In Arras, there are several obligatory passages: the belfry, the main square, the small square and its market… But to get a little off the beaten track and out of our time, it’s good to Wellington Quarry that we take you 20 meters below, underground. In 1917, during the First World War, British soldiers hid here for a week without the Germans noticing anything! 24,000 soldiers to be precise, the equivalent of the population of Arras at the time.
Today it’s an audioguided tour and supervised that you will find in order to dive into the intimacy of the place. Strategic place and place of life, the Wellington quarry preserves the memory of these thousands of soldiers quartered underground a few meters from the front line, before rushing on the battlefield April 9, 1917 at 5:30 a.m.to attack the German positions by surprise.
In the rest of her walk, Géraldine takes you on a pastry shopat Our Lady of the Assumption or discovering the best fries in Arras!