Albert in Somme, Upper France, France — Western Europe
La gare d’Albert
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, June 12, 2024
1. La gare d’Albert Marker
La gare d’Albert
La première gare avait été inaugurée en 1846 sur la ligne SNCF Paris-Lille, répondant ainsi à l'essor industriel de la ville. Elle se situait à environ 200 mètres sur la droite de la gare actuelle. Une seconde gare existait pour le tortillard qui reliait Albert à Doullens et Péronne.
La ville ayant été complètement détruite pendant la première guerre mondiale, Gustave Umbdenstock, architecte de la Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord, travaille dès 1920 à la reconstruction de cet édifice dans un style régionaliste néo-flamand avec, notamment, des pignons en escalier.
L'alliance du béton pour les structures et de la brique pour les parements font de cette gare un modèle qui sera reproduit à Saint- Amand-les-Eaux (1927) et à Henin-Liétard (1930).
N'hésitez pas à entrer dans cette gare restaurée en 1993 pour découvrir la curiosité exposée dans le hall: non pas un train mais un avion, un Potez 36 qui rappelle les débuts de l'industrie aéronautique locale.
Credit photo: Office de tourisme du Pays du Coquelicot
Albert railway station
The first railway station was inaugurated in 1846 on the Paris-Lille SNCF line in response to the town's industrial development. It was situated approximately 200 m to the right of the present-day railway station. There was a second station for the local line linking Albert with Doullens and Péronne.
The town was completely destroyed during the First World War and in 1920 Gustave Umbdenstack, an architect at the Compagnie de chemins de fer du Nord, began work on the reconstruction of this building in a typical local neo-Flemish style of which the star-shaped gables are a prime example.
The combination of concrete structures and brick facings meant that the station was to become a model which would be reproduced at Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (1927) and at Henin-Lind (1930).
Don't hesitate to come into the station which was restored in 1993, and take a look at the curiosity inside: not a train as you might expect, but an aeroplane: a Potez 36 which reminds us of the beginnings of the local aeronautical industry.
Topics.
this page online
Location. 50° 0.321′ N, 2° 38.691′ E. Marker is in Albert, Hauts-de-France (Upper France), in Somme. It is on Place du Général de Gaulle north of Avenue Georges Clemenceau, in the median. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 Pl du Général de Gaulle, Albert, Hauts-de-France 80300, France. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a French colony and also the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: La Basilique Notre Dame de Brebières (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Musée Somme 1916 (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); French Forces of the Interior Battalion 7/2 (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Albert A Ses Morts (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Toulet
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, June 12, 2024
2. La gare d’Albert and Marker
Additional commentary.
1. Potez 36 information
A marker inside the Albert Train Station has the following additional information:
Potez 36
Ce biplace de tourisme fut conçu puis réalisé à Meaulte, commune voisine d'Albert.
en 1933, par Henry Potez. Des aviateurs célèbres tels Mermoz, Saint-Exupéry,
Guillaumet, le pilotèrent. En 1957, il fut restauré par Monsieur Hélis de Jonzac. Equipé
d'un moteur Renault type 4 PB d'origine, et propriété du Conseil Général de la Somme, il
a volé quelques heures en 1991 lors de la commémoration du 100 anniversaire de la
naissance d'Henry Potez. Témoin de l'aventure de l'Aérospatiale et des pionniers de l'Aéronautique, il symbolise l'esprit inventif des grands avionneurs, tels Potez et il justifie la fierté de la Ville d'Albert et de l'Aérospatiale de Méaulte.
English translation
Potez 36
This two-seater touring aircraft was designed and built in Meaulte,
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, June 12, 2024
3. The Potez 36 inside the Albert Train Station, as mentioned in the marker text
— Submitted June 25, 2024.
circa 1910
4. The old station
Photographed by R. Lélong, Fuscien (Somme), circa 1917
5. The ruins of the station
Photographed by Librairie Col-Albert, circa 1929
6. The new station
Credits. This page was last revised on June 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2024, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 212 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 25, 2024, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 26, 2024.
