*VIRTUAL TOUR - The Somme Offensive Continued* MUSÉE SOMME 1916

MUSÉE SOMME 1916

The Museum opened its doors on the 1st July 1992; that year, 10,000 entries were registered. The number reached 90,000 by 2014, 60% of the visitors being English speaking. Each year, the Museum obtains new relics to give value to the scenes during the winter closure. From the 9th Century, through to the 16th Century, the population of Albert, like many other villages and towns in the Picardy region, dug into the chalky soil underneath their homes to build tunnels and hideouts, called muches to take cover from any Normand or Spanish invasions which frequently occurred during that period. The Germans took Albert during their Ludendorff Offensive the 21st March until the 5th April 1918, also known as the second Battle of the Somme, or the Kaiserschlacht (Michael). The Allies decided the only way to retrieve the town for the British Army was to destroy it completely; the Post Office was the only building left standing.

On the 22nd August 1918, the British reoccupied the town; ‘Nothing remained but name, glory and the ruins’. As World War two approached, the Town Hall decided to fortify the underground tunnels to shelter the civil population and prevent a mass exodus. Unfortunately, Albert had one target that towered over the village making it an excellent observation post for whoever occupied it and an irresistible target for opposing Gunners. Earlier town fathers, attempting to turn the community into a destination for Christian pilgrims, had built an impressive Romanesque basilica crowned with a gilded statue of the virgin Mary holding up her baby son to God. The virgin also appears to be lame, an apparent message of the power of prayer for the handicapped.

During the early days of the War, German Artillery had shelled the basilica, trying to knock it down and prevent the French Artillery spotters from using it. They had only succeeded in dislodging the statue of Mary, which by 1916 hung at a precarious angle just below the horizontal; hence, the legend of the leaning, or hanging, virgin was born. The British rendition was that whoever knocked her down would lose the war, the Germans apparently believing the opposite. Another version of the legend had it that the fall of the virgin would signal the end of the War. The details of the various versions seem secondary to the belief by Troops of both sides that the virgin's natural descent was halted temporarily by a divine hand, so its final destruction could mark the War's end. It must have provided a double psychic reassurance that the Forces of Heaven had taken an interest in protecting the virgin and her child, and would eventually take steps to end the suffering on the Battlefield. On the 18th September 1919, Albert was cited in the Order of the Army. The War Cross takes its place with the Coat of Arms of the commune. With the energy of its inhabitants the martyr city will rise from its ruins, more beautiful and flourishing with 8,400 inhabitants in 1931. Today, Albert has around 10,400 inhabitants.

Hygge café

Directions 
The Museum is a linear design, so when you emerge, you will be located in a large garden around 300 metres away from the Town centre; use the skyline, and follow the cathedral tower to get back to the centre of town.

You should continue your tour by following your SatNav back to your hotel. However, should you prefer not to use modern technology, follow our route from the town centre towards Amiens on the Route Rue Anatle, France. Continue on that road, through Albert, and on towards Amiens. When you arrive at Amiens, follow the reverse of your outward journey, back to your hotel.