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Origin and history

The citadel of Amiens, located in the Hauts-de-France, finds its origins on an ancient Roman way. Its history is marked by increasing defensive needs, especially after the Spanish captured the city in 1597. Henry IV, anxious to secure the northern border of the kingdom, entrusted the engineer Jean Errard with the design of a modern fortress between 1598 and 1610, integrating strongholds and deep ditches.

Prior to the citadel, the site housed Gallo-Roman remains (I–III centuries) and a necropolis of the late Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, the city extended northward, with the construction of the Montre-Écu gate in 1390, reinforced in 1471 by Louis XI. In the 16th century, in the face of the Spanish threat, François I had a defensive ravelin erected (1520–1531) near this gate, a precursor to subsequent fortifications.

The siege of Amiens in 1597 was a turning point: the Spaniards seized the city in two hours with a trick, before being expelled six months later by Henry IV. The latter then imposed a Swiss garrison and ordered Jean Errard to build a pentagonal citadel, dismantling 200 houses and part of the medieval ramparts. The royal gate, completed in 1620, became the main entrance until 1859.

The citadel lost its strategic role after the Peace of the Pyrenees (1659), but remained a garrison until 1979. It was the scene of resistance during the 1870 and 1940 wars, also serving as a prison and a place of execution during the Second World War, where 35 resistance fighters were shot. In the 1960s, it temporarily hosted harkis in precarious conditions.

Architecturally, the citadel combines brick and stone, with five original bastions, three of which remain today. The door of Montrescu's ravelin, built under François I (1524–1531), is a sculpted jewel decorated with salamanders and angeles, classified as a historical monument since 1840. The subterranean areas are home to a protected colony of bats, known as the Natural Zone of Ecological Interest (ZNIEFF).

Since 1999, the citadel has been owned by the city of Amiens. Renovated by Renzo Piano, since 2018 it has hosted a university centre (letters, languages, history) and a library, while preserving its military heritage. The walls, restored since 2000, and the remains of the ditches recall its strategic and tragic past.

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