Arras (Pas-de-Calais) - Hôtel de Ville et La Petite Place

            The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale with photography by Charles Ledieu of Arras. 

Visé Paris No. 2554

The card bears the imprimatur 'Visé Paris' followed by a unique reference number. This means that the image was inspected and deemed by the military authorities in the French capital not to be a security risk.

'Visé Paris' indicates that the card was published during or soon after the Great War.

Arras Town Hall

The Gothic Town Hall and its belfry was constructed between 1463 and 1554, and by the end of the Great War was reduced to little more than a pile of rubble.  It was rebuilt in a slightly less grandiose style after the Great War. 

The belfry is 75 metres (246 feet) high, and while it was still there was used as a watchtower during the Great War. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Arras

In Arras there is a unique architectural ensemble of 155 Flemish-Baroque-style townhouses bordering La Petite Place (also called La Place des Héros) and La Grand' Place. 

Part of La Petite Place is visible in the photograph. These houses were built in the 17th. and 18th. centuries, and were originally made of wood. After the Great War, most of these houses were so severely damaged that they had to be rebuilt, this time using bricks.

Arras is in Northern France by the Scarpe River. It is the capital ('chef-lieu') of the Pas-de-Calais department. In 2012 the city held over 43,000 residents.

During the Great War, Arras was near the Western Front, and a series of battles were fought around the city and nearby Vimy Ridge.

A series of medieval tunnels beneath the city which were linked and greatly expanded by the New Zealand Tunnelling Company became a decisive factor in the British forces holding the city.

Arras in WW II

In the Second World War Arras was occupied by the Germans, and 240 suspected French Resistance members were executed in the Arras Citadel. 

During the invasion of France in May 1940, Arras was the focus of a major British counterattack. On the 3rd. September 1944 the town was entered and liberated by the British Guards Armoured Division.

Taken on: December 12, 2013

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Sets appears in: • Arras (Pas-de-Calais) in the Great War

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