Honfleur

Honfleur is a harbour commune in the Norman département of Calvados, in France, located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine, very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. It is especially known for its old picturesque port, characterized by its houses with slate-covered frontages, painted many times by artists, including in particular Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet and Johan Jongkind, forming the école de Honfleur which contributed to the appearance of the Impressionist movement . The Sainte-Catherine church, which has a bell-tower separate from the principal building, is the largest church made out of wood of France.

History

The first written mention attesting the existence of Honfleur emanates from Richard III, duke of Normandy, in 1027. It is also proven that in the middle of the 12th century, the city represented a significant transit point for goods from Rouen to England.

Related Topics:
Richard III, duke of Normandy - 1027 - 12th century - Rouen - England

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Located at the outlet of one of the principal rivers of France and in contact with the sea and supported by a relatively rich back country, Honfleur profited from a strategic position which appeared starting with the Hundred Years War. Charles V strengthened the town in order to close the estuary of the Seine to the English, with the support of the port close to Harfleur. Honfleur was however taken and occupied by the English in 1357 and from 1419 to 1450. Apart from this period, raiding parties often set out from its port to ransack the English coasts, memorably partially destroying of the town of Sandwich, in Kent, England, in the 1450s.

Related Topics:
Hundred Years War - Charles V - English - Harfleur - 1357 - 1419 - 1450 - Sandwich - Kent

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After the end of the Hundred Years War and the end of the 18th century, Honfleur underwent a boom in maritime trade, with however a disturbance at the time of the wars of religion of the 16th century. The city will take part thus in the movement of the great discoveries, with in particular the departure into 1503 of Binot Paulmierde Gonneville to the coasts of Brazil, the visit of what is now Newfoundland island and the mouth of the Saint Lawrence in 1506 by Honfleurais Jean Denis, or the departure of an expedition in 1608, directed by Samuel de Champlain, which ends to the foundation of the town of Quebec.

Related Topics:
18th century - 16th century - 1503 - Binot Paulmierde Gonneville - Brazil - Newfoundland - Saint Lawrence - 1506 - Jean Denis - 1608 - Samuel de Champlain - Quebec

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The old port: from this period, the trade of Honfleur thrives with the multiplication of links with Canada, the Antilles, the African coasts and the Azores, making the town one of the five principal ports for the slave trade in France. This period sees the town growing with the tearing down of part of its fortifications on the order of Colbert.

Related Topics:
Canada - Antilles - Africa - Azores - Slave trade - Colbert

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The wars of the French revolution and the First Empire, with in particular the continental blockade, cause the ruin of Honfleur, which was restored only partially during the 19th century with the revival of the trade of wood with north of Europe. This rise was however limited by the silting up of the port, which however manages to function still today.

Related Topics:
French revolution - First Empire - 19th century

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