Hauts de France
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

Saint Acheul is the type-site for the Early Palaeolithic Acheulean industry of stone tools. What visitors can see is an exposed section of prehistoric river gravels, with detailed information panels explaining the geological and archaeological significance. This is an important site for the history of archaeology. It was here in 1854 that archaeologists found stones, later to be called Acheulean hand-axes, that they argued had been modified by early humans.

Built between 1220 and 1270, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame d’Amiens is one of the finest examples of Gothic sacred art. A series of Renaissance polychrome sculptures inside the church depict Jesus cleansing the temple, while the western portal is decorated with early Gothic sculpture. Although free to visit, a tour of the towers and a visit to the treasury require separate tickets. The cathedral is well known for its spectacular light show, Chroma: which can be seen during the Christmas market season and from mid July to the end of September.

From 1569 to 1573 this cathedral was the highest human construction in the world. The choir is still the highest Gothic choir in the world. Construction of the church began in 1225, but it remains incomplete: the choir and transept are complete, with the nave never built. The 10th century Romanesque cathedral still stands where the nave should have been. Inside the church are 15th and 17th century tapestries, but it is for the 13th, 14th and 16th century stained glass windows that the cathedral is particularly admired.

The castle of Pierrefonds was built in rapid time, ten years, and completed in 1397 for Louis d’Orléans, son of King Charles V. During the reign of Louis XIII the castle was besieged and reduced to a ruin, later being referred to as the ‘romantic ruin’. Under Napoleon’s III orders, the French architect Viollet-le-Duc started to restore the ruins in the second half or the 19th century. But much of what we see at Pierrefonds today, both inside and out, is Viollet-le-Duc’s reinterpretation of Renaissance and Middle Ages architecture of France. Nonetheless, there is still much to see of the original castle fort, whether by self-guided tour or a guided tour.

What is today one of France’s finest Renaissance castles was built on the site of an 11th century fortress that had command of the road between Senlis and Paris. Through eight centuries of tumultuous history, Chantilly Castle passed between a number owners, and modifications, before it became an exceptional art museum, the Musée Condé. Besides the art galleries, visitors can explore the private suites, lavishly decorated in 18th century décor. In the grounds visitors can stroll through the French formal garden and visit the stables – the largest princely stable in Europe, now home to the Museum of the Horse.

On the edge of the Forest of Compiègne is the location where the Armistice that brought an end to the Great War was signed in 1918, and another signed on 22 June 1940 between the Germans and French following the German occupation of France. The memorial site comprises the Armistice Glade and the Memorial Museum. A series of displays traces the development of the site from the end of WW1 to early WW2. The original carriage was destroyed in 1945 in Berlin, now visitors get to see a near identical carriage, that has been staged for the signing of the first Armistice.

Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme has been described as “the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century”. Construction began in 1928. Four years and 10 million bricks later it was completed at the cost of £117,000, which is the equivalent today of around £10 million. The result is not just a memorial to all those that fought and died on the Somme, but one that acknowledges the British and French alliance during the battle, and perhaps most importantly, it commemorates over 72,000 British and South African soldiers that have no known grave.

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is situated on the highest point of Vimy Ridge – the site of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which took place from 9 to 12 April in 1917. The memorial is dedicated to the memory of the battle and the Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War, as well as those Canadians killed in France during WWI with no known grave. Besides the striking memorial, nearly 40 m high, the memorial site has also preserved parts of the battlefields, including trenches and craters. Visitors can take guided tours of the preserved underground tunnels. A visitor centre outlines the relevance of the site, its history and its significance for Canadians today.

The Blockhaus d’Éperlecques was built by Nazi Germany between March 1943 and July 1944 intended to launch V-2 ballistic missiles from France to London. The bunker was built using prisoners of war and other forced labour. It was designed to launch 36 missiles per day. Aerial attacks from the Allies meant the construction was disrupted and it was never completed to be used for launching missiles. Éperlecques was captured from the Germans in September 1944, but it was not until much later was the true purpose of the bunker revealed. An interesting audio tour guides visitors on a present path through the facility.

Constructed on a reclaimed coal mine, the designers wanted visitors not to be able to see where the landscape ends and the building begins. And they succeeded. The park is as much an attraction as the state-of-the-art museum – itself an extension of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The main, permanent exhibition is the ‘Galerie du temps’, in which 200 artefacts from the 4th millennium BC to the mid 19th century are displayed in chronological order. These objects represent various techniques and civilisations. The museum also hosts important temporary exhibitions.