Corbie is on the territory of the Val de Somme, in Picardie. The city was built around the abbey, founded by Queen Bathilde around 660. The monks of the abbey invented in their scriptorium a new writing (the "caroline"), easier to read that became the tiny letters used in the printing press. The monks have created an important library. Some of the manuscripts are kept at the Amiens Municipal Library, the National Library in Paris and even St. Petersburg in Russia.
Reproductions are visible at the Museum of Friends of Old Corbie, open in summer.
In 1636, the siege of Corbie by the Spaniards, was one of the milestones of the Thirty Years War.
The abbey of Corbie was closed to the French Revolution.
During the Great War, Corbie was on the sidelines of the Battle of the Somme, in Villers-Bretonneux.
A specialty of the city is "The pavement of Corbie", a small cake based on hazelnut powder, honey and applesauce.
