Editing Cambrai (section)

====Civil heritage====
[[File:Carillon-Cambrai.jpg|thumb|left|Martin and Martine strike the hours in the bell tower of Cambrai's town hall]]

The {{Interlanguage link multi|Belfry of Cambrai|fr|3=Beffroi de Cambrai}}, formerly the bell tower of the Church of Saint-Martin. The monument, built in the 15th century, became a belfry of Cambrai in 1550. Classified in the inventory of historical monuments on 15 July 1965,<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00107416}}</ref> in 2005 the belfry was inscribed on the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage List]] as part of the [[Belfries of Belgium and France]] site, in recognition of its architecture and importance to the history of municipal power in Europe.<ref name = "unesco">{{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 = 6 November 2021}}</ref>

The city hall, renovated in 1932, opens onto the ''Grand'Place'' by a majestic Greek-style façade, surmounted by a bell tower where two bronze bell ringers, giant and Moorish type, strike the hours on a big bell above the big clock: {{Interlanguage link multi|Martin and Martine|fr|3=Martin et Martine}}, the protectors of the city. The marriage hall contains a series of frescoes and can be visited on request.

The Hotel de Francqueville (18th century) houses the rich collections of the {{Interlanguage link multi|Museum of Cambrai|fr|3=Musée de Cambrai}}, considerably enlarged and renovated in 1994.{{cn|date=October 2024}} The relief map of the city, as it was at the end of the 17th century, is the starting point for essential guided tours of the city.

The ''Maison Espagnole'' [Spanish House], headquarters of the Tourist Office, dates from 1595 and is the last house which is half-timbered and gabled on regional-style street. Oak sculptures ([[chimera (mythology)|chimera]]s and [[caryatid]]s) which adorned its façade in the 19th century are exposed on the first floor inside after undergoing a serious restoration. One can visit its medieval cellars. This building has been classified in the inventory of historical monuments on 31 August 1920.<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00107409}}</ref>

[[File:Marché couvert Cambrai.JPG|thumb|right|The covered market]]

The covered market, built after World War II, is home to lively Les Halles market days.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

The subterranean space<ref group="a" name="p.37"/> which extends below the centre of the city, as in other medieval cities, was explored in the middle of the 19th century as well as to the end of the 20th century. Carved into the white chalk, it includes galleries and Romanesque and Gothic vaulted rooms. There are also wells and niches for statues. These excavations have served as quarries for the extraction of construction materials, as well as stone for lime: The {{Interlanguage link multi|Catiche|fr|3=Catiche|lt="catiches"}} [underground quarries] are inverted funnels about {{convert|15|m|ft}} deep and {{convert|10-12|m|ft}} wide at the base.{{cn|date=October 2024}} This underground space was also used, until 1944, for shelters and caches during sieges, invasion or bombing.{{cn|date=October 2024}} Their dating is uncertain: It is not impossible that some of these excavations were carved during the Roman era, but it is likely that they were spaced out over a long period, according to the needs. Tours are organised by the tourist office.{{cn|date=October 2024}}