| Albert | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms  | ||
| State | France | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Picardy | |
| Altitude | 67 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 13.8 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 9.928 (2017) | |
| POSTAL CODE | 80300 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Albert is a city of Picardy.
To know
Albert was founded as a Roman outpost called Encre, in 54 BC about. Today it is remembered as the site of the Battle of the Somme in the First World War.
The city appears in a tale, The garden of the forking paths, by the Argentine writer Jorge Luís Borges. In history, it is the location of a British artillery park that the Germans were about to bomb during the First World War.
Background
During the First World War, the statue of Mary and the baby Jesus - designed by sculptor Albert Roze and nicknamed the "Golden Virgin" - atop the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Brebières was hit by a grenade on January 15, 1915 and she was placed horizontally where she was about to fall. The Germans said that whoever dropped the statue would lose the war and a number of legends surrounding the "Leaning Virgin" developed among German, French and British soldiers. The Leaning Virgin became a particularly familiar image of the thousands of British soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Somme (1916), many of whom passed through Albert, who was three miles from the front lines.
The German army recaptured the city in March 1918 during the spring offensive; the British, to prevent the Germans from using the bell tower as an observation post, directed their bombing against the basilica. The statue fell in April 1918 and was never recovered. In August 1918 the Germans were again forced to retreat and the British reoccupied Albert until the end of the war.
Albert was completely rebuilt after the war, including the expansion and reorientation of the main streets of the city. The Basilica was faithfully rebuilt according to its original project by Eduoard Duthoit, son of the architect who supervised its construction in 1885-95. The current statue is an exact replica of Roze's original design, and a war memorial designed by Roze with an image of the "Leaning Virgin" can be seen in the "Abri" (Shelter) Museum, which houses war memorabilia . The underground shelters in which the museum is located served as protective bunkers for Albert's residents during aerial bombardments in World War II.
How to orient yourself
Albert (France): full screen map.How to get
By car
On the train
- 1 Haute-Picardie TGV station (Gare TGV Haute-Picardie).
- 2 Albert station (Gare d'Albert).
How to get around
What see
- 1 Somme Museum 1916, Rue Anicet Godin, ☎ 33 3 22 75 16 17.
Adults € 7, children € 4 (free for children under 6 years old). 
22 Jan to mid Dec: 09: 00-18: 00. The museum is housed in a 13th century tunnel that was converted into a bomb shelter in 1938. It sits 10m underground and explores the life of soldiers in the trenches during the offensive of 1 July 1916. The display cases present various objects, materials and weapons used in that period. They illustrate the evolution of weapons and the emergence of new technologies such as gas and tanks.
Adults € 7, children € 4 (free for children under 6 years old). 
22 Jan to mid Dec: 09: 00-18: 00. The museum is housed in a 13th century tunnel that was converted into a bomb shelter in 1938. It sits 10m underground and explores the life of soldiers in the trenches during the offensive of 1 July 1916. The display cases present various objects, materials and weapons used in that period. They illustrate the evolution of weapons and the emergence of new technologies such as gas and tanks.- 2 Albert Town Hall (Hôtel de ville d'Albert), Place Emile Leturcq, ☎ 33 3 22 74 38 38.
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Average prices
- 1 Le Corner's Pub, 17 Rue de Birmingham, ☎ 33 3 22 75 41 85. Mon-Sun 10: 30-15: 00 and 18: 00-22: 30. A lovely pub / bar offering free wireless internet access.
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
- 3 Great War Museum (Historial de la Grande Guerre), Château de Péronne, 8 rue de l’Ancre, Thiepval, ☎ 33 3 22 74 60 47, @[email protected]. Adults € 6; children (7-15 years) and students € 3; veterans, seniors and people with disabilities € 4. Nov-Feb 09: 30-17: 00; Mar-Oct: 09: 30-18: 00; closed from 10 Dec to 22 Jan. This museum focuses on the Battles of the Somme (1914-1918) and the Aces of Aviation.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Albert (France)
Commons contains images or other files on Albert (France)
