Arras France

It doesn't seem to matter where one goes in Europe, the Celts have always been there first. Arras turned out to be no exception - first the Celts then the Romans and later bouncing back and forth between the French and the Dutch. It wasn't until the late 17th century that the French grabbed for the last time, settling the issue by fortifying it significantly. Later, Arras had the misfortune to be in the path of both WWI and WWII and suffered major destruction in both of these conflicts. In turn, this devastation became the object of a successful post WWII reconstruction effort, during which a large part of the city center was restored to its pre-WWI condition. The city is centered around Grand Place and Place des Heros, two large cobbled squares (actually rectangles), which are surrounded by more than one hundred and fifty rebuilt 17th century Flemish style facades. This accomplishment has successfully kept the downtown as area a lively and enjoyable place to visit.

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In the Place des Heros stands the rebuilt flamboyant Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) that contains a number of permanent historical exhibits and also hosts transient displays of art and crafts. On the Sunday that we visited it was a busy and bustling building. Elsewhere about town is a cathedral, an enormous abbey and several churches.