The church at ALBERT, 40km south of Arras and 30km northeast of Amiens – now, with the rest of the town, completely rebuilt – was one of the minor landmarks of World War I. Its tall tower was hit by German bombing early on in the campaign, leaving the statue of the Madonna on top leaning at a precarious angle. The British, entrenched over three years in the region, came to know it as the "Leaning Virgin". Army superstition had it that when she fell the war would end, a myth inspiring frequent hopeful pot shots by disgruntled troops. Before embarking on a visit of the region's battle sites and war cemeteries, otherwise known as the circuit de souvenir, you might want to stop in at the Musée des Abris (daily: March–June & Sept–Nov 9.30am–noon & 2–6pm; July & Aug 9.30am–6pm; €3), a museum which has re-enactments of fifteen different scenes from life in the trenches of the Somme in 1916. The mannequins look slightly too jolly and eager but it does go some way to bringing the props to life.As you arrive (trains from Amiens or Arras), the town's new tower, capped now by an equally improbably posed statue, is the first thing that catches your eye. The tourist office is close by on rue Gambetta (April–Sept Mon–Sat 10am–noon & 2–6.30pm, Sun 9.30am–noon; Oct–March Mon–Sat 10am–noon & 3–5pm; tel 03.22.75.16.42, fax 03.22.75.11.72). Of the town's hotels, La Paix, a friendly establishment with a decent restaurant, at 43 rue Victor-Hugo (tel 03.22.75.01.64, fax 03.22.75.44.17; €40–55; menus from €12) is the only one that can be recommended.
Pages in section ‘Albert’: Circuit de Souvenir, The Battle of the Somme.
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