Dolmen du Bois · Photo: JackyM59 · CC BY-SA 4.02 historic monuments, the oldest from prehistory
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 1997. Protection in Hamel began in 1914. The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Hamel, all of them classé, France’s highest heritage protection.
Where Hamel’s monuments stand
Every monument with a point on the ministry’s list; the larger, darker dots are classé.
Tap a dot to open the monument’s page: its record, photo and the monuments around it.
Classé is the higher protection: any work on the building needs the State’s permission. Work on an inscrit building must be declared to the State in advance. Around both, building work in sight of the monument (usually within 500 m) needs the agreement of the architecte des Bâtiments de France.
Points as the ministry gives them: a monument spread over several plots has one point.
2 classé monuments in Hamel
Classé is France’s highest protection for a building, held by about a third of the monuments on the list. Each card opens the monument’s page.
ClasséHamel has had a protected historic area since 1997
Sites patrimoniaux remarquables on the Culture ministry’s list, with the plan in force.
| Area | Created as | Plan in force |
|---|---|---|
| SPR32-10 | ZPPAUP August 25, 1997 | ZPPAUP (heritage zone rules) August 25, 1997 |
A site patrimonial remarquable protects a whole area rather than one building: inside it, building work follows the area’s own plan and needs the agreement of the architecte des Bâtiments de France.
The list gives no boundaries, so the map can’t show the area.
Historic monuments in the towns around Hamel
| Town | Residents | Monuments | Classé | Protected area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamel | 797 | 2 | 2 | Yes |
| Arleux | 3,125 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Courchelettes | 2,855 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Brebières Pas-de-Calais | 5,283 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Vitry-en-Artois Pas-de-Calais | 4,849 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Lambres-lez-Douai | 4,883 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Dechy | 5,338 | 0 | 0 | — |
Hamel in brief
Hamel’s oldest monument, Dolmen du Bois, dates from prehistory. In all there are 2 historic monuments, 2 of them classé, including Dolmen du Bois. Part of it has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1997. Beyond that, the list grew between 1914 and 1933; and 8% of its homes were built before 1919, close to the 7.4% in the median compared French town.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Monuments historiques. France protects buildings at two levels. Classé, the higher (about a third of the list), means any work needs the State’s permission; inscrit means work must be declared to the State in advance. The Culture ministry’s Mérimée base lists every protected building, and this page counts them.
- Partly protected. Many entries protect part of a building only (its façades and roofs, a staircase, a painted room). Each counts as one monument, like a fully protected one.
- Where a monument is counted. In the commune named on its protection, moved to today’s commune where communes have since merged. A monument listed for several communes counts in each.
- Sites patrimoniaux remarquables. Since 2016 France’s protected historic areas (the former secteurs sauvegardés, ZPPAUP and AVAP) share one name. Inside one, building work follows the area’s plan and needs the agreement of the architecte des Bâtiments de France.
- What isn’t here. Protected objects (furniture, organs, paintings), old buildings with no protection, UNESCO World Heritage listings and labels such as “Plus Beaux Villages de France” aren’t on this list, so this page doesn’t count them.
- No History Grade yet. Everything on this page is described, not graded: France’s History Grade isn’t built yet.
Questions about the history of Hamel
How many historic monuments are there in Hamel?
The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Hamel: 2 classé and 0 inscrit.
Which monuments in Hamel are classé?
2, among them Dolmen du Bois and Croix en pierre.
Is Hamel a protected historic area?
Yes: part of Hamel has been a site patrimonial remarquable since 1997.
How old are the homes in Hamel?
8% of its main homes were built before 1919 (median compared French town: 7.4%).
France has no History Grade yet: this page describes, it doesn’t grade.
Sources: Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée base on POP (immeubles protégés au titre des monuments historiques), October 2026 · Ministère de la Culture, sites patrimoniaux remarquables, October 2026 · INSEE, census 2023 (main homes by build period) · Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata (photos of the monuments, each with its own credit and license) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 4, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.