Arras, the capital of Artois, is renowed for its tapestries of the late Middle Ages. The town is very busy and there is a lot to see in the centre the flemish style houses and shops.
Arras became one of the richest towns in medieval Europe thanks to
its dynamic merchants and its thriving international markets, held on
its huge squares. Among the luxuries produced in town were fine
tapestries, exported across Europe – one even features as a celebrated,
fatal stage prop in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Central Arras looks so much
the historic part, so well restored, that it is hard to imagine the war
damage from which it suffered. The town spent its accumulated wealth on its 16th century Gothic town hall - Hôtel de Ville (rebuilt in a slightly less grandiose style after the war) and on adorning its two squares, the Grand' Place and the Place des Heros,
with the dignified Flemish gabled houses. Beneath it all run the
extensive cellars which sheltered the citizenry during the devastating
bombardments of World War I. Many of the town’s 16th century houses that
surrounded the squares were destroyed.
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