And getting back to my belle France, there is so much to see and do! I have as said, taken advantage of having family in the Nord dept 59 of the Hauts de France region to visit some nice towns far from me. This has been the case of Péronne in the Somme dept 80, which I am given life to an older post on the city. Of course on the monuments ,they have their separate posts in my blog. This will be on the now usual from me black and white series ,no pictures. Therefore, this is my take on this is Péronne !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
This is the case for me on the North of France, old Picardie, Somme, Pas-de-Calais, Nord departments old regions now all under the Hauts de France region. We have come visiting since 1990, and never stop,just happened the outings have been sporadic when it comes to tourism…. As often, I am reminder and now know, living and visiting are two different things. This is a vast area full of history and sadly some of WWI reminders. I have written before on Péronne as well as mentioned some of the WWI grounds and memorials around here. On Péronne, the train line was closed and the TGV too far so the best way is to come by car. The city is close to the autoroute A1 Paris-Lille, A29 –Amiens-Saint Guentin and it is on the N17. It is about 145 km from Paris , and 161 km from Versailles , taking the A1.
Things to see in Péronne are the wonderful gate or Porte de Bretagne with interior and exterior building done in brick and stone linking the two rectangular buildings and a bridge still there today. This gate is an extention of those built between 1647 and 1652. You can still see the Royal bastion and a serie of defenses of the 17C; in the castle you still have the ruins of three towers. By the end of the 12C king Philippe Auguste ordered built the four towers that you see today. It is inside the Castle that house King Louis XI for the meeting with Duke Charles the Fearless of Burgundy in 1468. The Donjon was destroyed during a siege in 1536; the castle was partially destroyed during WWI and then rebuilt.
The Alfred Danicourt museum was initially located in the city hall founded in 1872 by the mayor Alfred Danicourt that had one of the best collection of gaulles moneys, antique jewelry, merovigian funeral furniture, weapons accessories and pre historic arms as well as beautiful paintings of the region from the 19C and 20C. It was the only museum destroyed and looted during the Wars,which lost 95% of its collection. The museum was reconstituted in 1955. The Historial de la Grande Guerre (see post) or the historical of the First World War is located next to the old medieval castle, and even taken some parts of it. It is dedicated to the story of WWI, the new extentions were built in 1992 with a nice museographic display of the war from three points of view German, French ,and British. There are white stone on the building with arrows representing the military tombs. One room is dedicated to the strong waters or eaux-fortes of painter Otto Dix. Very much a must to visit, we love it.
The Church Saint John the Baptist almost totally destroyed between 1914-1918 conflict and then partially during 1944 with a flamboyant gothic façade stay up during these periods. It has a portrait of the 17C entitled La bonne mort or the good death. The city hall dates from 1293 with an original today bell tower; rebuilt in 1509 and repaired in 1536, the façade is decorated with salamanders sculpture with the symbol of the king François I dating from 1583. It has been renovated in the 18C. The bailiff was on the side of the city hall on the Grand Place with a Renaissance façade. The main building has a gallery on the upper level that today houses the municipal library. The façade felled in 1701 and king Louis XIV had it renovated in 1704. In his honor there is a plaque announcing Nec pluribus impar in latin meaning not unequal to many, this is in the roof, destroyed during WWI and the building rebuilt to the identical details afterward. There are cemeteries for the British and Indians soldiers of WWI.
A bit of history I like tell us that there was heavy conflict here between the king of France, Louis XI and the Duke of Burgundy Charles the Fearless head of the Burgundian State. The Péronne area was a territory that belong to the duke of Burgundy since 1418 and was part of the lands disputed between the duchy and the kingdom from 1463 to 1477. By the treaty of Péronne in 1641, the principality of Monaco gets out of the Spanish protectorate and becomes part of the crown of France, for a month the king Louis XIII stayed in Péronne as well as Cardinal Richelieu to formalize the agreement with Honoré II Grimaldi of Monaco. By the time of the French revolution, the people elect deputies that are against the French revolution. In June 1815 after some resistance the Napoleonic troops in Péronne surrendered to General Wellington, and a few days later king Louis XVIII and the Tzar Alexander I passes by the town on their way to Paris. By August 28 1914, the Germans come to Péronne and the city is abandoned by September 15 after the first Battle of the Marne. They come back to occupied in September 23 and hold on until March 1917 after the German retreat on the Hindenburg line. The city is again occupied by the Germans in August 1918 and practically destroyed the city. During WWII the city is occupied for most and finally liberated in September 1 1944 by the US Army; while the city is destroyed in 36% of its buildings.
The City of Péronne on its heritage : https://www.ville-peronne.fr/mes-loisirs/sortir-se-cultiver/patrimoine-curiosites
The Haute Somme tourist office on things to see around and in Péronne: http://www.hautesomme-tourisme.com/en/plan-your-trip/what-to-do-/discover.html
The private site on the impact of WWI in Picardie 14-18, Péronne: http://www.picardie1418.com/
There you go folks , a bit on the nice city of the north , all worth it for this wonderful town of history, architecture, and beauty, pleasant trip by car is best me think but you know I am the road warrior lol! Again, hope you enjoy the introduction on this is Péronne as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health ,and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 