Editing Amiens (section)

====Belfry====
[[File:Le Beffroi Amiens FRA 001.jpg|thumb|right|The belfry of Amiens]]
The origin of the {{interlanguage link|Belfry of Amiens|fr|3=Beffroi d'Amiens}} dates back to the establishment of the commune of Amiens by [[Louis VI of France|Louis VI]]. It is mentioned for the first time in an arbitral award issued by the chapter of Amiens in 1244.

Symbolizing the independence of the commune, it was formerly used for meetings of the notables of the city and then as archive rooms, weapons store and prison. A spotter nearby monitored arrivals and warned the population of the external dangers. During the Middle Ages, the building was repeatedly engulfed by fire.

The belfry is composed of a base in white cut stone, built in the 15th century between 1406 and 1410, a stone superstructure bell tower built from 1749 with Baroque [[volute]]s at its base, and a dome covered with slate and then the [[pheme|renowned]] arrow weather vane. At the time, a huge 11-ton bell was installed inside, it was later destroyed along with the dome, whose copper component melted, in the bombardment and fire of the city on 19 May 1940. Abandoned and devoid of a roof since [[World War II]], the monument was fully restored between February 1989 and July 1990.

Located on the ''Place au Fil'', the old central square of the city before the arrival of the railway and the rise of the ''Rue des Trois Calloux'', the belfry is adjacent to ''Les Halles'' and the back of the ''[[Hôtel de Ville, Amiens|Hôtel de Ville]]'' (city hall).<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00116043}}</ref> At a height of {{convert|52|m|ft}}, it rings every hour of the day.

Since July 2005, the belfry of Amiens is a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], as part of a set of 56 [[Belfries of Belgium and France]] which were inscribed because of their architecture and their importance in the rise of municipal power in Northern France and Belgium.<ref name="unesco943">{{cite web |url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/943 |title=Belfries of Belgium and France |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date=5 November 2021}}</ref> The belfry is also recorded in the inventory of Historic Monuments.