Arras
City Tours · Nord-Pas-de-Calais
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Arras is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region. Founded by Gauls in the Iron Age and once known as Nemetocenna, the city looks back on a turbulent, often dramatic history.
The center of the city is formed by two impressive squares with arcades and gables: the Grande Place and the Petite Place. Here, the wealth of past days is revealed, when Arras became world-famous in the Middle Ages through wool processing—so much so that the city's name even became a synonym for tapestries in English.
Between Terror and Splendor
Arras belonged at times to Flanders, Burgundy, or the Spanish Habsburgs. During the French Revolution, the city experienced a period of terror with hundreds of executions and the destruction of historic religious buildings. Yet, the city rose from its ruins time and again.
The Tunnels of Arras
During the First World War, the front was only a few kilometers away. The New Zealand Tunnelling Company secretly connected medieval tunnels beneath the city at that time—a decisive factor in the Battle of Arras. In the Carrière Wellington memorial, this oppressive atmosphere can still be impressively experienced today.
Phoenix from the Ashes
At the end of the First World War, three-quarters of Arras lay in ruins. The reconstruction was a massive undertaking, yet so successful that today it is hard to believe these magnificent squares once consisted only of rubble.
