Amiens

History

The first known settlement at this location was Samarobriva ("Somme bridge"), the central settlement of the Ambiani 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 starting from the 5th century. The Normans sacked the city in 859 and again in 882.

In 1113, the city was recognized by King Louis VI of France, 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, before Henry IV regained control. During the 18th and 19th century, the textile tradition of Amiens became famous for its velours. As a result of the French Revolution, the provinces of France were dismantled and the territory was organised into departments. Much of Picardy became the newly created department of Somme with Amiens as the departmental capital. During the industrial revolution, 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. During the 1870 Battle of Amiens, the city was occupied by invading Prussian forces.

The town was fought over during both the First and Second World Wars, suffering significant damage and being occupied several times by both sides. The 1918 Battle of Amiens was the opening phase of the Hundred Days Offensive which led directly to the Armistice with Germany that ended the war. In June 1944 following D-Day, Amiens was heavily bombed by the Royal Air Force. The town was liberated by British forces on 31 August. The city was rebuilt according to Pierre Dufau'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 Auguste Perret designed the Gare d'Amiens train station and nearby Tour Perret.

Geography

Location

Amiens, once regional prefecture of the former Picardy Region, is the prefecture of the Somme department, one of the three departments (with Oise and Aisne) in the region. Located in the Paris Basin, the city benefits from a privileged geographical position, with close proximity to Paris, Lille, Rouen, London and Brussels. 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, the city is 115 kilometres (71 mi) north of Paris, 97 kilometres (60 mi) south-west of Lille, 100 kilometres (62 mi) north-east of Rouen, 162 kilometres (101 mi) east-north-east of Le Havre and 144 kilometres (89 mi) north-west of Reims. At the regional level, Amiens is located 53 kilometres (33 mi) north of Beauvais, 71 kilometres (44 mi) west of Saint-Quentin, 66 kilometres (41 mi) from Compiègne and 102 kilometres (63 mi) from Laon.

In area, Amiens is the third-largest settlement in the Somme, after Crécy-en-Ponthieu and Hornoy-le-Bourg.

Geography and relief

The area of the commune is 4,946 hectares (12,220 acres); the altitude varies between 14 and 106 metres (46 and 348 ft).

Hydrography: Somme and canal, Avre and Selle

The main stem of the River Somme 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, the confluence with its main tributary 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 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.

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. During the 20th century maintenance of the canals was stopped and gardens 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 Saint-Leu and Saint-Maurice neighborhoods that border the River Somme, as well as most of the administrative and civil area of the current city center which the city has developed since antiquity.

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.

Climate

Amiens has the typical oceanic climate of the north of France, with relatively mild winters, cool summers, and rainfall well distributed throughout the year.

Transport

Amiens is a hub between the Île de France and the rest of northern France; Normandy and Benelux; and France and Great Britain. Amiens is not directly on principal European road and rail arteries, such as the A1 motorway and the Paris-Lille TGV 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).

Amiens station is served by regional train services to destinations that include Rouen, Calais, Lille, Reims, Compiègne and Paris-Nord. Saint-Roch (Somme) station 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 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:

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, 943 metres (3,094 ft) long, crosses the River Somme 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  or Amiens ring road. 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 via Abbeville and Boulogne-sur-Mer

A16 to Paris via Beauvais

A29 to Rouen and Le Havre via Neufchâtel-en-Bray

A29 to Reims via Saint-Quentin and Laon

Urbanism

Urban morphology

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

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 Somme canal, located more to the north, at the foot of the Coteau Saint-Pierre on which the fortress of Jean Errard, called Citadelle, was built. Historically, it was the poor neighborhood 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. The open-air parking it replaces was a "gap" in the landscape dating from World War II. 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.

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 neighborhood, that of the Chés Cabotans (puppet shows in the Picard language) and the Maison du Théâtre at the foot of the Saint-Leu Church. There is also La Lune des Pirates, a concert hall.

Located to the west of the Citadelle, and east of the La Madeleine Cemetery, this very old working-class neighborhood 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.

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 homes (social housing) was up: 29.8% against 29.4% in 2007, their number increased from 18,268 to 19,431. However, this percentage remains much greater than the rate of 20% required by the Law on Solidarity and Urban Renewal (SRU) for cities and agglomerations of more than 50,000 inhabitants.

The identity of the city is strongly marked by the specificity of its housing stock, consisting in a large proportion of detached houses, semi-detached, single or bourgeois: the amiénoises. These traditional houses in the suburbs, in brick, were intrinsically linked to the expansion of the city during and after the Industrial Revolution.

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 neighborhood has stone façades exclusively.

In historic areas such as the Saint-Leu neighborhood, façades widely use wood, half-timbered or siding, and wattle and daub.

Development projects

Amiens 2030: Amiens, in the context of the Communauté d'agglomération Amiens Métropole, is developing a master development plan called Amiens 2030. This strategic outreach project is centered around the priority issues of economic, social and cultural development of the agglomeration. The whole process of reflection will determine the development of the metropolis by 2030.

La Citadelle: This flagship project for the agglomeration involves the amalgamation of units of training and research from the University of Picardie in letters, languages, history, geography, philosophy, sociology, psychology and the College teaching and education (ESPE) on the site of La Citadelle. It is to be set on 18 acres (7.3 ha) 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 Renzo Piano, 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, the project will accommodate 2,000 homes, 200,000 square metres (2,200,000 sq ft) of offices and two urban parks creating a visible link between downtown, the Somme and the hortillonnages.

ZAC Intercampus: This new housing and services project 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 ecodistrict of 80 hectares (200 acres) is projected to provide green spaces and gardens, with 60% of its total area to not be built-up. It will include 12 hectares (30 acres) of gardens.

ZAC Paul Claudel: This new housing and services project of 40 hectares (99 acres) is located at the southern entrance to the city. Intended as a small neighborhood, it must accommodate 1,400 units and 1,800 square metres (19,000 sq ft) of commercial space. Designed in 4 slices, together with its inhabitants, it entered its final phase of development in 2013.

Toponymy

The toponym is derived from the name of the local Gallic people, the Ambiani, which in the 4th century, replaced the old name of the town Samarobriva (the bridge on the Samara – Somme). Amiens then became the episcopal headquarters. In Picard, Amiens is called Anmyen.

Politics and administration

Municipal administration

The Amiens municipal council has 55 elected members.

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 (as of the 2022 elections):

Somme's 1st constituency (including Amiens II North-West, Amiens IV East, Amiens VIII North): François Ruffin (Picardie Debout, NUPES)

Somme's 2nd constituency (including Amiens I West, Amiens III North-East, Amiens V South-East, Amiens VII South-West, Amiens VI South): Barbara Pompili (RE)

List of mayors

On 4 April 2014, Brigitte Fouré (IDU (NC)) succeeded Gilles Demailly (PS) as mayor of Amiens. 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, the Cour d'appel d'Amiens, as well as all courts of first and second degree of judicial order. The Court of Appeal of Amiens has jurisdiction over the three departments of Picardy, with nine high courts.

More recently, Amiens has become the seat of:

The national court of disability and the pricing of insurance for work accidents.

An administrative tribunal whose rulings may be appealed to the administrative court of appeal of Douai.

The Regional Chamber of Auditors of Picardy.

Twin towns – sister cities

Amiens is twinned with:

Dortmund, Germany (1960)

Görlitz, Germany (1971)

Darlington, England, United Kingdom (1973)

Tulsa, United States (2006)

Amiens also has friendly relations with Mianyang in China and Amiens in Australia.

Population and society

Demography

The inhabitants of Amiens are called the Amiénois and their blason populaire 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).

Amiens is distinguished by the youthfulness of its population. Notably the age group 15-24 is much larger (21.2%) than the average of the Somme department (13.2%).

Education

Educational institutions of the city fall under the supervision of the Academy of Amiens 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 and 6,317 in elementary school.

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, Sacré-Cœur (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), Sacré-Cœur (private), Saint-Martin (private), Saint-Rémi (private), Saint-Riquier (private) and Sainte-Famille (private).

General secondary schools: Louis Thuillier, Madeleine Michelis (former high school for girls, established in 1883 by Marie Hugonin, wife of Charles Eugène Bertrand, mother of Paul Bertrand and niece of Bishop Flavien-Abel-Antoine Hugonin, Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux – the inaugural speech was delivered by Jules Verne.)

Technological lycées: Édouard-Branly, Édouard-Gand.

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 172,000 square metres (1,850,000 sq ft). It will total three blocks of hospitals with 400 beds each. The CHU of Amiens is the largest employer in the Picardy 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 1,200 square metres (13,000 sq ft) 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 permanence of care, 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 neighborhood, south of the city.

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 "Sportiest city of France" by the L'Équipe 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

The Amiens Spartiates, operating in the top-level Ligue Élite de Football Américain, have been champions of France in 2004, 2010 and 2012. Created in 1987, the club has more than 400 licensees.

Archery

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

Athletics

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 and 50 km walk.

Badminton

The AUC Badminton (Amiens University Badminton Club) was founded in 1986. Labeled "French school of badminton" by the French Badminton Federation, the club had 205 members in 2014. The city hosted the French National Badminton Championships in 2011.

Ballon au poing

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

Fencing

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 French Fencing Championships. The club held the Elite French Championships in 2001 and 2011.

Media

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).

Fakir, an independent journal was founded in Amiens in 1999 by François Ruffin.

Le Télescope d'Amiens, pure player of local information, was in publication from September 2012 to April 2014.

Free newspapers Metro and 20 minutes are distributed in the city, including in Amiens railway station.

Since 7 February 1996, the Communauté d'agglomération Amiens Métropole distributes a free weekly local newspaper: JDA (Journal des Amiénois). This publication, which appears every Wednesday, is distributed to all homes in the metropolitan area and is made available in public places (taken at about 95,000 copies) 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 Regional Council of Picardy, Agir en Picardie. The Departmental Council of the Somme also sees its magazine distributed each month to the samariens homes, Vivre en Somme. Since 2006, the regional tourism committee of Picardy publishes 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 Chamber of commerce and industry of Amiens-Picardie).

Houses of worship

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

Notre-Dame Cathedral, Place Notre-Dame

Chapelle du Bon Pasteur (first of the name): Situated on Rue Daire, it belonged to the Conseil général de la Somme. Leased to the Society of St. Pius X from 1983 to 2007, it was sold, with the property complex to which it belonged, to Picardy in May 2007.

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 (an extraordinary form the Roman rite).

The church of Saint Honoré known as the église de Beauvais, 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 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 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 church of Saint-Rémi, Rue des Cordeliers

The church of Saint-Roch, Rue de l'Abbaye

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 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 indicator is 164.5%, which means that the employment area offers three jobs for every two active inhabitants.

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 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 collective redundancies of a thousand jobs.

Businesses and shops

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 publishers Yvert et Tellier (catalogues of quotes) and l'Écho de la timbrologie (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 France (122 employees).

Since the end of World War II, much of the city's economy was tied to automotive equipment with companies such as Valeo, Goodyear and Sumitomo-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, settled in Amiens in 1964 to produce soap, and inaugurated its new detergents unit in 1966. Established on over more than 45 hectares (110 acres), 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). 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 centres (Intracall center, Coriolis France, Médiamétrie) have opened mainly within the city, region or state. The Unilog (now Logica) computer service company has installed a service center in Amiens (the CSA).

Culture, tourism and heritage

The strategic position of Amiens makes it an attractive destination for a weekend or a few days, from Paris, Lille or Brussels. Amiens also benefits from the proximity of the Baie de Somme, a tourist hotspot registered at the Club des plus belles baies du monde and labelled 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 hortillonnages, Jules Verne House, the Tour Perret, the Musée de Picardie, the zoo, and the Saint-Leu and Saint-Maurice neighborhoods.

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 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.

C’est une femme adorable, cette Cathédrale, c’est une Vierge. [...] Point de confusion vaine, ici, point d’exagération ni d’enflure. C’est l’empire absolu de l’élégance suprême.

[She's an adorable woman, this Cathedral – a Virgin. [...] No empty confusion, here, no exaggeration or pompousness. It is the absolute empire of supreme elegance.]

Amiens Cathedral deserves the name given by M. Viollet-le-Duc, 'the Parthenon of Gothic architecture'.

The city is famous for its Notre-Dame Cathedral, masterpiece of Gothic art and one of the largest cathedrals in the world by its interior volume (200,000 m3 (7,100,000 cu ft)). The largest religious and medieval building of France, its interior could twice hold Notre-Dame de Paris.

The cathedral measures 145 metres (476 ft) long and its spire rises 112 metres (367 ft) high. The vaults of the central nave, finished in 1247, are 42.3 metres (139 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 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 John Ruskin as "Gothic, clear of Roman tradition and of Arabian taint, Gothic pure, authoritative, unsurpassable, and unaccusable."

Environmental heritage

Amiens has 270 hectares (670 acres) of green space (excluding communal woodland) 118,300 hectares (292,000 acres) of hortillonnages, 300 hectares (740 acres) of forests, 30 hectares (74 acres) of marshland, in addition to its river and its streams.

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.

Amiens is also known for the hortillonnages, gardens on small islands in over 300 hectares (740 acres) of marshland between the River Somme and River Avre, surrounded by a grid network of human-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 [Cornet 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.

Prior to its opening in May 1952, the Amiens Zoo is a green space bordering the basin of the Park of the Hotoie. It was the mayor of the time, Maurice Vast, 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 (EAZA) in 2001 and the National Association of Zoological Parks (ANPZ) in 2002. Today, there are 300 animals, representing approximately 75 species from all continents, cohabiting on 6.5 hectares (16 acres). 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.

Cultural heritage

The Musée de Picardie 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 in the basement, the Medieval art on the ground floor, fine arts on the ground floor and the first floor, and modern and contemporary art on the first floor. Rooms are also devoted to temporary exhibitions. The department of fine arts brings together paintings by Van Dyck, Jordaens, Ruysdael, El Greco, Ribera, Tiepolo, Guardi, Fragonard, Chardin, Boucher, Quentin de La Tour, Vouet, Corot and Courbet. The modern and contemporary collection is represented by Picasso, Picabia, Balthus, Dubuffet, Hélion, Bacon, 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.

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 retains an exceptional collection of woodwork, furniture and objets d'art (tapestries, ceramics, ironworks) and memories (objects and arrays) of Amiens personalities: Jules Verne, Choderlos de Laclos, Édouard Branly, Jean-Baptiste Gresset, Vincent Voiture, Joseph Pinchon, Maréchal Leclerc. The museum is currently undergoing a complete renovation of its buildings and an overhaul of the installation of its museum collections.

The House of Jules Verne, labeled Maisons des Illustres, is the home of the most translated writer in the world after Agatha Christie: Jules Verne. 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.

Cultural events and festivals

Throughout the year, Amiens is the seat of many cultural, traditional or economic events.

Music

Even if it rarely achieves national notoriety (with the notable exceptions of Les Fatals Picards, The Rabeats, Olympe, Albin de la Simone, Disiz and Rokia Traoré), the Amiens music scene is active and developed. In this dynamic, the 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, La Lune des Pirates and Cité Carter also provide support to the local scene. For example, the Cité Carter produces a compilation each year, with local groups.

Highlights of the Amiens music scene:

Pop: Olympe, Nathaniel Isaac Smog, Ribo

Hip Hop/Rap: Disiz (born in Amiens), D.S.C. (Dirty South Crew), Lj Crackus

French singers: Albin de la Simone (born in Amiens), EmilieAnneCharlotte

World Music: Rokia Traoré (Malian-born singer who lived in Amiens in the 1990s)

Multiple genres: Les Fatals Picards, Zic Zazou (group of nine musicians created in 1982 and winner of La Grande Battle in November 2012)

Classical music is represented by the Orchestre de Picardie 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 of 70 musicians, which has become a local institution since its inception in 1894.

The city has the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional d'Amiens, 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, Vincent Voiture, poet and letter writer, was the darling of the Précieuses for the fluidity of his style. In 1634, he was member of the 1st Académie française. In 1678, Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange, nicknamed "the French Varro", 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 Académie française, founded the Academy of Amiens which is still active today. He was named perpetual president.

In 1782, the Amiens native Choderlos de Laclos 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.

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.

In the 19th century, there was a brilliant literary life around the Académie des sciences, des lettres et des arts d'Amiens with historian Albéric de Calonne and the Yvert family. However, the great name of Amiens literary life is Jules Verne. He animated all intellectual activity, giving balls and parties, while his wife held a famous 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 Gédéon Baril, who signed illustrations of Dix heures en chasse 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 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.

Cinema

Many films or scenes from films were shot in Amiens and its surroundings.

1946: Jéricho by Henri Calef with Nadine Alari, Pierre Brasseur and Jacques Charon

1959: Head Against the Wall, film of Georges Franju, with Pierre Brasseur and Jean-Pierre Mocky

1970: The Clowns of Federico Fellini around the Cirque Jules-Verne

1973: La Rose de Fer of Jean Rollin with Françoise Pascal, Hugues Quester 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

1989: Roselyne and the Lions of Jean-Jacques Beineix, with Isabelle Pasco filmed around Cirque Jules-Verne

1991: Walking a Tightrope of Nico Papatakis, with Michel Piccoli also filmed around Cirque Jules-Verne

1994: Sister My Sister of Nancy Meckler with Julie Walters and Joely Richardson

1997: Arlette of Claude Zidi, with Josiane Balasko and Christopher Lambert

1999: Je suis né d'une cigogne, film of Tony Gatlif, with Romain Duris

2000: Elle et lui au 14e étage of Sophie Blondy, with Guillaume Depardieu and Benoît Magimel

2000: Confort moderne of Dominique Choisy

Comics

Amiens is a stronghold of comics 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 Régis Hautière, Norédine Allam who notably led the recolouring of the 33 Asterix albums in the framework of the project "The great collection" and also Antoine Dodé, David François, Fraco, Hardoc, Greg Blondin, and Nicolas Hitori De.

The city was also the birthplace or home of big names in the comic strip universe, such as the Amiens native Joseph Pinchon, creator of the character of Bécassine; Paul Gillon, winner of the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême and also Philippe Thirault.

Actor around the BD, the association On a marché sur la bulle [Explorers on the bubble] organises the Rendez-vous de la bande dessinée d'Amiens, 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 Éditions de la Gouttière.

Regional culture

Chés Cabotans d'Anmien or the Cabotins of Amiens is a small Picardy traditional puppet theatre founded in 1933. Lafleur, the hero, was created around 1811 at Saint-Leu. He talks in Picard, exclusively. Traditionally a lackey costume (wearing a red velvet tricorne 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. It is spoken in France in the Picardy and 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, notably in novels, journals, and poetry. Since 1993, the Regional Council of Picardy 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 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 [Amiens nut eaters] in 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 Doullens, 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.

During December, the town hosts the largest Christmas market in northern France. 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, fruit and honey, which were first recorded in 1855; "tuiles amienoises", chocolate and orange curved "tuiles" or biscuits; Pâté de canard d'Amiens – duck pâté in pastry, made since the 17th century; and "la ficelle Picarde", an oven-baked cheese-topped crêpe 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 "flamiche aux poireaux", a puff pastry tart made with leeks and cream.

Heraldry, logo and motto

Logo of the city of Amiens

In 1991, the municipality formed around Gilles de Robien 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 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 Robert Louis. Artist Arman made a board collage of this stamp.