Doullens
Commune
The town hall in Doullens
Coat of arms
Location of Doullens
Doullens Show map of France Doullens Show map of Hauts-de-France
Coordinates: 50°09′27″N 2°20′29″E / 50.1575°N 2.3414°E / 50.1575; 2.3414
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Somme
Arrondissement	Amiens
Canton	Doullens
Intercommunality	CC Territoire Nord Picardie
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Christelle Hiver[1]
Area 1	33.4 km2 (12.9 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	5,835
• Density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	80253 /80600
Elevation	52–152 m (171–499 ft) (avg. 64 m or 210 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Doullens (French pronunciation: [dulɑ̃]; Picard: Dourlin; former Dutch: Dorland) is a commune in the Somme department, Hauts-de-France, France.

Its inhabitants are called Doullennais and Doullennaises.

Geography

Doullens is situated on the N25 road, in the northern part of the department, straddling the river Authie, the border with the Pas-de-Calais. Doullens is practically mid-way on the intersection of these axes :

• Abbeville - Arras
• Amiens - Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise
• Crécy-en-Ponthieu - Bapaume
• Auxi-le-Château - Acheux-en-Amiénois

History

• Doullens, the ancient Dulincum, was seat of a viscountship under the counts of Vermandois then of Ponthieu (Hare) and an important stronghold in the Middle Ages.^[3]
• In 1225, the town became part of France.
• In 1475 it was burnt by Louis XI for openly siding with the Duke of Burgundy.^[3] It received its name Doullens-le-Hardi from its gallant defense in 1523 against the Anglo-Burgundian army.
• In 1595 it was besieged and occupied by the Spaniards, who massacred the entire population. It was restored to France by the Peace of Vervins (1598).^[3]
• On 26 March 1918, orders giving General Foch overall command of the allied forces on the western front were signed in a room in the town hall. A link to those orders can be found in the May 22, 1928 edition of 'The Times' of London, found here.

Sites and monuments

Sites and monuments include:

• the ruins of Saint-Pierre, partly of the 13th century, used as a barn in the nineteenth century (Hare).
• Notre-Dame church.
• An early 17th century brick belfry. In 2005, the belfry was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, because of its architecture and historical testimony to the rise of municipal power in the area.^[4]
• the citadel, possibly built by Vauban or Jean Errard, which has often served as a state prison, and later, a reformatory for girls.

Town motto

Infinita decus lilia mihi prestant

Population

Notable residents

• The artist Édouard Traviès was born in Doullens in 1809.^[7]
• Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine was imprisoned in the Doullens citadel from 1718 until 1720 for his part in the Cellamare conspiracy.^[8]
• The nobleman Emmanuel Marie Michel Philippe Fréteau de Saint-Just was imprisoned in the citadel in 1788.^[9]

Gallery

• 
  Church of St-Pierre
• 
  Notre-Dame church
• 
  Belfry and Tourist office
• 
  Interior of the Citadelle
• 
  Notre-Dame church seen from the Citadelle
• 
  Doullens belfry, in the 19th century
• 
  Information placard of the Citadelle
• 
  Summer Carnival in Doullens (2009)