Town Hall, Arras: Interior, Great Hall

The city's most distinguished urban and architectural features are its two squares, located a short distance apart. The Petite Place (now Place des H\u00E9ros; 60 x 100 m) was the traditional marketplace from the Middle Ages. It is bordered to the west by the Town Hall (1517) and dominated by its belfry (h. 75 m), which was rebuilt in the 18th century. Owing to its strategic position, Arras was heavily bombed during World War I. Almost entirely demolished in 1915, the squares were carefully restored in the 1930s by Pierre Paquet (1875-1959). The town hall was rebuilt in a somewhat simplified form.