Amiens, Administrative center in Hauts-de-France, France
Amiens lies on the banks of the Somme River in northern France and serves as the administrative seat of the Somme department and capital of the Hauts-de-France region. The town spreads across both sides of the river, with narrow lanes in the medieval center and wide boulevards lined by brick houses.
During the First World War, the town suffered heavy damage from years of fighting on the Western Front, which destroyed much of its medieval fabric. After 1918, it was rebuilt, and many streets and neighborhoods took their current form during this reconstruction.
Every Saturday, the central market at Place Parmentier fills with local producers selling vegetables, cheese, and smoked sausages from the surrounding countryside. Families and neighbors meet there to shop and chat, while vendors line the surrounding streets with their goods.
The train station sits north of the center and is reachable on foot in about fifteen minutes, while regular bus routes connect the main neighborhoods. Visitors can comfortably walk to most sights, as the main points of interest within the historic core lie only a few minutes apart.
Beneath the town center run underground limestone passages originally quarried in medieval times and later used as shelters during wars. Today visitors can walk through some of these tunnels on guided tours and see the marks left by old tools on the walls.
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