Arras

Arras (in Dutch: Latin Atrecht in : Nemetacum Atrebatum ) is the second city of the area Nord-Pas-de-Calais, place chief of the Département of the Pas-de-Calais. Historically, Arras was under the Ancien Mode the capital of the province of Artois, a great religious center and a known prosperous city for its clothiers manufacture.

The city is known apart from the borders of the Hexagon for its splendid places baroques.

The city obtained the 4 flowers for the contest of the cities and flowered villages. Its inhabitants is called Arrageois.

Arras is the seat of the Urban community of Arras.

The city knew to preserve its charm and its quality of life, while succeeding in creating many jobs. It has been called for several centuries “the Beautiful one”.

The agglomeration of Arras is characterized by its great youth, indeed, 33% of the inhabitants of the agglomeration have less than 25 years.

Geography

Arras is located in Artois at the confluence of the Scarpe and the Crinchon.

The agglomeration profits from a strategic site to the crossing of the highways (Paris-Lille) and (Rheims-Calais the Tunnel).

Arras also is very well served by its SNCF railway station (second station TGV of the area and the first station of the Pas-de-Calais by its traffic) which proposes more than 10 connections TGV towards Paris per day (the way lasts approximately 50 min), from the direct connections towards Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nice, Brussels, Irun in Spain .....

Since 2003, Arras is connected to Lille in 25 min by the TerGV, and soon, a line Arras Cambrai will be creates.

History

  • Nemetacum Atrebatum at the time of César and the tribe of the Atrébates.
  • Saint Vaast founds an abbey into 685.
  • At the 9th century, Arras became the privileged residence of the Counts de Flandre which established a hereditary châtellenie there.
  • At the 12th century, the significant development of the institutions and the economy thanks to the Saint-Vaast abbey makes it possible the town of count eleven churches and to develop a trade until the East thanks to industry clothier: the Tapisserie S of Arras were known as far as Italy under the name of the arrazi and in England quite simply under the name of Arras. Gengis Khan itself had tapestries of Arras.
  • the prosperity of the city allowed the rebuilding of the Cathédrale in 1161.
  • Traité of Arras of 1191: the current territory of the department enters the bosom of the royal field.
  • Peace of Arras of 1435 which reconciled Valois de France and of Burgundy, and reflects fine with the wars started in 1345.
  • Bourguignonne of the 14th century at the 15th century.
  • Under the Spanish sovereignty of 1526 (following the Treated of Madrid) at 1598.
  • the city is reconquered by Louis XIII in 1640, besieged by the Spaniards in 1654, Vauban takes part in the defense (without ordering) but taken again by Turenne. However, fastening with the France final and is ratified only in 1659 by the Traité of the Pyrenees.
  • the election with the General states carries Robespierre in the foreground. At the time of the French revolution, the municipality is initially directed by Dubois de Fosseux, small landed proprietor scholar, secretary of the Academy of Arras and future chairs Pas-de-Calais. In competition with Surface-on-the-Lily, Calais and Saint-Omer, Arras obtains finally the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais.
  • Ten months of terror of November 1793 in August 1794, the city is then under the dictatorship of Joseph Lebon who will found food restrictions, will order 400 executions and will destroy many religious buildings (the cathedral in particular, abbey Saint-Vaast holds of it place since then).
  • In spite of its dynamism, Arras sees stagnating its demography and its economic activity whereas Lille under the blow of the Industrial revolution explodes. It should be said that Arras forever be an industrial city like will be Lille for example. At that time Arras becomes a lit city, of culture. Under the impulse of Emile Legrelle, dynamic mayor, Arras dismantle part of his ramparts to establish vast ring roads, to carry out a new sewerage system, and obtain a railway news Gare in 1898 (the preceding one, open for the opening of the Ligne Paris - Lille, going back to 1846).
  • the Great War inflicts considerable destruction with the inheritance arrageois because the city was located at less than 10 km of the face, and it was the stake of the expensive battles of Artois; in secrecy the British gathered a formidable army in the boves: this army emerges from ground in April 1917 and inserts the face allemand.
    La city will be rebuilt with the identical one, and will benefit from it to extend with an architecture always blazing, like wants it the tradition arrageoise.

  • After the Second world war and under the mandates of the socialist mayor Guy Mollet, Arras loses part of its economic activities and commercial and dark in a deep sleep. The alarm clock will sound at the end of with the arrival of the University of Artois, the startup of a26 highway which connects it to Calais, and the arrival of a station TGV (the second of the Nord/Pas-de-Calais Area). Since, Arras seems to have found its dynamism.

Economy

  • Agroalimentary with the arrival at the end of years 1990 of Häagen-Dazs in particular (according to the magazine the Company, Arras is the regional capital of agroalimentary).
  • mechanical Industry.
  • Chemistry.
  • electric Industry.
  • Trade: the heart of city is known for its trade of quality (clothing, cosmetic, etc).
  • Tourism: its famous places, its medieval lanes, its blazing buildings make of it an important tourist place for the British, the Dutchmen, the Germans… who come increasingly more to discover the charms of the capital of the Pas-de-Calais.
  • Very important tertiary sector.
The revival of the economy arrageoise has been manifest for approximately 10 years, with the arrival of Häagen-Dazs, the installation of the zone Actiparc, creations of seedbeds of companies…. The magazine the Company elected on several occasions the agglomeration of Arras, the average agglomeration (less than 400.000 inhabitants) most dynamic of France. With the opening of the channel Seine-North Europe, 8000 employment will be created between Arras and Cambrai from here at 2012. Arras is conscious of its advantageous geographical position, it makes the junction between Paris, Brussels and London, it is with " proximité" from Lille and Amiens… it has thus a role to play on the economic scene of Northern Europe. Arras is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Arras. It manages the port and the airport.

Administration

It is the seat of the Urban community of Arras which gathers 24 communes is approximately 100.000 inhabitants. 300.785 inhabitants for the District of Arras. This one comprises 17 cantons (list). Prefecture and chief town of the Pas-de-Calais since 1789, Arras is a large administrative city: it has moreover to it quasi totality of the departmental administrative seats, and several regional administrative seats (the Regional court of the accounts of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais for example).

Demography

Source: http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/docs_ffc/psdc.htm (Population without double accounts).

the town hall of Arras and the Urban community set up a vast whole of real estate projects (400 projects of environmental High-quality on the urban community) which will cause a rise of the demography of several thousands of inhabitants from here to 2010 (Source: Town hall of Arras).

Famous characters

Tourist monuments and places

Random links:The Master of the High Castle | Law Toubon | Andre Juillard | Indigestion | District of Haibara | définition_de_Genre-differentia