Amiens - Main Sights

Main Sights

• Amiens Cathedral (a World Heritage Site) is the tallest of the large 'classic' Gothic churches of the 13th century and is the largest in France of its kind. After a fire destroyed the former cathedral, the new nave was begun in 1220 – and finished in 1247. Amiens Cathedral is notable for the coherence of its plan, the beauty of its three-tier interior elevation, the particularly fine display of sculptures on the principal façade and in the south transept, and the labyrinth, and other inlays of its floor. It is described as the "Parthenon of Gothic architecture", and by John Ruskin as "Gothic, clear of Roman tradition and of Arabian taint, Gothic pure, authoritative, unsurpassable, and unaccusable."
• The Belfry

• The Circus. The Municipal Circus, also known as the "Cirque Jules Verne", is one of the few remaining permanent circuses (in French: "Cirque en dur") in the world, one of seven in France and is still in use today. Originally built from timber it is now a stone structure.
• The Perret Tower

Amiens is also known for the hortillonnages, gardens on small islands in the marshland between the River Somme and River Avre, surrounded by a grid network of man-made canals (locally known as "rieux"). They are also known as the "floating gardens of Amiens". Because of the canals, the hortillonnages are sometimes called "Little Venice of the North".

The Madeleine Cemetery (Cimetière de la Madeleine) contains a number of listed monuments among which the sculpture on the grave of Jules Verne. Although not as well kempt as the cemeteries in Paris it contains many interesting tombs.