In the The city of Amiens, north of Paris and southwest of Lille, in the region of Hauts-de-France

 "Travel enables us to enrich our lives with new experiences, to enjoy and to be educated, to learn respect for foreign cultures, to establish friendships, and above all to contribute to international cooperation and peace throughout the world.-- Jules Verne

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(in northern Fance) The city of Amiens, located 120 km (75 mi.) north of Paris and 100 km (62 mi.) southwest of Lille, is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. 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.), The author Jules Verne lived in Amiens from 1871 until his death in 1905, and served on the city council for 15 years. (French president Emmanuel Macron was born in Amiens.) The town was fought over during both World Wars, suffering significant damage. The 1918 Battle of Amiens was the opening phase of the Hundred Days Offensive which directly led to the Armistice with Germany. (The architect Auguste Perret designed the Gare d'Amiens train station and nearby Tour Perret.)

+ Amiens has an important historical and cultural heritage, upon which a significant amount of tourism is based. Apart from the cathedral, there is the hortillonnages (-- a marshy region where canals criss-cross the garden and a wildlife intensive landscape), the Jules Verne House, the Tour Perret, the Musée de Picardie, the zoo, and the quarters of Saint-Leu and Saint-Maurice. During December, the town hosts the largest Christmas market in northern France.

+ One of France's greatest Gothic cathedrals is reason enough to visit Amiens, the former capital of Picardy. The city center, rebuilt after WWII, is complemented by beautiful green spaces along the Somme River. Nearly 30,000 students from the Université de Picardie Jules Verne fill the the town with youthful energy. Amiens is also an ideal base for visits to many of the Battle of the Somme memorials.

+ Amiens, known as Samarobriva in pre-Roman times, was the capital of the Ambiani (a Belgic coastal tribe dwelling in the modern Picardy region during the Iron Age and Roman periods). Amiens was Christianized in the 4th century by St. Firmin, its first bishop. Its territory became the medieval countship of Amiénois, and its citizens profited from rivalry between bishop and count to gain a charter early in the 12th century. The 1802 Peace of Amiens marked a short pause in the Napoleonic Wars. In 1914, after a brief incursion into the city, the invading Germans dug in 18 miles (29 km) east; their final drive in 1918 was stopped eight miles (13 km) from the city. In World War II, Amiens was occupied by the Germans. After serious damage in both wars, the city center was rebuilt.(The old part of Amiens, including the reconstructed 17th-century City Hall, the 15th-century church of Saint-Germain, and the ancient theater with the Louis XVI facade, is latticed with seven branches of the river.)