Amiens

This article is about the city in France. For the battles which occurred nearby, see Battle of Amiens (disambiguation). For the locality in Australia, see Amiens, Queensland. For the street in Dublin, see Amiens Street.

Amiens
Anmien / Anmiens / Anmyin (Picard)
Prefecture and commune
City centre, with the Amiens Cathedral in the background
City centre, with the Amiens Cathedral in the background
Flag of Amiens
Flag
Coat of arms of Amiens
Coat of arms
Location of Amiens
Map
Amiens is located in France
Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is located in Hauts-de-France
Amiens
Amiens
Coordinates: 49°53′31″N 2°17′56″E / 49.892°N 2.299°E / 49.892; 2.299
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentSomme
ArrondissementAmiens
CantonAmiens-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
IntercommunalityAmiens Métropole
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Brigitte Fouré[1]
Area
1
49.46 km2 (19.10 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
133,625
 • Density2,700/km2 (7,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
 (2017)
163,876
 • Metro
 (2018)
387 354
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
80021 /80000
Elevation14–106 m (46–348 ft)
(avg. 33 m or 108 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Amiens (English: /æˈmjæ̃/[3] or /ˈæmiənz/ AM-ee-ənz;[4] French: [amjɛ̃] ⓘ; Picard: Anmien, Anmiens or Anmyin) is a city and commune in northern France, located 120 km (75 mi) north of Paris and 100 km (62 mi) south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France and had a population of 135,429,[5] as of 2021. A central landmark of the city is Amiens Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in France. Amiens also has one of the largest university hospitals in France, with a capacity of 1,200 beds. The author Jules Verne lived in Amiens from 1871 until his death in 1905, and served on the city council for 15 years. Amiens is the birthplace of French president Emmanuel Macron.

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 which directly led to the Armistice with Germany. The Royal Air Force heavily bombed the town during the Second World War. In the aftermath, the city was rebuilt according to Pierre Dufau'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 designed the Gare d'Amiens 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 are the hortillonnages [fr], the Jules Verne House [fr], the Tour Perret, the Musée de Picardie, the zoo [fr], and the Saint-Leu and Saint-Maurice neighborhoods. A total of 60 monuments are listed in the inventory of monuments historiques, over 1600 places and monuments listed in the general inventory of cultural heritage, and 187 objects listed in the inventory of monuments historiques. During December, the town hosts the largest Christmas market 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; and "flamiche aux poireaux", a puff pastry tart made with leeks and cream.

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Amiens". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Amiens". CollinsDictionary.com. HarperCollins.
  5. ^ [1] Archived 23 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine