Welcome to ham

The town of Ham has the vestiges of a castle-extremely whose first ramparts raised out of stone date from XIII century under the reign of the lord of the places: Odon IV.
The XV century, under the influence of Jean II of Luxembourg-Ligny then of its Louis nephew of Luxembourg-Saint-pol., the castle will transform itself into a true feudal fortress which will be very coveted. Louis of Luxembourg, count of Saint-pol. and constable of Louis XI in 1465, will make build a monumental keep: 33 m height, 33 m in diameter, 11 m thickness of walls. In 1840, this castle will become the prison of prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. It will escape six years later, disguised as a mason, and under the identity of Badinguet. In March 1917, the German occupant will make mainly jump this castle of which there do not remain aujourd' today that the tower of the entry and some vestiges of the keep and the ramparts.

The castle of Ham is located at the south of the city. Its plan, very traditional, must go back to the rebuilding of the 13th century. It draws a rectangle of 120 out of 80 meters, confined of four round towers and reinforced of two quadrangular turns. One of these two turns constitutes the entry of the castle, facing the glacis which separates it from the city.
The castle was protected by ponds and was surrounded by ditches supplied with the river " Beyne". Doors of the water bored in the ramparts isolated part of the place.
The entry is protected by a half-moon, built at the 16th century. the foot of the walls being protected by a wall from counterguard, being built out of hardcores, with a cut sandstone crowning. High, the curtains 25 meters are built out of hardcores on a sandstone base. Entirely crowned at the 15 century by a covered way covered on machicolation, these curtains, after the seat of 1557, repaired and were remparées of ground.

In unhappy times when the proscribed Christians concealed themselves with revenges on their persecutors, the caves, the undergrounds were used them as refuge. These mysterious sanctuaries accepted the name of crypt.
The general aspect of this underground church is full with size, it invites to meditation, a little pale day which the light additions with the majesty of the together where all is melted in a gray colour full with mystery. It is considered most beautiful of the old crypts of the north of France; it is built in the style of use towards the end of XII century and is classified with the number of the historic buildings.
The crypt of Ham, fact part of the abbey which was creates in 1108 pennies the aegis of the Pope Pascal II. The church was set up in 1136 by the Abbot Barthelemy on a Bénédictin plan. This crypt was useful for the night offices of the canons during the winter but it was not used as place of burial. The lying ones which rests there and which represents Odon IV, lord of Ham and his wife Isabelle de Béthencourt, there were transferred in 1620, it thus became the sepulchral vault of the family of Odon IV.
Current functions of the monument: This crypt is currently used for the formation of the young catechumens, it is used as occasional place of exposure and is the subject of guided visits on go to the Tourist office.

The stone pushes that meets with little distance from Ham, in the marsh of Eppeville, not far from the edges of the channel of the sum, is a perfectly preserved Celtic monument and a great interest. A tradition claims that this enormous block makes every year a turn on itself during the Christmas Eve; what was worth also the revolving stone name to him. At the night, one there hears, says one, the confused voices and sometimes you saw there dubious forms in the vapors of the twilight. The menhir  is not surrounded by a group of stones of comparable nature, much smaller and more buried. The stone independent measurement 2m80 with the top of the ground, 1m50 of width and 0m50 approximately thickness.