century from the lively conversations and playful word games of ''les précieuses'' (), the intellectual, witty and educated women who frequented the salo ...

for the fluidity of his style. In 1634, he was member of the 1st

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

. In 1678,

Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange (; December 18, 1610 in Amiens – October 23, 1688 in Paris, aged 77), also known simply as Charles Dufresne, was a distinguished French philologist and historian of the Middle Ages and Byzantium. Life Educate ...

, nicknamed "the French

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

", published his ''Glossarium'' in 3 volumes. This glossary of medieval Latin is still authoritative today. In 1750, Jean Baptiste Gresset, a playwright and poet who was celebrated in his time and was a member of the

, founded the {{interlanguage link, Académie des sciences, des lettres et des arts d'Amiens, fr, 3=Académie des sciences, des lettres et des arts d'Amiens, lt=Academy of Amiens which is still active today. He was named perpetual president. In 1782, the Amiens native

published '' Les Liaisons dangereuses'' where he staged a depraved nobility. Considered one of the masterpieces of 18th-century literature, the book has toured the world and is known as an Oscar-winning film adaptation. {{pull quote, Here I am quite citizen of Amiens. It seems to me that I was born. I live very happy, although uncomfortable to work. Amiens is a wise city, even-tempered, and the company is friendly and literate. It is near Paris, close enough to have the highlights without unbearable noise and bustle., author =

In the 19th century, there was a brilliant literary life around the {{interlanguage link, Académie des sciences, des lettres et des arts d'Amiens, fr with historian Albéric de Calonne and the Yvert family. However, the great name of Amiens literary life is

. He animated all intellectual activity, giving balls and parties, while his wife held a famous

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...

. He often attended the library of the industrial society, which subscribed to numerous scientific journals. A member of the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Amiens from 8 March 1872, he was elected Director in 1875, and in 1881 and, on this occasion, he delivered several speeches of welcome, especially for one of his friends, Amiens cartoonist {{interlanguage link, Gédéon Baril, fr, who signed illustrations of {{interlanguage link, Dix heures en chasse, fr with Hetzel. Engaged in local life, he was Councillor of Amiens from 1888 to 1904. He was closely interested in the affairs of the city, wrote many reports on the theatre and brought its support to the construction of the {{interlanguage link, Cirque Jules-Verne, fr, 3=Cirque Jules-Verne, lt=municipal circus. Amiens does appear explicitly in his novels but there are however characteristic elements of the city such as the cathedral and the river. This is the case, for example, for the imaginary city of Ragz in ''Le secret de Wilhem Storitz''. In the novel ''Une fantaisie du docteur Ox'', the inhabitants of the fictional town of Virgamen, the Virgamenois, refer directly to the Amiénois and their prudent nature. In 1875, he delivered before the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Amiens a speech entitled "An ideal city: Amiens in the year 2000" where he portrays himself wandering in a forward-thinking city of Amiens. Since then, the city has built a tourist route from this text. He died in Amiens in 1905, and he deeply marked the town's footprint, so that today many places, monuments and events bear his name. He rests at {{interlanguage link, Cimetière de La Madeleine (Amiens), fr, 3=Cimetière de La Madeleine (Amiens), lt=La Madeleine cemetery where one can read on his tomb: ''Vers l'immortalité et l'éternelle jeunesse.'' owards immortality and eternal youth {{pull quote, Such as it is with his distinctive smile, how much I love the Golden Virgin, with her smile of heavenly hostess; how much I love its home at the door of the Cathedral in its adornment exquisite and simple of hawthorns., author =

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel '' In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous ...

(about the portal of the Virgin Golden of the Cathedral of Amiens) In 1885, Englishman

published the Bible of Amiens, which was translated into French, extensively annotated and prefaced, in 1904, by Marcel Proust. This book dedicated to Notre-Dame d'Amiens was the opportunity for Proust to recall his admiration for the English author and the Cathedral of Amiens. {{pull quote, I would like to give the reader the desire and the means to spend a day at Amiens in a sort of Ruskinesque pilgrimage. It was not worth starting by asking him to go to Florence or Venice, when Ruskin wrote a whole book on Amiens., author =Marcel Proust In the second half of the 19th century, {{interlanguage link, Jules Barni, fr, {{interlanguage link, List of députés of the Somme, fr, 3=Liste des députés de la Somme, lt=Member of Parliament for the Somme, Associate Professor of philosophy and brilliant scholar translated Kant's work in French and thus enabled its dissemination in France. A native of Amiens,

Paul Bourget Paul Charles Joseph Bourget (; 2 September 185225 December 1935) was a French poet, novelist and critic. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Life Paul Bourget was born in Amiens in the Somme ''département'' of Picar ...

published {{interlanguage link, Le Disciple, fr, 3=Le Disciple, lt=''Le Disciple'' in 1889, a novel today considered his major work. He was elected, 5 years later, to the Académie française. Born in Sainte-Anne district in 1885, Roland Dorgelès published {{interlanguage link, Les Croix de bois, fr, 3=Les Croix de bois, lt=''Les Croix de bois'' in 1919. A masterpiece written from his notes taken at the Front, the novel won the

Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French literary prize created in 1904 by 22 writers for the magazine '' La Vie heureuse'' (today known as '' Femina''). The prize is decided each year by an exclusively female jury. They reward French-language works written ...

the same year. Though capable of obtaining the

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

, it was beaten by {{interlanguage link, À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs, fr by Marcel Proust, 6 votes against 4. A member of the

Académie Goncourt The Société littéraire des Goncourt (Goncourt Literary Society), usually called the Académie Goncourt (Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1900 by the French writer and publisher Edmond de G ...

in 1929, he was elected president in 1954 until his death in 1973. In 1926, the Amiens native Henri Deberly, won the Prix Goncourt with {{interlanguage link, Le Supplice de Phèdre, fr, a novel inspired by his home city.

Cinema

Several films or scenes from films were shot in Amiens and its surroundings. * 1946: '' Jéricho'' by

Henri Calef Henri Calef (20 July 1910 – 18 August 1994) was a French screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography Director * ''Jericho'' (1946) * ''The Royalists'' (1947) * ''Crossroads of Passion'' (1948) * '' Shadow and Light'' (1951) * '' ...

with

Nadine Alari Nadine Alari (born Bernadette Nicole Frédérique Bovarie; 23 February 1927 – 24 November 2016) was a French film and television actress. Selected filmography * ''Jericho'' (1946) * ''Tuesday's Guest'' (1950) * '' Great Man'' (1951) * '' ...

Pierre Brasseur Pierre Brasseur (22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor. Biography The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur, the latter a cousin of Albert Brasseur; his grandfather, Jules B ...

and

Jacques Charon Jacques Charon (27 February 1920 – 15 October 1975) was a French actor and film director. Born in Paris, Charon trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD) and made his début at the Comédie-Française in 1941. D ...

* 1959: ''

Head Against the Wall ''Head Against the Wall'' (french: La Tête contre les murs) is a 1959 French drama film directed by Georges Franju which stars Pierre Brasseur, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Mocky, Anouk Aimée, and Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; ...

'', film of

Georges Franju Georges Franju (; 12 April 1912 – 5 November 1987) was a French filmmaker. He was born in Fougères, Ille-et-Vilaine. Biography Early life Before working in French cinema, Franju held several different jobs. These included working for a ...

, with

and

Jean-Pierre Mocky Jean-Pierre Mocky (6 July 1929 – 8 August 2019), pseudonym of Jean-Paul Adam Mokiejewski, was a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Mocky was born in Nice, France to Polish immigrant parents, Jeanne Zylinska ...

* 1970: '' The Clowns'' of

around the {{interlanguage link, Cirque Jules-Verne, fr * 1973: ''

La Rose de Fer ''La Rose de Fer'' (English: ''The Iron Rose'') is a 1973 horror drama film directed by Jean Rollin. It stars Françoise Pascal, Hugues Quester, Nathalie Perrey, Mireille Dargent and Michel Dalessalle. It was his first film not to feature vampi ...

'' of

Jean Rollin Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil (3 November 193815 December 2010) was a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his work in the fantastique genre. Overview Rollins' career, spanning over fifty years, featured early short film ...

with Françoise Pascal,

Hugues Quester Hugues Quester (born 5 August 1948) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than 60 films and television shows since 1969. He starred in Raúl Ruiz's 1983 film '' City of Pirates''. Selected filmography * '' Mr. Freedom'' (1969) * '' La rose ...

and Nathalie Perrey * 1976: '' La Saga des Français: La Rumeur'', film of Michel Pamart and Marcel Trillat * 1980: '' La femme enfant'', film of Raphaële Billetdoux, with

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality. He appeared in over 130 film roles in a c ...

* 1989: ''

'' of

, with

filmed around Cirque Jules-Verne * 1991: ''

Walking a Tightrope ''Walking a Tightrope'' (french: Les Équilibristes) is a 1991 French drama film written and directed by Nikos Papatakis. It was screened in competition at the 48th Venice International Film Festival. Cast * Michel Piccoli as Marcel Spadice * ...

'' of

Nico Papatakis Nico Papatakis ( el, Νίκος Παπατάκης; 5 July 1918 – 17 December 2010)Death certificate registered by the Paris's City Hall ( France) was an Ethiopian-born Greek filmmaker, who lived in France. Biography Papatakis was born in Add ...

, with

Michel Piccoli Jacques Daniel Michel Piccoli (27 December 1925 – 12 May 2020) was a French actor, producer and film director with a career spanning 70 years. He was lauded as one of the greatest French character actors of his generation who played a wide vari ...

also filmed around Cirque Jules-Verne * 1994: ''

Sister My Sister ''Sister My Sister'' is a 1994 film starring British actresses Julie Walters, Joely Richardson, and Jodhi May. The film was directed by Nancy Meckler and written by Wendy Kesselman, based on her own play, ''My Sister in This House''. The fil ...

'' of

Nancy Meckler Nancy Meckler is an American theatre and film director, known for her work in the United Kingdom with Shared Experience, where she was a joint artistic director alongside Polly Teale. Life and career Nancy Meckler was born and educated in the ...

with

Julie Walters Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a B ...

and

Joely Richardson Joely Kim Richardson (born 9 January 1965) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Julia McNamara in the FX drama series ''Nip/Tuck'' (2003–10) and Katherine Parr in the Showtime series ''The Tudors'' (2010). She has also appea ...

* 1997: '' Arlette'' of

Claude Zidi Claude Zidi (born 25 July 1934) is a French film director and screenwriter noted for his mainstream burlesque comedies. Born in Paris, he started as a cameraman and then a cinematographer, and he made his directorial and screenwriting debut in 1 ...

, with

Josiane Balasko Josiane Balasko (born Josiane Balašković; 15 April 1950) is a French actress, writer, and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice. Career One of Balasko's most recognized roles among English speakers is ...

and

Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957) is a French-American actor, producer, and novelist. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally famous for portraying T ...

* 1999: ''

Je suis né d'une cigogne ''Je suis né d'une cigogne'' ( en, Children of the Stork) is a 1999 French road movie directed by Tony Gatlif, starring Romain Duris, Rona Hartner, Ouassini Embarek, Christine Pignet and Marc Nouyrigat. Following its French release, it receive ...

'', film of

Tony Gatlif Tony Gatlif (born as Michel Dahmani on 10 September 1948 in Algiers) is a French film director of Romani ethnicity who also works as a screenwriter, composer, actor, and producer. Personal Gatlif was born in Algeria of Pied noir ancestry. A ...

, with

Romain Duris Romain Duris (; born 28 May 1974) is a French actor. He is known for his role in Cédric Klapisch's ''Spanish Apartment'' trilogy, which consists of '' L'Auberge Espagnole'' (2002), '' Russian Dolls'' (2005), and ''Chinese Puzzle'' (2013). He al ...

* 2000: '' Elle et lui au 14e étage'' of {{interlanguage link, Sophie Blondy, fr, with

Guillaume Depardieu Guillaume Jean Maxime Antoine Depardieu (7 April 1971 – 13 October 2008) was a French actor, winner of a César Award, and the oldest child of Gérard Depardieu. Early life Depardieu was the son of actor Gérard Depardieu and his first wife, a ...

and

Benoît Magimel Benoît Magimel (; born 11 May 1974) is a French actor. He was 14 when he appeared in his first film, and has starred in a variety of roles in French cinema. At age 16, Magimel left school to pursue acting as a career. In 2001, he won the Best Ac ...

Saint-Leu quarter * 2000: {{interlanguage link, Confort moderne (film), fr, 3=Confort moderne (film), lt=''Confort moderne'' of {{interlanguage link, Dominique Choisy, fr * 2002: '' Carnage'' of

Delphine Gleize Delphine Gleize (born 5 May 1973) is a French film director and screenwriter. She has directed ten films since 1998. Her film '' Carnages'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival The 55th Cannes Film Festi ...

* 2002: '' Paris selon Moussa'', film of Cheik Doukouré * 2008: '' Paul Rondin est...Paul Rondin'', short film of Frédéric Vin, with {{interlanguage link, François Berland, fr * 2008: '' Blanche'', short film of Eric Griffon du Bellay, with

Romane Bohringer Romane Bohringer (; born 14 August 1973) is a French actress, film director, screenwriter, and costume designer. She is the daughter of Richard Bohringer and sister of Lou Bohringer. Her parents named her after Roman Polanski. She won the C� ...

and

Clémence Poésy Clémence Guichard (born 30 October 1982), known professionally as Clémence Poésy (), is a French actress and fashion model. After starting on the stage as a child, Poésy studied drama and has been active in both film and television since 19 ...

* 2008: ''

Louise Hires a Contract Killer ''Louise Hires a Contract Killer'' (french: Louise-Michel) is a 2008 French comedy film written and directed by Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine. The film won the Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario for Best Original Screenplay in 2009. Ca ...

'', film of

Gustave Kervern Gustave Kervern (born 27 August 1962), also known as Gustave de Kervern and Gustave K/Vern, is a French actor, director and screenwriter. He is best known for his collaboration with Benoît Delépine. Life and career In 2004 he wrote, directed, ...

and

Benoît Delépine Benoît Delépine (born 30 August 1958) is a French comedian and film director. He is known for his satirical activities on TV channel Canal+. Director of the TV program '' Guignols de l'info'' for many years, he currently writes TV programs abo ...

, with

Yolande Moreau Yolande Moreau (born 27 February 1953) is a Belgian comedian, actress, film director and screenwriter. She has won three César Awards from four nominations. Career She made her cinematic debut with director Agnès Varda in two movies: Sept pi� ...

and

Benoît Poelvoorde Benoît Poelvoorde (, ; born 22 September 1964) is a Belgian actor and comedian. Early life His mother was a grocer and his father a driver, who died when Poelvoorde was still a minor. He attended the Jesuit Boarding School of Godinne before ...

filmed around the ''Tour Bleue'' (before its destruction), in the Étouvie quarter. * 2008: '' Française'', film of {{interlanguage link, Souad El-Bouhati, fr, with

Hafsia Herzi Hafsia Herzi (born 25 January 1987) is a French actress and film director. She is best known for her debut role in the award-winning Franco-Tunisian feature ''The Secret of the Grain'' for which she won the award for most promising actress at the ...

* 2009: '' Ricky'' of

François Ozon François Ozon (; born 15 November 1967) is a French film director and screenwriter. Ozon is considered one of the most important modern French filmmakers. His films are characterized by aesthetic beauty, sharp satirical humor and a free-wheeli ...

with

Alexandra Lamy Alexandra Lamy () (born 14 October 1971) is a French actress. Early life Lamy was born in Villecresnes, near Paris, but grew up in Languedoc-Roussillon. When she was six months old, her parents, Michel and Michèle, moved the family to La Grand ...

* 2010: '' Copacabana'', film of

Marc Fitoussi Marc Fitoussi (born 20 July 1976) is a French film director and screenwriter. Life and career After a university degree course in English and art history, Fitoussi joined the Conservatoire européen d'écriture audiovisuelle (CEEA) (European ...

, with

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...

* 2012: {{interlanguage link, Les Fraises des bois, fr, 3=Les Fraises des bois, lt=''Les Fraises des bois'', film of {{interlanguage link, Dominique Choisy, fr * 2013: {{interlanguage link, La Tête la première, fr, 3=La Tête la première, lt=''La Tête la première'', film of Amélie Van Elmbt

Comics

Amiens is a stronghold of

comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

in France. A whole generation of designers and Amiens writers make the city an important creative center of the 9th art. The main actors in this generation, include {{interlanguage link, Régis Hautière, fr, {{interlanguage link, Norédine Allam, fr who notably led the recolouring of the 33

Asterix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...

albums in the framework of the project "The great collection" and also {{interlanguage link, Antoine Dodé, fr, {{interlanguage link, David François (comic artist), fr, 3=David François (dessinateur), lt=David François, Fraco, {{interlanguage link, Hardoc, fr, Greg Blondin, Nicolas Hitori De, etc. The city was also the birthplace or home of big names in the comic strip universe, such as the Amiens native

, creator of the character of ''

'';

Paul Gillon Paul Gillon (11 May 1926 – 21 May 2011) was a French comics artist. He won the 1982 Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême. Born in Paris, he considered fashion, theater and cinema, and only by accident made a career as a comics author. In the mag ...

, winner of the

Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême The Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême is a lifetime achievement award given annually during the Angoulême International Comics Festival to a comics author. Although not a monetary award, it is considered the most prestigious award in Franco-Be ...

and also {{interlanguage link, Philippe Thirault, fr. Actor of this dynamic around the {{abbr, BD, Bande dessinée (comic strip), the association ''On a marché sur la bulle'' xplorers on the bubbleorganises the {{interlanguage link, Rendez-vous de la bande dessinée d'Amiens, fr, one of the greatest French comic book festivals. Active throughout the territory, the structure also manages a resource center and has an editorial department with the {{interlanguage link, Éditions de la Gouttière, fr.

Regional culture

{{hatnote, 1=Main articles:

and {{interlanguage link, Literature in Picard, fr, 3=Littérature en picard * '' Chés Cabotans d'Anmien'' or the ''Cabotins of Amiens'' is a small Picardy traditional puppet theatre founded in 1933. {{interlanguage link, Lafleur (marionnette), fr, 3=Lafleur (marionnette), lt=Lafleur, the hero, was created around 1811 at {{interlanguage link, Saint-Leu (Amiens), fr, 3=Saint-Leu (Amiens), lt=Saint-Leu. He talks in Picard, exclusively. Traditionally a lackey costume (wearing a red velvet

tricorne The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat that was popular during the 18th century, falling out of style by 1800, though actually not called a "tricorne" until the mid-19th century. During the 18th century, hats of this general style were refer ...

hat) dressed, Lafleur is cheerful, dynamic, independent and resourceful; its motto is: ''"bin mier, bin boere, pis did rin foere!"'' (Drink well, eat well and then do nothing). * The Picard language is recognised

regional language * A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area. Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Lan ...

. It is spoken in France in the

and

Nord-Pas-de-Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais (); pcd, Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Calais ...

regions, and in Belgium in the Province of Hainaut. Various associations work for the promotion and development of Picardy culture expressed in theatre, song, in spoken tales but also in writing: Novels, journals, poetry, etc. Since 1993, the {{interlanguage link, Conseil régional de Picardie, fr has developed within the "Office Culturel Régional de Picardie" a cultural policy for the language and the Picardy culture. "The Agency for Picard", created in 2008, is headquartered in Amiens. Picard is taught at the

University of Amiens The University of Picardy Jules Verne ( French: ''Université de Picardie Jules Verne''; UPJV) is a public university located in the former Picardy region of France (now part of Hauts-de-France). It consists of several campuses located in the ...

. * The ''blasons populaires'' are surnames or the nicknames given to the inhabitants of cities and the Picardy villages. These ''surpitchets'' sometimes come from the history of the city, sometimes a verbal game, sometimes through a mockery of people. The nickname of the inhabitants of Amiens is: ''Chés Maqueus d'gueugues d'Anmien'' miens nut eatersin reference to an episode of the Spanish invasion. On 11 March 1597, the Spanish armies developed a ploy to seize the city: The soldiers of Hernán Tello de Portocarrero, Governor of

, disguised as peasants, came to the gates of the walls with nuts. The starving citizens of Amiens opened the doors and the Spaniards took the city.

Gastronomic specialities

During December, the town hosts the largest

in northern France.{{cite book, author =Hugh McKnight, title=Cruising French Waterways, publisher=Sheridan House, Inc., date= 1 September 2005, page=35, isbn=9781574092103, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gm63fwrQ3gsC&pg=PA35 Amiens, in the image of the Picardy region, has a rich gastronomic heritage. Here are some of the specialities: Amiens is known for a few local foods, including " macarons d'Amiens", small, round-shaped biscuit-type macaroons made from

almond paste Almond paste is made from ground almonds or almond meal and sugar in equal quantities, with small amounts of cooking oil, beaten eggs, heavy cream or corn syrup added as a binder. It is similar to ''marzipan'', but has a coarser texture. Almond pas ...

, fruit and honey, which were first recorded in 1855; {{interlanguage link, Tuile d'Amiens au chocolat, fr, 3=Tuile d'Amiens au chocolat, lt="tuiles amienoises", chocolate and orange curved "

tuile A tuile () is a baked wafer, French in origin, generally arced in shape, that is made most often from dough (but also possibly from cheese), often served as an accompaniment of other dishes. ''Tuile'' is the French word for tile, after the shape ...

s" or biscuits; {{interlanguage link, Pâté de canard d'Amiens, fr – duck pâté in pastry, made since the 17th century; and "la ficelle Picarde", an oven-baked cheese-topped

with ham and mushroom filling, then topped with fresh cream flavoured with nutmeg, white pepper, and sprinkled with grated cheese before being browned in the oven. The region is also known for "

", a puff pastry tart made with leeks and cream. Other dishes include: {{columns-list, colwidth=30em, * The soup des hortillons: A spring soup which, as its name suggests, originated in the {{interlanguage link, Hortillonnages d'Amiens, fr, 3=Hortillonnages d'Amiens, lt=hortillonnages and their vegetable wealth. * The bisteu or bigalan: Potatoes, onions and bacon pie. * The {{interlanguage link, Andouillette amiénoise, fr: Pork dumpling mixed with a panade and onions. * {{interlanguage link, Beignet d'Amiens, fr so-called ''pets d'âne'' onkey pets Small round doughnuts and fried fresh goat's cheese and beef marrow. * The {{interlanguage link, Gâteau battu, fr: Golden yellow brioche crumbs with an aerated texture. It is rich in eggs and butter. * The galopin: A French toast made from brioche bread cooked like a big pancake. * The Picardy rabotte: Apple wrapped and baked in a puff pastry. * The Dariole of Amiens: A popular pastry from the 18th century, topped with a cream with almonds. * Amiens barley sugar. The Summer Rambo apple cultivar originated near Amiens in the 16th century.

Notable people

Oliver Blanchard, IMF 98BlanchardWEO1 lg

Emmanuel Macron in Tallinn Digital Summit

{{columns-list, colwidth=30em, *

Magnentius Magnus Magnentius ( 303 – 11 August 353) was a Roman general and usurper against Constantius II from 350 to 353. Of Germanic descent, Magnentius served with distinction in Gaul under the Western emperor Constans. On 18 January 350 Magnentius ...

(303–353), usurper of the imperial title 18 January 350 to 11 August 353 *

Godeberta Godeberta (Gothic meaning "fervor", 640–April 9 or 11, 670; also called Gotheberta and Gothoberta) was a saint and abbess. She was born of "pious parents" in Amiens, France, north of Paris. Her parents were nobles attached to the king's court, s ...

(640–670),

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

and

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Copt ...

, patron saint of

Noyon, France Noyon (; pcd, Noéyon; la, Noviomagus Veromanduorum, Noviomagus of the Veromandui, then ) is a commune in the Oise department, northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise, about northeast of Paris. The Oise Canal and the Canal d ...

Ansgar Ansgar (8 September 801 – 3 February 865), also known as Anskar, Saint Ansgar, Saint Anschar or Oscar, was Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in the northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North" b ...

(801–865), known as Oscar or

, evangeliser of

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

. Ansgar is the patron saint of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

* Peter the Hermit (?–1115), preacher in the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ...

* {{interlanguage link, André d'Ypres, fr, (before 1428–1450), painter and illuminator; {{Interlanguage link, La Crucifixion du Parlement de Paris, fr, 3=La Crucifixion du Parlement de Paris, lt=''La Crucifixion du Parlement de Paris'' is attributed to him *

Simon Marmion Simon Marmion (c. 1425 – 24 or 25 December 1489) was a French and Burgundian Early Netherlandish painter of panels and illuminated manuscripts. Marmion lived and worked in what is now France but for most of his lifetime was part of the Duchy ...

(1425–1489), painter and illuminator * {{Interlanguage link, Michel de Vascosan, fr (1500–1576), {{Interlanguage link, imprimer du roi, fr, 3=imprimeur du roi, lt=king's printer and the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of libra ...

Jean Bullant Jean Bullant (1515 – 13 October 1578) was a French architect and sculptor who built the tombs of Anne de Montmorency, Grand Connétable of France, Henri II, and Catherine de' Medici. He also worked on the Tuileries, the Louvre, and th ...

(1515–1578), architect notably of the

Château d'Écouen The Château d'Écouen is an historic château in the commune of Écouen, some 20 km north of Paris, France, and a notable example of French Renaissance architecture. Since 1975, it has housed the collections of the Musée national de la Renaissa ...

François Dubois François Dubois ( 1529 – 24 August 1584) was a French Huguenot painter of the Fontainebleau School. Biography Dubois was born around 1529 in Amiens, in the province of Picardy. He was likely related to the anatomist Jacques Dubois. Dubois ...

(1529–1584), painter * {{Interlanguage link, Jean Riolan the Elder, fr, Jean Riolan (1539–1605), physician, professor of

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...

and Dean of the {{Interlanguage link, Faculté de médecine de Paris, fr * {{Interlanguage link, François de Louvencourt, fr (1569–1638), writer, poet and historian * Nicolas Cornet (1592–1663),

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

theologian who was one of the main opponents of Jansenism *

(1597–1648), known as " le bel esprit " he beautiful spirit poet of ''Un Précieux'' and academic * {{Interlanguage link, Nicolas Blasset, fr (1600–1659), sculptor * Antoine de Cousu (beginning of the 17th–1658), music theorist and composer of church music *

(1610–1688), historian and

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined ...

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of " Comme d'habitude" ( ...

, known in religion as Brother Luc, (1614–1685), painter *

Jacques Rohault Jacques Rohault (; 1618 – 27 December 1672) was a French philosopher, physicist and mathematician, and a follower of Cartesianism. Life Rohault was born in Amiens, the son of a wealthy wine merchant, and educated in Paris. Having grown up with ...

(1618–1672), physician and proselyte of Mechanism * Nicolas Barré (1621–1686), religious, beatified in 1999 by John Paul II *

Charles Aubert de La Chesnaye Charles Aubert de La Chesnaye (12 February 1632 - 20 September 1702) was a French businessman active in Canada. The richest financier and businessman in New France, he played an important part in the colony's economic life (such as its trade, fin ...

, (1632–1702), businessman the richest and largest landowner of

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

* Charles Varlet known as La Grange, (1639–1692), comedian who belonged to

Molière's company Molière's company (''La Troupe de Molière'') was the theatrical company which formed around Molière from 1648 onwards, when he was performing in the French provinces after the failure of the Illustre Théâtre in 1645. In 1658 the company moved ...

and was one of the most renowned * Charles Cressent (1685–1768), master

cabinetmaker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (so ...

, main representative of

Regency style Regency architecture encompasses classical buildings built in the United Kingdom during the Regency era in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to earlier and later buildings following the same style. The period co ...

* {{Interlanguage link, Jean-Baptiste Dupuis, fr (1698–1790), sculptor * Jean-Baptiste Gresset (1709–1777), poet (author of {{Interlanguage link, Vert-Vert (poem), fr, 3=Vert-Vert, lt=''Vert-Vert'' and '' Le Méchant''), member of the

Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval (15 September 1715 – 9 May 1789) was a French artillery officer and engineer who revolutionised the French cannon, creating a new production system that allowed for lighter, more uniform ...

(1715–1789), officer and engineer who reformed the

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

of the French army * Père Féry (1716–1773), engineer of the château-d'eau *

Joseph Dinouart Joseph Antoine Toussaint Dinouart (November 1, 1716 – April 23, 1786) was a preacher, polemicist, compiler of sacred learning, and apologist for French feminism. Born in Amiens, he was ordained as a priest in there in 1740. In his youth, h ...

(1716–1786), preacher, polemicist, compiler of sacred sciences and apologist for French feminism * Noël François de Wailly (1724–1801), grammarian * {{Interlanguage link, Louis Antoine Vimeux, fr (1737–1814), general of the Revolution and First Empire, Knight of the Royal order and military of Saint-Louis, Commander of the Légion d'honneur, hereditary baron, Governor of the Place de Luxembourg (from 1802 to 1814) * {{Interlanguage link, Jacques-Firmin Vimeux, fr (1740–1728), sculptor in the Cathedral of Amiens *

(1741–1803), writer, author of '' Les Liaisons dangereuses'' * {{Interlanguage link, Pierre Morand du Puch cadet, fr, (1742–1822), general of the armies of the Revolution, died in Amiens *

Jean-Baptiste Delambre Jean Baptiste Joseph, chevalier Delambre (19 September 1749 – 19 August 1822) was a French mathematician, astronomer, historian of astronomy, and geodesist. He was also director of the Paris Observatory, and author of well-known books on t ...

(1749–1822), author of the definition of the metre * {{Interlanguage link, Charles Dallery, fr (1754–1835), mechanical engineer, inventor of the steam engine to tubular boiler * {{Interlanguage link, Jacques-Polycarpe Morgan, fr (1759–1843), general of the armies of the Republic and the Empire, born in Amiens and died at

Chamarande Chamarande () is a commune of Essonne department in the southern suburbs of Paris. Inhabitants of Chamarande are known as ''Chamarandais''. History Initially, this village was named Bonnes. In 1685, d'Ornaison family, the owner of the village ...

(

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.Charles Guillaume Alexandre Bourgeois Charles Guillaume Alexandre Bourgeois (16 December 1759 – 7 May 1832) was a French physicist and painter. As a painter, he's known by his gray camaïeux; some of his portraits are in the Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre ...

(1759–1832), painter, engraver, physicist and chemist * Pierre Amable Jean-Baptiste Trannoy (1772–1833), botanist, physician and hygienist * {{Interlanguage link, François Marie Clément de La Roncière, fr (1773–1854), general of the armies of the Republic and the Empire (name engraved under the Arc de Triomphe of the Star: 11th column) * Pierre-François-Marie-Auguste Dejean (1780–1847), general and entomologist * {{Interlanguage link, François-Alexandre Desprez, fr (1778–1833), general of the armies of the Republic and the Empire * Aimé and Louis Duthoit sculptors of the 19th century who, among other things, helped the restoration of the cathedral alongside

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. H ...

which qualified them for this "last image of the

" *

Charles Alexandre Charles Alexandre (17 February 1797, Amiens – 6 June 1870, Paris) was a 19th-century French hellenist, philologist, general inspector of the Instruction publique and a member of the Institut de France. He was a student at the École normale supé ...

(1797–1870), hellenist and lexicographer * {{Interlanguage link, Gédéon de Forceville, fr (1799–1886), sculptor * Pierre Thuillier, (1799–1859), landscape painter associated with the

Barbizon school The Barbizon school of painters were part of an art movement towards Realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870. It takes its name ...

Alphonse Sagebien Alphonse Eléonor Sagebien (1807-1892) was a French hydrological engineer born in Amiens and the inventor of the Sagebien wheel - a device that made hydraulically powered systems much more efficient in extracting energy from moving water. Sage ...

(1807–1892), engineer, inventor of a type of

water wheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buckets ...

, alderman from 1878 to 1888 * {{Interlanguage link, Édouard Paris, fr (1814–1874), translator in Picard of the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...

* Antoine Daveluy, (1818–1866),

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

, missionary Bishop in Korea * {{Interlanguage link, Jules Barni, fr (1818–1878), philosopher and politician, Member of Parliament for the Somme * Eugène Jolibois (1819–1896), politician *

painter (1824–1898), idealistic murals (

Panthéon The Panthéon (, from the Classical Greek word , , ' empleto all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was b ...

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

) * Ferdinand Pouy (1824–1891),

bibliographer Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliography ...

died in Amiens * Albert Dauphin (1827–1898), politician,

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

in the {{interlanguage link, Government of René Goblet, fr, 3=Gouvernement René Goblet * René Goblet (1828–1905), journalist and politician, head of the Government, President of the Council, Minister of) the Interior in the {{Interlanguage link, Second Government of Charles de Freycinet, fr, 3=Gouvernement Charles de Freycinet (2),

Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

in the {{Interlanguage link, Government of Charles Floquet, fr, 3=Gouvernement Charles Floquet *

(1828–1905), city councillor from 1888 to his death, and before all a writer known to all; he rests in the {{Interlanguage link, Cimetière de La Madeleine (Amiens), fr, 3=Cimetière de La Madeleine (Amiens), lt=Cemetery of La MadeleineHe lived for 18 years in a mansion located in Henriville, which includes an observatory atop a tower. His house, now classified as an Historical Monument, was acquired by the city of Amiens in 1980. Reopened on 24 March 2006 after a year of work, the Jules Verne House is a museum. The University of Picardie is called "Jules Verne". A viaduct east of the city and a lecture hall of ESIEE also bear his name. *

Charles Tellier Charles Tellier (29 June 1828 – 19 October 1913) was a French engineer, born in Amiens. He early made a study of motors and compressed air. In 1868, he began experiments in refrigeration, which resulted ultimately in the refrigerating plant, a ...

(1828–1913), inventor of artificial refrigeration * {{Interlanguage link, Gédéon Baril, fr (1832–1906), cartoonist * Frédéric Petit (1836–1895), Mayor of Amiens and Third Republic Senator of the Somme *

Édouard Lucas __NOTOC__ François Édouard Anatole Lucas (; 4 April 1842 – 3 October 1891) was a French mathematician. Lucas is known for his study of the Fibonacci sequence. The related Lucas sequences and Lucas numbers are named after him. Biography Lucas ...

(1842–1891), inventor of mathematical games and puzzles *

(1844–1940), physicist, inventor of the ''coherer'', the first very sensitive detector of radio waves and physician. A high school as well as a lecture hall, one of the ESIEE, bear his name * {{Interlanguage link, Victorine Autier, fr (1840–1874), heroic nurse of the War of 1870 *

(1852–1935), writer and member of the

* {{Interlanguage link, Marie-Georges Picquart, fr (1854-Amiens, 1914), general, Minister of War and French politician. He played a central role in the

Dreyfus affair The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...

and provides evidence of the innocence of

Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus ( , also , ; 9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarizing political dramas in modern French history. ...

. *

Louis Thuillier Louis Thuillier (4 May 1856 – 19 September 1883) was a French biologist from Amiens. He studied biology and physics in Amiens and Paris, and in 1880 went to work as an assistant in the laboratory of Louis Pasteur. With Pasteur and his colleague ...

(1856–1883) physicist and biologist, born and studied at Amiens, buried in the cemetery of La Madeleine *

(1861–1952), sculptor *

Eugène Cosserat Eugène-Maurice-Pierre Cosserat (4 March 1866 – 31 May 1931) was a French mathematician and astronomer. Born in Amiens, he studied at the École Normale Supérieure from 1883 to 1888. He was on Science faculty of Toulouse University from ...

(1866–1931) mathematician and astronomer * Lucien Lecointe (1867–1940), politician *

Mathilde Auguez Pauline Mathilde Lucie Auguez de Montalant (28 March 1868 – 18 July 1955) was a French opera singer (light soprano). Biography Training Auguez was born in Amiens. Her father, Auguste Jules Arsène, was employed by the railway. As a student ...

(1858–1955), light soprano * {{Interlanguage link, Victor Pauchet, fr (1869–1936), surgeon; a clinic founded in 1896 and a square bear his name * Victor-Ferdinand Bourgeois (1870–1957) *

(1871–1953), cartoonist, creator of ''

'' * Auguste Sérieyx (1865–1949), musicologist, composer *

Germaine Dulac Germaine Dulac (; born Charlotte Elisabeth Germaine Saisset-Schneider; 17 November 1882 – 20 July 1942)Flitterman-Lewis 1996 was a French filmmaker, film theorist, journalist and critic. She was born in Amiens and moved to Paris in early chil ...

(1882–1942), film director, film theorist * Henri Deberly (1882–1947), writer, winner of the

in 1926 *

Clovis Brunel Clovis Brunel was a French philologist and writer. Selected works * ''Les miracles de saint Privat. ''Suivis des ''Opuscules d'Aldebert III, évêque de Mende'', Paris, A. Picard, 1912 * éd. de Bertran de Marseille, ''La vie de sainte Énimi ...

(1884–1971), philologist * Roland Dorgelès (1885–1973), writer * Clovis Trouille (1889–1975), painter * Alphonse Métérié (1887–1967), poet * Jean Catelas (1894–1941), member of Amiens in 1936, guillotined on 24 September 1941, under the regime of Philippe Pétain * Alfred Georges Regner (1902–1987), painter, engraver *

Odette Hallowes Odette Sansom (28 April 1912 – 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Hallowes, code named Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during the Second World War. S ...

(1912–1995), World War II heroine * {{Interlanguage link, Léon Lamotte, fr (1912–2011), sculptor *

François Spoerry François Henry Spoerry (28 December 1912 – 11 January 1999) was a French architect, developer, and urban planner that created the seaside town of Port Grimaud. He was an Officier of the Légion d'honneur and an Officier of the Ordre des Ar ...

(1912–1999), architect, originally behind the construction of the tower created by

in Amiens * Dolorès Vanetti (1912–2008), actress, poet * Madeleine Michelis (1913–1944),

resistant *

Maurice Boitel Maurice Boitel (July 31, 1919 – August 11, 2007) was a French painter. Artistic life Boitel belonged to the art movement called "La Jeune Peinture" ("Young Picture") of the School of Paris,The School of Paris (1945–1965) by Lydia Harambourg. ...

1919–2007, painter, lived at 65 ''Rue Richard de Fournival'' *

Jeanne Joulain Jeanne Angèle Desirée Yvonne Joulain (22 July 1920 – 1 February 2010) was a French organist, concertist and music educator. Biography Born in Amiens, Joulain's first contact with music was made thanks to her musician parents. Her father, a t ...

(1920–2010), classical organist * Florien Decodavaine (1920–1942), painter hermit, resistant during the World War II * Philippe Pinchemel (1923–2008), geographer * Roger Agache (1926–2011), archaeologist, pioneer of

aerial archaeology Aerial archaeology is the study of archaeological remains by examining them from a higher altitude. In present day, this is usually achieved by satellite images or through the use of drones. Details Aerial Archaeology involves interpretation an ...

* {{Interlanguage link, Pierre Garnier, fr, (1928–2014), poet, creator of {{interlanguage link, Spatialism (poetry), fr, 3=Spatialisme (poésie), lt=spatialism *

Véronique Silver Véronique Silver (September 2, 1931 – July 24, 2010) was a French actress.

(1931–2010), actress * Michou (1931–2020), director of the Cabaret Michou in Paris * {{Interlanguage link, Jacques Darras, fr (1939–), poet, essayist and translator *

Sylvain Cambreling Sylvain Cambreling (born 2 July 1948 in Amiens, France) is a French conductor. Biography Trained as a trombone player, Cambreling studied at the Paris Conservatoire. He joined l' Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon (OSL) as a trombonist in 1971. In 19 ...

(1948–), conductor *

Olivier Blanchard Olivier Jean Blanchard (; born December 27, 1948) is a French economist and professor who is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He was the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund from September 1, 2 ...

(1949–), Chief Economist at the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...

, Professor at the

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

* {{Interlanguage link, Philippe Dessaint, fr (1953–), journalist, former director of FR3 Picardie *

Jean-Pierre Pernaut Jean-Pierre Pernaut (; 8 April 1950 – 2 March 2022) was a French news presenter and broadcaster. He was widely known simply by his initials, JPP. Biography Pernaut was born in Amiens, Somme, on 8 April 1950. The regular presenter of station ...

(1950–2022), journalist, television host *

(1950–), professor of medicine * Geneviève Fioraso (1954–), Minister of Higher Education and Research in the Jean-Marc Ayrault Governments I and II, Secretary of State responsible for Higher Education and Research in the First and Second Valls Government * {{Interlanguage link, Ivar Ch'Vavar, fr (1951–), creative poet of the ''L'Invention de la Picardie'' *

Éric Carreel Éric Carreel (born 28 June 1959 in Amiens), is a French engineer and serial entrepreneur. He is the founding president of Withings, Sculpteo, Invoxia and Zoov. He is a graduate of ESPCI ParisTech, holds a PhD in Engineering from the Pierre a ...

(1959–), engineer and entrepreneur * Frank Berton (1962–), lawyer * Liêm Hoang Ngoc (1964–), economist and politician *

Anne Brochet Anne Brochet (born 22 November 1966) is a French actress. Career Brochet has appeared in films such as ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', '' Le temps des porte-plumes'', '' 30 ans'', '' Une journée de merde!'' and '' Tous les matins du monde''. She has als ...

(1966–), actress * {{Interlanguage link, Jeanne Savary, fr (1966–), comedian * Éric Berger (1969–), actor *

Philippe Leclerc Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque (22 November 1902 – 28 November 1947) was a Free-French general during the Second World War. He became Marshal of France posthumously in 1952, and is known in France simply as le maréchal ...

(1969–), footballer * {{Interlanguage link, Pierre Notte, fr (1969–), playwright, Director and former Secretary general of the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

* Albin de la Simone (1970–), musician, singer-songwriter *

(1977–),

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

* Najat Vallaud-Belkacem (1977–), Minister of Women's Affairs and spokesperson for the Government in the Government of Jean-Marc Ayrault; grew up in AmiensJacques Bertoin
« Najat Belkacem, la vie en rose »
{{webarchive , url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194518/http://www.jeuneafrique.com/jeune_afrique/article_jeune_afrique.asp?art_cle=LIN18037najatesorne0 , date=27 September 2007 , ''Jeune-afrique.com'', 18 March 2007. and is a graduate of the University of Picardie *

(1978–),

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, writer and actor *

Raphaël Poulain Raphaël Poulain (born 16 August 1980, Amiens, Somme) is a former French rugby union player. He played on the wing. His first club was the Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of ...

(1980–), actor and Rugby Union player * Julien Benedetto (1981–), television reporter on

France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 A ...

* François-Henri Désérable (1987–), writer and ice hockey player *

(1989–), singer * Théo Gosselin (1990–), photographer

Sportspeople

{{columns-list, colwidth=30em, * Pierre Baruzy, (1897–1994), boxer and

Savate Savate (), also known as boxe française, savate boxing, French boxing or French footfighting, is a French kickboxing combat sport that uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of English boxing with graceful kicking techniques. ...

coach; between 1922 and 1935, he was crowned 11 times as middleweight champion of France * Urbain Wallet, (1899–1973), footballer * Robert Marchand, (1911–), world record holder of the fastest centenarian cycling 100 km *

Alfred Letourneur Alfred Letourneur (born 25 July 1907 in Amiens, France and died 4 January 1975 in New York City) was a French professional cyclist. He is known for setting the motor-paced world speed record. He was professional cyclist from 1928 to 1942. His ...

, (1907–1975), cyclist, world speed record holder on flat ground and behind shelter * Georges Vallerey, (1927–1954), swimmer, Olympic medalist *

Pal Benko Pál C. Benkő ( hu, Benkő Pál; July 15, 1928 – August 26, 2019) was a Hungarian-American chess player, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems. Early life Benko was born on July 15, 1928 in Amiens, France, where his ...

(1928–2019), chess grandmaster * Gisèle Vallerey, (1930–2010), swimmer * Bernard Quennehen, (1930–), cyclist * Michel Macquet, (1932–2002), javelin thrower * Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, (1945–), sailor, Around the world sailing record#Single-handed, sailing single-handed world record holder * Pierre Mankowski, (1951–), football player and manager * Daniel Senet, (1953–), weightlifter, Olympic medalist * Chantal Langlacé, (1955–), Long-distance running, long-distance runner, former holder of the world record for the marathon * Antoine Richer, (1961–), ice hockey player * {{Interlanguage link, François Farout, fr, (1963–), table tennis player, triple {{Interlanguage link, French Table Tennis Championships, fr, 3=Championnat de France de tennis de table, lt=champion of France and European Table Tennis Championships, European champion by team in 1984 * Christophe Léotard (1966–), chess grandmaster * Étienne Thobois, (1967–), badminton player * Gérald Baticle, (1969–), football player and manager * Nicolas Chatelain, (1970–), table tennis player * Philippe Gaumont, (1973–2013), cyclist * Marie Collonvillé, (1973–), Heptathlon, heptathlete * Éric Chaulvet, (1974–), basketball player * Franck Perque, (1974–), cyclist, double UCI Track Cycling World Championships, world track cycling champion * Amélie Cocheteux, (1978–), tennis player * Mathieu Mille, (1981–), ice hockey player * Julie Coin, (1982–), tennis player * Cédric Ouattara, (1983–), footballer * Yannick Salem, (1983–), footballer * Kévin Hecquefeuille, (1984–), ice hockey player * {{Interlanguage link, Lucie Louette Kanning, fr, (1985–), judoka * Thomas Roussel, (1985–), ice hockey player * Brian Henderson (ice hockey), Brian Henderson, (1986–), ice hockey player * Caroline Loir, (1988–), canoeist * {{Interlanguage link, Pierre Soudry, fr, (1988–), handballer *

, (1988–), swimmer, Olympic champion * Greg Houla, (1988–), footballer * Yohan M'Vila, (1988–), footballer * Dorian N'Goma, (1988–), footballer * Grégory Beron, (1989–), ice hockey player * Princesse Goubo, (1991–), basketball player * Yann M'Vila, (1990–), footballer * Rudy Gobert, (1992–), basketball player * Clément Chevrier, (1992–), cyclist * Mélanie Henique, (1992), butterfly swimmer * Corentin Ermenault, (1996–), cyclist

Linked to the city

{{columns-list, colwidth=30em, * Martin of Tours, Saint Martin, Roman soldier, shared his coat with a beggar in Amiens in a gesture which has been remembered * Honoratus of Amiens, Saint Honoré, Bishop of Bishopric of Amiens, Amiens and Patron Saint of bakers * Chés Cabotans, Lafleur, hero and main character of puppet Amiens "Chés cabotans". * Jean-Marie Roland, vicomte de la Platière, Jean-Marie Roland de La Platière (1734–1793), Economist and statesman, lived in Amiens and was Inspector of factories in the city * Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, Antoine Parmentier, (1737–1813), military pharmacist, Agricultural engineering, agronomist, nutritionist and hygienist. Member of the Academy of sciences of Amiens, he popularized the consumption of potatoes * Jacques Delille or Abbé Delille, (1738–1813), poet and translator, a member of the French Academy, was a professor at the college of Amiens * Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744–1829), Natural history, naturalist who laid the foundations of the Objections to evolution, theory of the evolution of species * Jean-Baptiste Cousin de Grainville, (1746–1805), philosopher, poet, priest in Amiens and pioneer of fantasy literature * Madame Roland (1754–1793), figure of the

, face of the Girondist party, lived in Amiens * Marguerite Georges, (1787–1867), famous actress, lived at Amiens and began her career there * {{Interlanguage link, Camille Léon de Chassepot de Beaumont, fr, (1808–1893), colonel in the National Guard (France)#National Guard following 1831, National Guard who, under his command, distinguished himself on 17 November 1870 * Jules Joseph Lefebvre, Jules Lefebvre, (1836–1911), painter, student of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts of Amiens * Jón Sveinsson, (1857–1944), Icelandic priest and author of popular children's books, studied and did his novitiate in Amiens *

, (1874–1954), architect, creator of the Tour Perret * Jean Moulin (1899–1943), Prefect (France), prefect and French Resistance, resistant, was Secretary general of the prefecture of Somme *

(1902–1947), Marshal of France, began his studies at the college of the ''Providence'' * Alfred Manessier, (1911–1993), painter, pupil of the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, École des beaux-arts of Amiens * Robert Mallet (writer), Robert Mallet, (1915–2002), civil servant, writer and man of French radio, founder and Rector of the {{Interlanguage link, Académie d'Amiens (education), fr, 3=Académie d'Amiens (éducation), lt=Academy of Amiens * Jacques Le Goff, (1924–2014), medievalist historian, he taught at the {{Interlanguage link, Lycée Louis-Thuillier, fr * Alain Bombard, (1924–2005), medical biologist and navigator, lived in Amiens for twenty years * André Crépin (1928–2013), essayist, linguist and medievalist, Member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, lived in Amiens * {{Interlanguage link, Gilbert Richard, fr, (1928–), television producer and host on the first television channel (1960–1992) * Vladimir Volkoff, (1932–2005), writer, lived in Amiens * Stéphane Le Foll, (1960–), politician, Minister of agriculture in Ayrault Government, Jean-Marc Ayrault I and II, First Valls Government, Manuel Valls I and Second Valls Government, II Governments, graduated from the agricultural college of Amiens Le Paraclet * Grégoire Delacourt, (1960–), writer, had part of his studies at the school of Providence in Amiens * Catherine Fleury-Vachon, (1966–), judoka, Olympic champion; head of the "pôle Espoirs" of Amiens un 1998–2005 * Frédéric Cuvillier, (1968–), politician, Deputy Minister of Transport (France), Minister of transport and maritime economy in Ayrault Government, Jean-Marc Ayrault I and II, First Valls Government, Manuel Valls I Governments, graduated in law at the University of Picardie Jules Verne, University of Picardy * Laurent Delahousse (1969–), journalist and television presenter, grew up in Amiens * Pascale Boistard, (1971–), politician, Ministry of Women's Affairs (France), Secretary of State for the rights of women in the Second Valls Government, National Assembly (France), Member of Parliament for Somme's 1st constituency (Northern Amiens) * Benjamin Biolay, (1973–), singer-songwriter, lived in Amiens * Miss Kittin, (1973–), DJ, studied in Amiens * Élodie Gossuin, Élodie Gossuin-Lacherie, (1980–), television presenter, radio host, Miss France and Miss Europe 2001, registered at the {{interlanguage link, Conseil régional de Picardie, fr, 3=Conseil régional de Picardie, lt=Picardy regional Council since 2004. * Nicolas Duvauchelle, (1980–), actor and model, has lived in Amiens * Édouard Louis, (1992–), writer and academic, studied at the Lycée Madeleine Michelis and the University of Picardie Jules Verne, University of Picardy

Heraldry, logo and motto

{{Blazon-arms , img1=Blason fr ville Amiens.svg , legend1=Arms of Amiens , text=The arms of Amiens are blazoned :
''"Of gules to ivy of argent, the chief Azure (heraldry), azure sown of fleurs-de-lis Or (heraldry), Or."''

Motto: "Liliis tenaci vimine jungor", which means 'a strong bond unites the lilies'.

Amiens, a fortress city, suffered attacks and resisted, staying French. Its coat of arms symbolise this attachment to France, commitment symbolised by ivy. France being symbolised by the seedlings of fleurs-de-lis authorised by the Kings of France. {{Blazon-arms , img1=Armoirie ville fr Amiens.svg , legend1= , text=In the full arms of the city, holding and support are two unicorns, support is of acanthus leaves, while the Crest (heraldry), crest is a castle keep of five parts. The two figures emblazoned in the arms of Amiens are lily and ivy, which today still decorate the city logo. The unicorn is a symbol of the knightly virtues of purity and attraction to beauty and delicacy. Even today, the unicorn makes a number of references in the city: The Stade de la Licorne, eponymous stadium, the coat of arms of the Amiens SC, Amiens football team as well as the award of the Festival international du film d'Amiens, Amiens International Film Festival. ;Logo of the city of Amiens In 1991, the municipality formed around

designed a new logo, incorporating the Fleur-de-lis and the Ivy leaf present on the coat of arms, placed side by side in red with a background of grey or white, depending on usage. * A Postage stamp, stamp representing the arms of the city was issued in 1962, this issue fitted into one of the ''Arms of cities''. Its power of postage was five cents. It was issued on 23 January 1962 and withdrawn from sale on 23 January 1977. A ''first day'' was arranged in Amiens on 21 July 1962. It was designed by {{interlanguage link, Robert Louis (architect), fr, 3=Robert Louis, lt=Robert Louis. Artist Arman made a board collage of this stamp.Œuvre listed under the No. APA #8005.62.010 Arman archives in New York.

Notes

{{reflist, 2, group=note

References

{{reflist, refs = {{cite magazine , title = J'ai rendu visite à la mamie d'Amiens de Nicolas Duvauchelle , author = Romain Blondeau , date = 26 March 2011 , magazine = Les Inrockuptibles , access-date = 29 April 2013 , url = http://www.lesinrocks.com/2011/03/26/cinema/jai-rendu-visite-a-la-mamie-damiens-de-nicolas-duvauchelle-1117852/

External links

{{Commons and category, Amiens {{Wikivoyage
Official website

Directory of City Councils
{Dead link, date=February 2019 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes {{in lang, fr * {{Structurae, id=20000274, title=Amiens Cathedral

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060520191910/http://www.enjoyfrance.com/directory/Amiens.html Amiens] – Business Directory
Pictures of Amiens and the Somme
{{geographic location , Center = Amiens , N = Poulainville , NE = Rivery , E = Camon

, SE = Cagny
Boves , S = Saint-Fuscien
Dury, Somme, Dury , SW = Salouël
Pont-de-Metz , W = Dreuil-lès-Amiens , NW = Vaux-en-Amiénois {{Cities in France {{Préfectures of départements of France {{Prefectures of regions of France {{Somme communes {{European Youth Capital {{Authority control Amiens, Communes of Somme (department) Prefectures in France Ambiani Gallia Belgica Picardy Cities in France