Beauvais’ history and its surroundings

Beauvais is a town located in northern France, approximately 67 kilometers from Paris. It is home to the Beauvais-Tillé airport, which offers daily flights to destinations such as London, Dublin, and Marrakech. This area was one of the most significant cities in the Gallic kingdom. The name Beauvais has several Latin names attributed to its origin, including Civitas Bellovacorum, Caesaromagus, Belvacum, and Bellovacum. Beauvais has been the birthplace of notable personalities, including Vincent de Beauvais, Villiers de l'Ile-Adam, and Lenglet-Dufresnoy, who have made their mark on the history of the city and France as a whole.

The city of Beauval has uncovered remains from the Palaeolithic and Bronze Age. As the main place of arms of the Bellovaques, the city fell in 57 BCE. Before the Roman conquest, Beauvais was the capital of the Bellovaques tribe, one of the most significant tribes of Gaul, making it an essential location for the Gallic kingdom. The Bellovaques resisted the Romans for more than ten years, leaving a significant mark on the history of the country. The tribe eventually surrendered to the Roman emperor in 46 BCE. Beauvais was one of the forty-nine cities that formed the Bagaudes confederation in the 4th and 5th centuries to resist the abuses of imperial Rome.

At the current location of the city, Beauvais had temples, a theater, and arenas during the Roman occupation. At some point, the city was known as Caesaromagus, which means Caesar's castle or palace in English.

The true name of Beauvais is Bellovaques, which was modified into the form Belvacus or Belvagus, resulting in the final name of Beauvais. On the impulse of the Emperor Constantine during the medieval period, who encouraged the population to convert to the Catholic religion, Beauvais saw the birth of an important religious tradition. A mendicant convent was established in the east of the city, in the middle of a working-class neighborhood. Initially deprived of goods, they gradually became wealthy and played a significant role in the city of Beauvais.

Beauvais is one of the French cities that adopted the textile industry. It became a world-renowned exporter of cloth and developed the trade in woolen fabrics and exported sheets. However, this industry began to decline with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Beauvais was one of the localities that received the railway very late.

During the Second World War, Beauvais played the role of a hospital city, as it did between 1914 and 1918. However, at the beginning of June 1940, the city was attacked by the Luftwaffe, and bombs caused a gigantic fire. Two-thirds of the city was in flames, and half of the houses were destroyed. The city suffered greatly, losing almost all of the vestiges of its past during this black period between the two wars.

The reconstruction efforts focused on highlighting the local architecture, as 80% of the houses were destroyed. It was important to avoid imagining a new urban development of 1940. During the reconstruction years, it was necessary to rebuild public buildings, hospitals, and educational establishments. The redevelopment plans improved urban traffic in the region. However, it was not until the 1960s that the reconstruction was completed, and new cities were built on the plateaus, restoring dynamism to the city with new industries.