The Somme tourist board

Péronne is a quiet city marked by many centuries of invasions. Its medieval castle date from 13th century and now it accommodates the Museum of the Great War.

The modern part of the museum has been inserted into a very imposing fortification which, like the rest of the town, was damaged during the fighting. Here can be found the military or personal reminders of soldiers of the main combatant nations, the possessions of those wretched men who, like the writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline, "enriched the land". Here you can discover the daily life of the British, German of French civilians who where quickly drawn into the first "Total War", of which the museum illustrates the immense efforts of industralisation, propaganda and social effect.

© CDTSomme/ Justine Labesse

© CDTSomme/ Justine Labesse

The museum runs 56 period films, from the visit of Poincaré to Russia in July 1914 to the return of German troops who paraded through the Brandenburg gate in 1918 to the wild acclaim of the crowds. The museum's collections are outstanding : posters, pictures, objects from civilian and military daily life, carefully selected to offer the visitors a precise and faithful understanding of the war, at the front and behind the lines

More information : www.historial.org

Created in 1877 by Alfred Danicourt, the mayor of Péronne, the museum was in the town hall until 1914. Totally looted and destroyed by German troops during the world war 1, the town hall was rebuilt in 1920 in a flamboyant neo-renaissance style and the museum took its place on the floor.

This museum explains the local history and you can admire prehistoric, ancient and medieval collections.
Exhibitions, lectures...

To know more about the Museum Alfred Danicourt

You can admire the vestige of the battlements.

Discovery of Péronne
3 different walks let you discover Péronne : "la promenade bucolique, "la promenade historique", "la promenade des vieilles rues". Some nails on the ground identify the walks and totems explain the different monuments and persons of Péronne.
You also can discover the city with an audioguide.
More information at the tourist office.
Rate : 4€

Cycle rides
At the tourist office, you can rent a bike for 1 hour, 2 hours or more. It's the possibility to ride in Péronne and around and discover the landscapes of the Upper Somme.

Market :
Every Saturday morning in the city centre