Abbeville

**Abbeville**  is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

## Location
Abbeville is on the Somme River,  from its modern mouth in the English Channel. Most of the town is on the east bank of the Somme, as well as on an island.  It is at the start of the Abbeville Canal, and is  northwest of Amiens. In the medieval period, it was the lowest crossing point on the Somme. Edward III's army crossed nearby shortly before the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

## Administration
Abbeville was the capital of the former province of France of Ponthieu. Today, it is one of the three subprefectures of the Somme department.

## Etymology
The Romans occupied it and named it *Abbatis Villa*. but recently the term 'abevillian' is becoming obsolete as the earlier form of stone tool, not found in Europe, is known as the Oldowan chopper. Some of these artifacts are displayed at the museum Boucher-de-Perthes.

A more refined form from a later period of handaxe production was found in the Abbeville/Somme River district. The more refined handaxe became known as the Acheulean industry, named after Saint-Acheul, today a suburb of Amiens. It retained some importance into the Bronze Age. The Battle of France was lost by the Allies.

Charles de Gaulle (17–18 May 1940), as a Colonel in this period, launched a counterattack in the region of Laon (see the map). He had 80 tanks to  destroy the communication of the German armoured troops. His newly formed 4e Division cuirassée reached Montcornet, resulting in the Battle of Montcornet. But, without support,  the 4th DCR was forced  to retreat. There was another counterattack with the Battle of Abbeville. After Laon (24 May), de Gaulle was promoted to temporary general: "On 28 May (...) the 4th DCR attacked twice to destroy a pocket captured by the enemy south of the Somme near Abbeville. The operation was successful, with over 400 prisoners taken and the entire pocket mopped up except for Abbeville (...) but in the second attack the 4th DCR failed to gain control of the city in the face of superior enemy numbers."  WWII was not kind to the buildings of the town as the  famous 17th century Gothic Cathedral of St. Vulfran was nearly destroyed.

## Economy
Abbeville manufactures textiles; in particular, linens and tablecloths. It also has cordage|cordage factories and spinning mills. Finally, it also makes locks and produces sugar.

### Historical population
:1901: 18,519
:1906: 18,971
:1990: 23,787
:2006: 24,829

## Sights
The city was very picturesque until the early days of the World War II. It was bombed mostly to rubble in one night by the Germans. The town overall is now mostly modern and rebuilt. Several of the town's attractions remain, including:

* St. Vulfran's church, erected in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The original design was not completed. The nave has only two bays and the choir is insignificant. The façade is an outstanding example of the flamboyant Gothic style, flanked by two Gothic towers.
* The Boucher de Perthes Museum, in the now unused bell tower. It is a tribute to Jacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de Perthes who also has a French public secondary school named after him. The museum features art work and other artefacts from the 16th century onwards, and other exhibitions that change every few months.
* A monument *aux morts* (to the dead) with sculptural work by Louis-Henri Leclabart. A montage of photographs of this monument is shown below.

## Transport
Abbeville is served by trains on the line between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Amiens.  Abbeville was the southern terminus of the Réseau des Bains de Mer, the line to Dompierre-sur-Authie opened on 19 June 1892 and closed on 10 March 1947.

## Notes 
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## References