Medieval origins XVe siècle (≈ 1550)
Creation of the archer garden near the ramparts.
1914-1918
Total destruction
Total destruction 1914-1918 (≈ 1916)
Albert and his garden shaved during the war.
Années 1920
Reconstruction and restructuring
Reconstruction and restructuring Années 1920 (≈ 1920)
Creation of the current garden after the war.
Années 1930
Gift of the fountain
Gift of the fountain Années 1930 (≈ 1930)
The water holder offered by Ain Temouchent.
Milieu du XIXe siècle
Public walk
Public walk Milieu du XIXe siècle (≈ 1950)
Transformation of the large garden into an urban green space.
16 février 2009
Heritage protection
Heritage protection 16 février 2009 (≈ 2009)
Inventory of Historical Monuments.
Novembre 2019
Inauguration of the "Piliers of the Future"
Inauguration of the "Piliers of the Future" Novembre 2019 (≈ 2019)
Work commemorating godmother cities.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The public garden in its entirety, including the city walls, the waterfall, the waterfall, the river, the basin and the serpentine, the entire landscape and the layout of the garden in its entirety, its entrance gates and the Parc des Rochers (Box AV 35): inscription by order of 16 February 2009
Key figures
Émile Comte - Industrial and owner
Created the park of the "Villa des Rochers*" integrated into the garden.
Véronique Champossin - Contemporary Artist
Conceptor of the "Piliers of the Future" (2019).
Origin and history
Albert's Public Garden originated in the 15th century, when the city rented meadows at the foot of the ramparts to install the archer's garden. Nearby, a large private garden (now Emile Leturcq Square) was transformed into a public promenade in the 19th century, while Villa des Rochers, owned by Émile Comte, offered a vast park with caves and waterfalls. These spaces, merged after 1918, formed the core of the present garden.
World War I completely destroyed Albert and his garden. During the reconstruction, the city reduced and restructured the green space, integrating the park of the Villa des Rochers and the outskirts of the ramparts. The old gardens were partly urbanized (mairy, school), while the waterfall of the Ancre — formerly a source of energy for factories — became a central element of the landscape, with basins, fountains and a music kiosk. The homogeneity of this development earned the garden its inscription in Historical Monuments in 2009.
The current English-style garden preserves traces of its industrial and aristocratic past. The seven-metre waterfall, the tufa caves, and the fountain La Porteuse d'eau (gift of Ain Temouche in the 1930s) are alongside an arboretum of 35 species and contemporary works, such as The Pillars of the Future (2019), a tribute to the godmother cities that helped rebuild. The site also houses an annex to the Somme 1916 Museum, recalling its inextricable link to the region's belligerent history.
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