Amiens

Sister cities

• Tulsa
• Görlitz
• Dortmund
• Minas
• Darlington

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…

Geography

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 north of Paris, south-west of Lille, north-east of Rouen, east-north-east of Le Havre and north-west of Reims. At the regional level, Amiens is located north of Beauvais, west of Saint-Quentin, from Compiègne and from Laon. In area, Amiens is the third-largest settlement in the Somme, after Crécy-en-Ponthieu and Hornoy-le-Bourg. The area of the commune is ; the altitude varies between . 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…

Most-observed species

• Common Pipistrelle

  Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774) · Mammalia
  2,341
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,527
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,239
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,170
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,142
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,107
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,035
• Eurasian Blackcap

  Sylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,002

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2008-11-26
  France
• M 3 — 2008-11-19
  3 km NNW of Varengeville-sur-Mer, France
• M 3 — 2008-11-18
  4 km NW of Varengeville-sur-Mer, France
• M 3.1 — 2005-06-01
  3 km N of Grandvilliers, France
• M 3.1 — 2005-02-27
  1 km NW of Libercourt, France