Cambrai

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Coordinates: 50°10′36″N 3°14′08″E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Cambrai (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Cambria or Combray.
Cambrai
Kamerijk (West Flemish)
Kimbré (Picard)
Subprefecture and commune
The bell tower of the town hall, where Martin and Martine [fr] mark the hours

Flag

Coat of arms

Location of Cambrai

Cambrai
Show map of France Show map of Hauts-de-France Show all
Coordinates: 50°10′36″N 3°14′08″E
Country France
Region Hauts-de-France
 Department Nord
Arrondissement Cambrai
Canton Cambrai
Intercommunality CA de Cambrai
Government
François-Xavier
 • Mayor (2020–2026)
Villain[1]
Area
1 18.12 km2 (7.00 sq mi)
Population
31,559
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
1,700/km2
 • Density
(4,500/sq mi)
Demonym Cambrésiens
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 59122 /59400
41–101 m (135–331 ft)
Elevation
(avg. 60 m or 200 ft)
1
French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247
acres) and river estuaries.

Cambrai (US: /kæmˈbreɪ, kɒ̃ˈ-/,[3][4] French: [kɑ̃bʁɛ] ( listen); Picard: Kimbré; Dutch: Kamerijk),
formerly Cambray[4] and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord
department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known
locally as the Escaut river.

A sub-prefecture of the department, Cambrai is a town which had 32,501 inhabitants in 2018. It
is in the heart of the urban unit of Cambrai with 46,772 inhabitants. Its functional area, a more
extensive range, included 94,576 inhabitants in 2018.[5] With Lille and the towns of the former
Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin, it is also part of the Metropolitan area of Lille [fr] which has
more than 3.8 million inhabitants.

Towards the end of the Roman Empire, Cambrai replaced Bavay as the "capital" of the land of
the Nervii. At the beginning of the Merovingian era, Cambrai became the seat of an immense
archdiocese covering all the right bank of the Scheldt and the centre of a small ecclesiastical
principality, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, including the central part of the Low
Countries. The bishopric had some limited secular power and depended on the Holy Roman
Empire until annexation to France in 1678. Fénelon, nicknamed the "Swan of Cambrai", was the
most renowned of the archbishops.

The fertile lands which surround it and the textile industry gave it prosperity in the Middle Ages,
but in modern times it is less industrialised than its neighbours of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
Cambrai was the Duke of Wellington's headquarters, for the British Army of Occupation, from
1815 to 1818. Occupied by the German army during World War I, Cambrai suffered partial
destruction in the First Battle of Cambrai from British artillery attacks on the town, including the
nearby Bourlon Wood. The fighting around Cambrai, known as the Battle of Cambrai (20
November 1917 – 3 December 1917) is notable in that it is considered to be the first mass use of
tanks in battle.[6] A second Battle of Cambrai took place between 8 and 10 October 1918 as part
of the Hundred Days Offensive. World War II was followed by reconstructions and a rapidly
developing economy and population, abruptly reversed by the 1973 oil crisis.

Cambrai today is a lively city and, despite the past destruction, maintains a rich monumental
heritage. Cambrai is affirmed as the urban centre of Cambrésis. Its economic life is strengthened
by its position on the main local highway and river.

Geography
Location

Geographic situation of Cambrai in the Nord department

The town of Cambrai is situated in the southern part of the Nord Department, of which it is chef-
lieu of the arrondissement. It belongs to the dense network of the cities of the area which are
separated by a few tens of kilometres: Douai is only 24 kilometres (15 mi) away, Valenciennes is
29 kilometres (18 mi), Arras is 35 kilometres (22 mi) and Saint-Quentin 37 kilometres (23 mi),
all measured as the crow flies.[7] The regional capital, Lille, is 52 kilometres (32 mi) from
Cambrai.[8]

Cambrai is not very far from several European capitals: Brussels is 108 kilometres (67 mi) away,
Paris is 160 kilometres (99 mi) and London is 279 kilometres (173 mi).[8]

The city was born and developed on the right bank of the Scheldt river, locally known as the
Escaut. The river has its source in the department of Aisne, just a little over 20 kilometres
(12 mi) away.

Places adjacent to Cambrai

Geology and landforms

Cambrai in its topographical context

Cambrai is located on chalk bedrock of the Cretaceous period, which forms the northern
boundary of the Paris Basin, between, to the east, the hills for Thiérache and Avesnois, the
foothills of the Ardennes [fr], and northwest, the hills of Artois. It is at a point which is relatively
lower than these two regions, called the "Cambrai threshold" or the "Bapaume threshold", which
facilitates the passage between the south and the north: Bapaume (Artois) is 100 metres (330 ft)
above sea level, Avesnes-sur-Helpe (Avesnois) is at 143 metres (469 ft) and Cambrai only 41
metres (135 ft). The Saint-Quentin canal, the Canal du Nord, the A1, A2 and A26 autoroutes all
borrow all this passage between the basin of the Seine and the plains of the Nord department.

The chalky subsoil allowed, as in many medieval cities, the digging of a network of cellars,
tunnels and quarries under the city. The poor quality of the Cambrai chalk was reserved for use
in the manufacture of lime or filling, as well as common constructions. For prestigious buildings,
stone from the nearby villages of Noyelles-sur-Escaut, Rumilly or Marcoing was used.[a 1]

The city is bordered in its western part, as well as to the north and the south, by the alluvial zones
of the Scheldt Valley.

Hydrography
 The Tower of Arquets (14th century) controlled the entry of
the Scheldt in the city and the flood defences.

Cambrai is built on the right bank of the Scheldt. The river, still of a very modest flow in
Cambrai,[9] played a crucial role in the history of the city by providing multiple functions,
including allowing the transportation of men and goods since antiquity. However, it was
undeveloped and was crossed by numerous marshes. It was with the discovery of coal at Anzin
in 1734 that the Scheldt was expanded and declared navigable in 1780, from Cambrai to the
North Sea.[a 2] The Scheldt is today the Canal de l'Escaut downstream of Cambrai.

In addition, the river initially served as the boundary between the bishoprics of Tournai on its left
bank and Cambrai on its right bank, from the 6th century.[c 1] When the division of Charlemagne's
Empire in 843, this border was retained to delimit the kingdoms of Lothair I and Charles the
Bald, making Cambrai a city of the Holy Roman Empire until 1677.

The Scheldt was also indispensable to many economic activities, such as the tanning, milling, the
manufacture of salt and soap,[a 3] as well as for retting of linen, the weaving of which was one of
the main activities of the city.[b 1]

Finally, the river was used in the Middle Ages and then by Vauban, for the defence of the city by
the establishment of flood defensive areas.

Despite its important role in the history of the city, the Scheldt is little integrated into the present
urban landscape.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Nord-Pas-de-Calais [fr]

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall
year round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West
Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[10] However, the city is about 110 kilometres (68 mi) from the
nearest coast.[note 1]

Precipitation is distributed year-round, with highs in the spring and autumn, with February being
the driest month. Contrasting with the rainy image of the region, the total annual precipitation is
relatively small with 642 millimetres (25.3 in) at Cambrai-Épinoy; identical to the Montsouris
Paris station, which is at the same altitude, it is less than those of Toulouse at 656 millimetres
(25.8 in) or Nice at 767 millimetres (30.2 in). However, the number of days of rain (63 in Nice,
120 in Cambrai) confirms the oceanic character of the climate.

The mean thermal amplitude between the winter and summer does not exceed 15 °C. Although
again establishing a comparison with Paris, that Cambrai is 1.5 to 2 °C colder over all combined
seasons.[11] On average, there are 71 days of fog per year (Paris-Montsouris has 13) 15 days of
storm (Paris-Montsouris has 19) and 20 days with snow (Paris-Montsouris has 15).

If comparing the data of Cambrai and those of towns such as Dunkirk or Boulogne,[12] there are
colder minimum temperatures and a warmer maximum in Cambrai, the difference being
approximately 2 °C, as well as a larger number of freezing days and less heavy precipitation: It's
described a "transitional" oceanic climate, with some continental influences.

The temperature record in Cambrai is 38.2 °C (100.8 °F), which was established on 6 August
2003[13] (data collected since 1954 and record updated to 5 September 2013).

Climate data for Cambrai-Épinoy

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average 6 7 11 14 18 21 23 23 19 14 9 5 11
high °C (°F) (42) (44) (51) (57) (64) (69) (73) (73) (67) (58) (48) (41) (52)
Daily mean 2.5 3.3 5.8 8.6 12.4 15.3 17.3 17.3 14.8 11.1 6.0 3.4 9.8
°C (°F) (36.5) (37.9) (42.4) (47.5) (54.3) (59.5) (63.1) (63.1) (58.6) (52.0) (42.8) (38.1) (49.6)
Average low 0 0 2 4 8 11 13 13 11 7 3 1 6
°C (°F) (32) (32) (36) (40) (46) (51) (55) (55) (51) (44) (38) (33) (43)
Average
precipitatio 46 41 53 48 46 71 74 66 56 71 61 66 690
n mm (1.8) (1.6) (2.1) (1.9) (1.8) (2.8) (2.9) (2.6) (2.2) (2.8) (2.4) (2.6) (27.3)
(inches)
Source 1: Weatherbase [14]
Source 2: Infoclimat Cambrai-Épinoy[15]

Ombrothermic diagram
Routes of communication and transport

Road

The A26 autoroute at its intersection with the A2, near

Cambrai

Cambrai is located at the crossroads of two French autoroutes, the A2 from Combles (junction
with the A1 coming from Paris) to the Franco-Belgian border, opened in 1973, and the A26 from
Calais to Troyes, opened in 1992. These autoroutes partly merge with the European roads of the
E19 from Amsterdam to Paris via Brussels, for the A2, and the E17 from Antwerp to Beaune via
Lille and Reims, for the A26.

Cambrai and its region are served by four autoroute interchanges: The A2, exit 14 (Cambrai)
from Paris and exit 15 (Bouchain) from Brussels, and on the A26 the exits 8 (Marquion) from
Calais and 9 (Masnières) from Reims.

Cambrai is also at the crossroads of the Route nationale 30 of Bapaume to Quiévrain (Franco-
Belgian border), Route nationale 43 of Sainte-Ruffine (Metz) to Calais, Route nationale 44 [fr] of
Cambrai to Vitry (these last three have since 2006 been downgraded to departmental roads [fr]
and therefore consequently renamed to D6xx), and D939 (former Route nationale 39 [fr]) of
Cambrai to Arras.

To facilitate access to the east of the Cambrésis from the A2 and A26 autoroutes, to alleviate
traffic in the crossing of the city and to serve the future Niergnies business zone, a southern
bypass was the subject of a declaration of public utility (DPU) on 22 April 1999. Its route has
been repeatedly modified and challenged, because it crosses the urban ecological park of the
Chenu Wood [fr] in Proville,[16] the only public natural green space of the Cambrésis. The bypass
is in service since 17 September 2010.[17]

A bypass to the north is also part of the program of major departmental projects, which was
required to have been initiated by 2011.[17]

Railway

The SNCF railway station in Cambrai

Cambrai railway station is connected by direct trains (TER) to Lille, Douai, Valenciennes, Saint-
Quentin, Reims.

The link to Douai and Lille has improved after the electrification of the single-track Douai to
Cambrai line [fr] in 1993, for the commissioning of joining Paris to Cambrai by TGV via Douai,
which was subsequently cancelled. Direct connections on weekdays are fifteen trains per day,
with a journey time of about 30 minutes between Douai and Cambrai; eight trains, with a journey
time often less than an hour, to Lille-Flandres station; ten trains, with a time of little more than
40 minutes on average to Valenciennes and a dozen trains, with a journey time of around 50
minutes, to Saint-Quentin.[18]

Cambrai is directly connected by rail to any European city, but links to Paris (Gare du Nord) are
mediocre if compared to those of the neighbouring cities. Valenciennes, Douai and Arras are
connected to Paris by TGV several times per day. Saint-Quentin is connected by TER or
Intercités trains with less than two hours travel time. Cambrai was connected to Paris in 2010 by
a single direct Intercités service of two hours, with a little-suited schedule for professional use.
The times of other trains via Douai or Saint-Quentin vary between two and four and a half hours.
[19]

Railway history
 The Gare de Cambrai-Annexe [fr] in 1913

The Gare du Cambrésis, former head of the line of the Chemin

de fer du Cambrésis The marina of Cantimpré

As early as 1833 the municipal council sought passage of a railway line through Cambrai.
However, a route through Arras and Douai, to Lille, with a branch to Valenciennes, was
preferred in 1845. It remained, therefore, to connect Cambrai to this line, which was done in
1878 by a single, winding line between Cambrai and Douai. Meanwhile, Cambrai had been
linked, in 1858, to the Paris-Brussels line by a branch line from Busigny and joining Somain,
near Douai.[b 2]

Other railway lines of local interest saw development in the 19th century, particularly in 1880 the
Société des Chemin de fer du Cambrésis which operated three routes in the Cambrésis between
Cambrai, Caudry, Saint-Quentin, Le Cateau and Denain. An agricultural use of Cambrai to
Marquion, now off line, was also open in 1898.[a 1]

Cambrai railway station was also the terminus of a standard gauge secondary route of
CGL/VFIL [fr] linking Marquion and Boisleux-au-Mont.

Railway projects

The regional transport scheme evokes three axes or projects concerning Cambrai: Improving the
Douai-Cambrai connections, the construction of a new railway line between Cambrai and
Marquion-Arras, in conjunction with the large gauge Seine-North Europe canal project and the
establishment of a business zone of Marquion, as well as "searching for a link from Orchies
towards Cambrai".[20]

Waterways

Cambrai is one of the seven territorial subdivisions of the regional management of Nord-Pas-de-
Calais of navigable waterways in France. The city is located at the junction of the Saint-Quentin
canal to the Oise and Paris and the Canal de l'Escaut, which leads to the Dunkerque-Escaut canal.
Commercial traffic on these canals is low, of the order of 250,000 tonnes upstream of Cambrai
and 420,000 tonnes downstream.

A marina is located at the junction of the two canals, at Cambrai-Cantimpré.

Waterways history

The Canal de l'Escaut (Scheldt canal), between Cambrai and Valenciennes, was opened to
navigation in 1780.

Moreover, a river link between Paris and the Nord department had been projected as early as the
time of Mazarin and Colbert. The construction of the Saint-Quentin canal, between Chauny on
the Oise and Cambrai, was taken up in 1802 on the order of Napoleon I and completed in 1810,
after the drilling of the Riqueval Tunnel. The canal and tunnel were opened with great pomp on
28 April 1810 by the Emperor and Empress Marie-Louise. The Saint-Quentin canal has
experienced heavy traffic, but since 1966, the date of the opening of the Canal du Nord, it has
lost much of its importance.

Waterways projects

A wide-gauge river link project, called Seine-Escaut Link project is part of the 30 priority
projects of the future trans-European transport network. The route of this project is through
Marquion, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) west of Cambrai. A platform of activities is planned therein.
The commissioning of the canal could take place around 2015.[21]

Airports

Cambrai is in close proximity to two airfields: Cambrai-Epinoy, to the north-west, whose use
was booked at the Airbase 103 [fr] until its closure in 2012, and Cambrai Niergnies, 5 kilometres
(3.1 mi) to the southeast, opened to recreational aviation.

Within an approximate radius of 1 hr 30 mins by road are five major airports: Lille-Lesquin at 60
kilometres (37 mi), Brussels South Charleroi at 114 kilometres (71 mi), Brussels National at 148
kilometres (92 mi), Paris Beauvais-Tillé at 151 kilometres (94 mi) and Paris Charles-de-Gaulle at
152 kilometres (94 mi).

Urban transport
 The tramway in 1905, in the main square

By 1897, that is, upon completion of the demolition of the fortifications, the city had considered
the construction of electric tram lines. It was a very modern solution for the time, since electric
traction only appeared in 1881 and the development of this mode of transport didn't truly occur
until 1895 in Paris and the Paris region. In 1903, the network of the Compagnie des tramways de
Cambrai [fr] was opened, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi)[b 3] and with five lines.[22] After World War I, the
uneconomic network was not recommissioned.[a 4]

Since 1933 the agglomeration of Cambrai has been served by a network of buses [fr], five urban
routes were operating in 2010, run by CFC (Railways of Cambrésis):

 A: Luxembourg – Cambrai stations – Escaudœuvres

 B: Neuville-Saint-Rémy – Cambrai stations – ZAC Cambrai-South
 C: Les Martigues-Pyrénées – Cambrai stations – Raillencourt-Sainte-Olle
 D: Cambrai stations – Raillencourt-Sainte-Olle
 E: ZAC Cambrai-South – Cambrai stations

Since 7 January 2013, the agglomeration community of Cambrai has implemented a free shuttle
which serves seventeen stops around the city.[23]

In 2008, the "Urban Transport Perimeter" (PTU) of Cambrai which, with 59,326 inhabitants, is
the smallest of the twelve PTU of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region had completed about 400,000
kilometres (250,000 mi) per year, corresponding to 740,000 journeys.[24]

The agglomeration community of Cambrai is the organising authority of urban transport.

However, while it has twenty-three communes, only six were served by urban transport in 2006.
For other towns and cities, the urban community has delegated jurisdiction to the department.[25]

In a relatively sparsely populated agglomeration with little extensive public transport, it cannot
easily compete with the automobile. Nevertheless, the agglomeration community of Cambrai
reflects on the future of urban transport from a perspective of sustainable development, with
aims to strengthen the supply of public transport in order to capture a portion of travel by private
car, and reducing car traffic and CO2 emissions. The realisation of the new multimodal transport
hub in the quarter of the railway station of Cambrai is part of this policy.[26]

Urbanism
Urban morphology
Origins

The old centre of Cambrai was established on a small rise overlooking, from the right bank, the
marshy area of the Scheldt Valley. Indications suggest that a castrum was built at this location,
although the scarcity of excavations at Cambrai in has provided no archaeological evidence.[b 4][c
2]
With its area of 4.4 hectares (11 acres), the very modest castrum would've been much smaller
than those of Boulogne at 13 hectares (32 acres) and Reims at 56 hectares (140 acres), for
example.

Development

Faubourgs were developed, at the time of the Merovingian prosperity, to the north and west of
the primitive castrum, around the churches of Saint-Vaast and Saint-Aubert. The looting of the
city by the Vikings in December 880 convinced the Bishop Dodilon to strengthen and expand
fortifications: The new enclosure he built tripled the size of the city.[b 5] To the southeast, on a
hillock called Mont-des-Bœufs, Bishop Gaugericus had founded an abbey in 595, originally
dedicated to Saint Médard and Saint Loup, then, after the death of the founder, Gaugericus
himself. This abbey was certainly also protected by an enclosure. The space which separated
these two urban cores hosted markets and fairs.[b 6]

City map dating from 1649

Map of 1710

These two quarters were joined in the 11th century when Bishop Gérard I built the churches of
Saint Nicolas and the Saint Sepulchre, southeast of the city and east of Mont-des-Bœufs. The
town hall, the market, butcher and various bodies of craftsmen settled in this new urban space
that Bishop Lietbert had protected by an earth rampart. Even today the Grand-place, the covered
market, and a few names of streets (the Rue de Liniers, Rue des Rôtisseurs, Rue des
Chaudronniers and Rue des Cordiers) recall this stage of urban development.[b 7]

The Bishop Gérard II later replaced the earth rampart with a stone wall with towers, gates and
ditches and encompassed the entire built space. Therefore Cambrai had reached the perimeter it
would retain until the 19th century: While other cities in the region such as Bruges, Ghent or
Douai expanded their enclosures until the 14th century, that of Cambrai was redesigned and
reinforced, but without affecting the outline.[b 8][d 1] The outline of this wall from the 11th century
is still visible in the current boulevards.
It was probably under the episcopates of the bishops Gérard I, Liebert and Gérard II, in the 11th
century, that was built the Château de Selles [fr], a fortress located on the edge of the Scheldt to
the northwest of the city. In the 13th century, the Bishop Nicolas III de Fontaines ordered work
to put it "on a good foot of defence".[27] This castle, owned by the bishop-counts, was intended as
much to monitor the city as to ensure the defence. Its military role ended in the 16th century,
when Charles V grabbed the city and ordered the construction, on Mont-des-Bœufs northeast of
the town, of a citadel for which 800 houses were demolished along with the Abbey of Saint
Gaugericus.[b 9] The Château de Selles was then used as a prison.

Dismantling of fortifications

In the 19th century, the city was cramped within its fortified walls, which limited its
development and prohibited any urban planning.

Cambrai is one of the most inaccessible cities imaginable; its fortifications have a formidable
appearance when it follows covered paths narrow and tortuous, crossing ditches filled by the
Scheldt. Walls of extraordinary height enclose. The entrances, similar to tunnels, and barely
sufficient for a car, lead to the city. All this overseen by a very daunting citadel built on top of
Mont Saint-Géry.

— Ardouin-Dumazet [fr], written in 1890.[a 5]

The dismantling of the fortifications, requested by petition as early as 1862, was finally accepted
by the State after a further 30 years.[b 10] The work lasted 6 years and transformed the appearance
of the city by the construction of a belt of wide boulevards, the sale of new land to build,
connecting the city to its suburbs and the establishment of public gardens.

Drainage work

Entry of the Scheldt into the city through the gate of Arquets
(postcard from the early 20th century)

Cambrai is built on the edge of the wide marshy area of the Scheldt Valley encircling the western
part of the city, the Château de Selles [fr] to the north at the gate of the Holy Sepulchre in the
south: Wet gardens, ponds, meadows, ponds and marsh formed a flood zone sometimes also used
for the defence of the city. The suburb of Cantimpré, linking the ancient heart to the Scheldt
below to the west, had raised several metres.[a 6] The two arms of the Scheldt (Escaut), the
Escautins, are separated before entering the medieval town: The Escauette and the Clicotiau,
which bathed the walls of the old urban core. These streams were probably due to man's hand
because they do not correspond to natural landforms. However, it is unknown whether their
origin dates back to the Roman era or is from a later time.

Throughout the Middle Ages, and again in modern times, the Scheldt and its arms required
constant work: Repair of levees, enhancement of pavement, straightening of the bed, as well as
the digging of ditches to regulate the course of the river, prevent floods and ensure as far as
possible a steady water level, on which the mills and tanneries depended. Despite these works,
floods were frequent.[a 7] The absorption of rainwater and household water descending from the
upper areas of the city was also a problem. Bouly spoke in 1842, in his History of Cambrai and
le Cambrésis, of "fast torrents [stormwater] formed today by rolling up the Scheldt".[28] In the
Middle Ages the "flow of el kayère" (or "flow of the chair"),[note 2] close to the current Grand-
Place, was dug a reservoir for "water courses of the falling waters of the sky", i.e. to control the
flow of rainwater. In the 19th century aqueducts were built to carry these waters, and the streets
were paved. Furthermore, in 1926 a drainage sewer was built at Rue Blériot.

The draining of the wetlands that surround the town began in 1804. The work ended in 1951 with
the drying of the small stream of Saint Benoît near the Liberty Stadium, itself built on this
wetland which dominated the ancient city walls, and in 1953 with the covering of the Clicotiau.[a
3]

The 20th century

On the Grand-Place the specification of reconstruction

imposed a regional style Ruins of the town centre, in 1917

The destruction caused by World War I necessitated a reconstruction of the centre. The
municipality organised a competition, which was won by Pierre Leprince-Ringuet [fr]. His
project, inspired with both a regionalist taste and the Hausmannian style, completely redesigned
the layout of roads from the Middle Ages. It was rebuilt as a modern city. The architect Louis
Marie Cordonnier described the prospects to elected representatives:

The centre of the city is completely razed and destroyed. So, you have free rein. Your duty is to
remake a city pleasant, modern, retaining its character. Acting otherwise would be a crime for
which you would be responsible to future generations. Your streets were narrow, twisty:
Straighten them, adjust them, expand them. Your houses were awkward, obscure, unhealthy:
Enforce in your specifications the requirements for hygiene, for ventilation, for lighting.

— Louis Marie Cordonnier, La Vie des Cambrésiens [The Life of the People of Cambrai][a 8]

The Leprince-Ringuet plan was only partially achieved, but the streets were removed, others
expanded, and new paths were created as the Avenue de la Victoire [Avenue of Victory].

Further destruction due to the Allied bombing of April–August 1944 again required a
reconstruction. It was especially, in the years following World War II, to rehouse the victims and
to cope with the expanding population. Priority was given to detached houses, and new quarters
appeared, such as the "Martin–Martine" subdivision south-east of the city. In the 1980s the
municipality worked to restore and develop the ancient heritage.

Housing

Cambrai had 18,112 housing units in 2017, of which 15,925 were occupied as primary
residences.[29] The proportion of individual housing is 54.2%. Primary residences dominate with
87.9%, and one can especially note the very low proportion of secondary residences in Cambrai:
1.0%.[29]
 A street of houses in the subdivision "Martin Martine"
constructed by the Maison Familiale group, characteristic habitat of the years 1960–1970

Former habitat in the old Cambrai

The proportion of house owners, at 44.3%, is lower than in the rest of the country (57.5%). The
tenants are much more numerous, 54.1% in Cambrai, against little more than 40% in France.
Among rental housing, the proportion of HLM housing, at 16.7%, is significantly higher than the
national average of 14.8%.[29]

The age of the accommodation in Cambrai is distinguished from both regional and national
averages. Housing is older, on average, in Cambrai than in the rest of the country. The proportion
of (pre-1945) "old" housing, is 33.5%, which is significantly higher than the French average of
22.2%. Meanwhile, dwellings built between 1946 and 1970 account for 37.0% of the total in
Cambrai, significantly above the 21.5% of the country. This proportion can probably be
explained by the necessary reconstruction which followed the destruction of World War II, as
well as programmes of Maison Familiale group homes in the 1960s and 1970s. More recent
housing is relatively less in the city than in the rest of France or even in the region: 7.3% of
accommodation in Cambrai was built between 1991 and 2005, compared with 16.1% in France;
5.2% have been built since 2006, compared with 10.9% in France.[29] This is probably a
consequence of the less dynamic economy and population of the city in recent years.

The agglomeration community seeks to improve the quality of the accommodation by various
means: Encourage rehabilitation of vacant properties, expand available accommodation which is
suitable for elderly or handicapped people, increase the supply of rentals and promote the
construction of more energy-efficient housing. The creation of 960 new social houses was
provided over six years, from 2008 to 2014.[30]

The Urban social cohesion contract [fr] signed in 2007 with the city and the urban community
was the first of the Nord department. Five quarters, not classified as "sensitive urban areas", are
concerned: The old centre where old habitat remains, the l'Amérique and La Forêt estates,
consisting primarily of multi-family housing, and the d'Esnes and de Guise estates dominated by
single-family housing.[30]

Development projects

The entrance from the Scheldt canal, the canal which serves
the old docks and warehouses of Cambrai

In 2010, the projects of the municipality include:[31]

 The "docks and warehouses," Brownfield site of 5 hectares (12 acres) at the edge of the
Saint-Quentin canal, the assignment of which has not yet been determined but which
should essentially be devoted to recreation.[32]
 The rehabilitation of the centre of the Martin–Martine quarter, and in particular the
transformation of the green corridor which was originally reserved for an "urban
expressway", never realised.[33]
 The layout of the Place du 9-Octobre around the Church of Saint-Géry [Saint
Gaugericus]
 The redevelopment of the station quarter in the "exchange hub": A study on the
development of the multimodal trade hub of Cambrai was launched in 2007 by the
agglomeration community of Cambrai in partnership with the city, the Northern
Department and the region, with purpose the station District redevelopment and
improvement of intermodality.[34]
 The relocation of the library to new premises.
 The "modernisation" of the public garden.

On the other hand, the local urbanism plan [fr] revolves around eight themes: "Cambrai, an urban
centre in the countryside", "Preserve and enhance the natural, rural and agricultural space",
"Reclaim and restructure", "Render Cambrai fully in its urbanity", "Build upon the city of
history", "Save and protect the environment, improve the quality of the living environment",
"Ensuring economic and sustainable development", and also "Mastering travel or promoting
changes in modes of transport".[35]

Toponymy
The location is attested as Camaracum in the 4th century in the Peutinger Table and Cameracum
(no date). It recognises the Gallo-Roman suffix of Celtic origin -acum [fr] "place of", "property
of", preceded by an element not identified with certainty. Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing[36]
offered the Gallo-Roman type name of a person called Camarus.

This is also found in the anthroponym of Chambray (Eure) (Cambracus 1011, Cameragus to
1025). Variants Cambarius and Camarius would also explain Cambayrac, Chambry in Aine and
the same in Seine-et-Marne, Chamery, Chémery, etc. François de Beaurepaire[37] notes that it
may also be a pre-Latin camar or cambar theme. However, Xavier Delamarre cited the personal
name Cambarius, which he considers as based on the Gallic word cambo- "curve" (cf. old Irish
camb, camm "curved", "bent" or "twisted"). Camarus would be a variant of this Gallic nickname
meaning "that which is curved".[38]

The Cambrai shape is Normanno-Picard with a hard "C", characteristic of the north of the Joret
line and therefore corresponds to the form of Francien type Chambray. In addition, the name of
the town was written Cambray until the French Revolution.

It is known under the name of Kamerijk in Dutch[39] and formerly Kamerich in German and
Camberick/Cambrick in English.

History
Antiquity

An extract from the Peutinger table showing Camaraco

(Cambrai) northeast of Sammarobriva (present-day Amiens)

Little is known with certainty of the beginnings of Cambrai. Camaracum or Camaraco, as it was
known to the Romans, is mentioned for the first time on the Peutinger table in the middle of the
4th century. It became the main town of the Roman province of the Nervii, whose first Roman
capital had been at Bagacum, present-day Bavay.

In the middle of the 4th-century, Frankish raids from the north threatened Bavay and led the
Romans to build forts along the Cologne to Bavay to Cambrai road, and thence to Boulogne.
Cambrai thus occupied an important strategic position. In the early 5th century the town had
become the administrative centre of the Nervii in replacement of Bavay which was probably too
exposed to the Franks' raids and perhaps too damaged.

Christianity arrived in the region at about the same time. A bishop of the Nervii by the name of
Superior is mentioned in the middle of the 4th century, but nothing else is known about him.
In 430 the Salian Franks under the command of Clodio the Long-Haired took the town. In 509
Clovis undertook to unify the Frankish kingdoms[b 11] by getting rid of his relatives. One of them
was Ragnachar, who ruled over a small kingdom from Cambrai.

Middle Ages

Cambrai began to grow from a rural market into a real city during the Merovingian times, a long
period of peace when the bishoprics of Arras and Cambrai were first unified (probably owing to
the small number of clerics left at the time) and were later transferred to Cambrai, an
administrative centre for the region. Successive bishops, including Gaugericus (in French Géry),
founded abbeys and churches to host relics, which contributed powerfully to giving Cambrai
both the appearance and functions of a city.[b 12]

Following the Treaty of Verdun, Cambrai found itself as a

"median" border city of the kingdom of Lothair I with the western lands of Charles the Bald

When the Treaty of Verdun in 843 split Charlemagne's empire into three parts, the county of
Cambrai fell into Lothaire's kingdom. However, upon the death of Lothair II, who had no heir,
king Charles the Bald tried to gain control of his kingdom by having himself sacred at Metz.
Cambrai thus reverted, but only briefly, to the Western Frankish Realm. In 870 the town was
destroyed by the Normans.[40]

By 925 Henry the Fowler had regained control of Lothair's former domains. Cambrai henceforth
belonged to the Holy Roman Empire, in an uncomfortable position on the border with France,
until it was annexed by France eight centuries later after being captured by Louis XIV in 1677.
 The belfry of Cambrai, the old bell tower of the Church of
Saint Martin, symbol of communal freedoms

In the Middle Ages the region around Cambrai, called Cambrésis, was a county. Rivalries
between the count, who ruled the city and county, and the bishop, ceased when in 948 Otto I
granted the bishop with temporal powers over the city.[b 13] In 1007, Emperor Henry II extended
the bishop's temporal power to the territory surrounding Cambrai. The bishops then had both
spiritual and temporal powers. This made Cambrai and Cambrésis a church principality, much
like Liège, an independent state which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The spiritual power
of the bishop was exercised over a vast diocese, which stretched on the right bank of the Scheldt
to Mons, Brussels and Antwerp.[41] In 953, the Magyars besieged Cambrai, which resisted all
their attacks.[42]

In 958 one of the first communal uprisings in Europe occurred in Cambrai. The inhabitants
rebelled against Bishop Bérenger's power and abuses. The rebellion was severely repressed, but
the discontent flared up again in the 10th and 11th centuries. Between 1077 and 1215, the
burghers had a charter franchise on at least four occasions. Each time, these were eventually
withdrawn by the combined efforts of the bishops and emperors. In 1227, following another
period of unrest, the burghers of Cambrai finally had to give up their charters and accept the
bishop's authority. However, the Loi Godefroid promulgated by the bishop, in fact or in law, left
the people a number of freedoms won in the management of communal affairs.[43]

Cambrai is also known for its Irish homily.

Economic activity
 Plan of Cambrai drawn in 1649, depicting the outline of the
11th century walls

In the Middle Ages the city grew richer and larger thanks to its weaving industry which produced
woollen cloth, linen and cambric. Cambrai, and in particular the drapery, experienced an
economic decline from the 15th century.[b 1] Cambrai then belonged to a commercial hansa of
seventeen low country cities whose aim was to develop trade with the fairs in Champagne and
Paris. By the 11th century the city walls had reached the circumference they would keep until the
19th century.

Music history

Dufay (left) in conversation with Gilles Binchois

Cambrai has a distinguished musical history, particularly in the 15th century. The cathedral
there, a musical center until the 17th century, had one of the most active musical establishments
in the Low Countries; many composers of the Burgundian School either grew up and learned
their craft there, or returned to teach. In 1428 Philippe de Luxembourg claimed that the cathedral
was the finest in all of Christianity, for the fineness of its singing, its light, and the sweetness of
its bells. Guillaume Dufay, the most famous European musician of the 15th century, studied at
the cathedral from 1409 to 1412 under Nicolas Malin and Richard Loqueville, and returned in
1439 after spending many years in Italy. Cambrai cathedral had other famous composers in the
later 15th century: Johannes Tinctoris and Ockeghem went to Cambrai to study with Dufay.[b 14]
Other composers included Nicolas Grenon, Alexander Agricola, and Jacob Obrecht. In the 16th
century, Philippe de Monte, Johannes Lupi, and Jacobus de Kerle all worked there.

Hundred Years' War

Even though the bishop tried to preserve the independence of his small state of Cambrésis, the
task was not easy, wedged as the county was between its more powerful neighbours the counts of
Flanders, of Hainaut and the kings of France, especially during the Hundred Years' War. In 1339,
in the early stages of the war, the English king Edward III laid siege to the city but eventually
had to withdraw. By the 14th century the county was surrounded on all parts by Burgundy's
possessions and John of Burgundy, an illegitimate son of John the Fearless, was made bishop.
However, what looked like an impending annexation of Cambrésis to the states of Burgundy was
made impossible by the sudden death of Charles the Bold in 1477. Louis XI immediately seized
the opportunity to take control of Cambrai, but left the city a year later.

The legend of Martin and Martine

Martin and Martine are two legendary characters who have come to represent the city which they
are said to have saved. There are different versions of the story. The most commonly accepted
version runs as follows: around the year 1370, at the time of Bishop Robert, Count of Geneva,
Martin, a blacksmith of Moorish descent established in Cambrai, was among the burghers who
left the city to fight the lord of Thun-Lévêque, who was then reputed to ransom the population
around the city and generally to afflict the region. Martin, armed only with his heavy iron
hammer, soon came face to face with the enemy. He dealt such a heavy blow on his opponent's
head that, although the helmet of the lord did not break, because it was made of good steel, it was
driven down to his eyes. Dazed and blinded, the lord of Thun quickly surrendered. Today the
automatons of Martin and Martine, standing at the top of the town hall, strike the hours with a
hammer as a reminder of that mighty blow.

Early Modern era

 The "gunners' house" in Cambrai is an example of 17th-

century Flemish architecture Plan of Cambrai in 1710

As the economic centre of northern Europe moved away from Bruges, the area became poorer,
with an associated period of cultural decline. However the city's neutrality and its position
between the possessions of the Habsburg Empire and France made it the venue of several
international negotiations, including the League of Cambrai, an alliance engineered in 1508 by
Pope Julius II against the Republic of Venice, concluding in the Treaty of Cambrai [fr]. The
alliance collapsed in 1510 when the Pope allied with Venice against his former ally France. The
conflict is also referred to as the War of the League of Cambrai and lasted from 1508 to 1516.
Cambrai was also the site of negotiations in 1529, concluding in the Paix des Dames, which led
to France's withdrawal from the War of the League of Cognac.

In 1543 Cambrai was conquered by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and annexed to his
already vast possessions. He had the medieval monastery of Saint-Sépulchre demolished and a
citadel built in its place.[citation needed]

In 1595, the city was taken by the Spanish in the eighth and last French Wars of Religion.
In December 1623, the community of nuns of the English Benedictine Congregation was
founded at Cambrai.[44] Expelled in 1793 as a result of the French Revolution, its successor
community in 1838 was Stanbrook Abbey, near Malvern and later Wass in Yorkshire.

In 1630, Richelieu, wishing to counter the power of the Emperor and Spain, renewed the alliance
of France with the United Provinces. The main effort of France had to focus on the Spanish
Netherlands, and a sharing plan was established with the Dutch, with France to receive the
Hainaut, Cambrésis, Artois, a large part of Flanders and Luxembourg and the County of Namur.
[45]
War was declared against Spain in 1635: It was followed by a long series of wars which,
compounded by subsistence and epidemics, caused crises which would bruise the Cambrésis.[b 15]

Mazarin tried unsuccessfully, in 1649, to seize the city which was being besieged by Henri de
Lorraine-Harcourt and the Vicomte de Turenne. A Spanish regiment, which came from Bouchain
succeeded in entering the city and the siege was lifted. In 1657, the Vicomte de Turenne captured
Cambrai. Again 4,000 horsemen under the command of Condé, in the service of the Spain,
manage to penetrate, and Turenne abandoned the city.[b 16]

In 1666, in the greatest secrecy, Louis XIV prepared new conquests by making plans of the
Spanish fortifications, and then began the War of Devolution. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
from 1668 allowed the Kingdom of France to obtain a large number of strongholds, but Cambrai
was not a part of them, nor were Bouchain, Valenciennes or Condé-sur-l'Escaut.

The annexation by France

In 1672, hostilities resumed against the Protestant Republic of the Netherlands and continued in
the following years. In 1676, Louis XIV, in an effort to "safeguard the tranquility of his borders
for ever" ("assurer à jamais le repos de ses frontières"), focused most of his efforts against Spain
and occupied Condé and Bouchain. On 17 March 1677, the French troops stormed Valenciennes
and moved toward Cambrai, the strongest place of the Netherlands,[b 17] which was reached on 20
March.[46] On 22 March, Louis XIV was in the city in person.[b 18] On 2 April, the French invested
in a part of the place. By 5 April, the city surrendered, given the same benefits as Lille in 1667,[b
2]
but the Spanish garrison took refuge in the citadel and the siege continued until 17 April. After
29 days of siege the king made his entry into the city, on 19 April, Easter Monday.[b 19] Louis
XIV named the Marquis de Cesen as governor, and appointed 14 new aldermen while keeping
the same provost.

By the Treaty of Nijmegen of 1678, Spain had relinquished Cambrai, which has remained as a
part of France, to this day.

French influence would transform the architecture and urbanism of the city. The gables of the
houses on the street were blocked and the city was embellished with mansions. The fortifications
were reinforced with advanced works. The first archbishop appointed by the king of France was
François Fénelon. He came to be known as the "Swan of Cambrai" ("le cygne de Cambrai"), in
opposition to his friend and rival Bossuet, the "eagle of Meaux" ("l'aigle de Meaux"), and he
wrote his Maxims of the Saints while residing in the city. He had a relentless zeal to enlighten the
faithful and to convert the unfaithful.