Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rouen
Founded by the Romans
around 50 BC, the capital of
Haute-Normandie occupied a
strategic site on the Seine - the
last point where the river could be
bridged. From the end of the
Hundred Years' War, when the
French retook the city from the
English, Rouen prospered through
textile production and maritime
trade. In the 20th century, industry
expanded on the south bank. The
north bank's many treasures -
including streets of half-timbered
houses and the magnificent
cathedral - attract thousands of
visitors every year
(see pp20-23)
.
View of Dieppe from Chateau
museum, with a fine collection
of Impressionists and some
remarkable 16th-century carved
ivory pieces.
d
Map J1
•
Tourist
office: pont Jehan Ango, quai du
Carénage. 02 32 14 40 60
Abbaye de Jumièges
The breathtakingly lovely
ruins of a 7th-century abbey,
which once housed a community
of 900 monks
(see pp18-19)
.
Giverny
Pay homage to Monet in his
own home - now the Fondation
Claude Monet - and wander in
the gardens that inspired him. In
the Musée d'Art Américain, you
can explore the work of the
American artists who followed
him here
(see pp34-7)
.
Le Havre
Le Havre was founded in
1517 to replace the ports of
Honfleur, Harfleur and Caudebec,
which had silted up. Now it is the
country's second port, a tribute
to its astonishing recovery from
the 146 bombing raids that
flattened it in 1944. One of the
few survivors is the 16th-century
Cathédrale Notre-Dame, an
architectural hybrid of Gothic and
Renaissance styles, bristling
with gargoyles. The city was
rebuilt to designs by Auguste
Perret, with reinforced concrete
as the principal material. Typical
of his style is the starkly imposing
Église St-Joseph. More modern is
the building of glass, aluminium
and steel housing the Musée
Malraux
(see p53)
. In the suburb
of Montivilliers, don't miss the
Abbaye Notre-Dame, a recently
restored Benedictine abbey for
women.
d
Map E2
•
Tourist office: 186
blvd Clémenceau. 02 32 74 04 04
Dieppe
The first beach resort in
France, Dieppe occupies a striking
position between limestone
cliffs. As a Channel port, it was
coveted for centuries by foreign
invaders, and has long been a
favourite with British holiday-
makers, drawn by its sweeping
beach and lively old town centred
on the Grande Rue
(see p58)
.
Nearby, medieval Église St-
Jacques has a memorial to the
thousands of Canadians killed in
Operation Jubilee in 1942. Above
the town, the 15th-century flint-
and-sandstone castle is now a
For more beach resorts
See pp60-61
77
