Honfleur
Honfleur between the tidal estuary of the Seine and the " Plateau d'Auge " welcomes you at any season.
As both, a sea and a river port, but also a port of cell, the city of Honfleur has preserved its rich artistic and historic heritage.
With the great discoveries, Honfleur was the birthplace of numerous navigators, sailors and captains. Samuel de Champlain (born in Brouage) organized from Honfleur several departures to Canada and particularly in 1608 with the founding of Quebec.
In the 17th century, Colbert orders the townwalls demolition and the actual "Vieux Bassin" construction. The Salt Warehouses date also from this period. In the 18th century, thanks to the trade with the overseas countries, the shipyard expanded rapidly.
Since the 19th century, Honfleur is the treasure of the artists, Eugène Boudin gathered around him many fellow artists as Jonkgind, Monet or the poet Charles Baudelaire. Impressionnism was born.
Discover the witnesses of this famous heritage through its picturesque streets, old houses, St Leonard's Church, discovers St Catherine's Church, old maritime district with its separate belfry
L’Enclos
The oldest, and most visited, part of Honfleur lies within the area of the Hôtel de Ville, the deconsecrated church of Saint-Etienne, the remains of the old prison (nowadays, the Normandy Cultural Museum) and the original 17th century Salt Halls (Greniers à Sel), now used for exhibitions, conferences and concerts.
Saint Léonard
The church of Saint-Léonard stands behind the Tourist Office and
the traditional open-air wash house (lavoir), still fed by hillside springs.The
façade of the church, and the first bay of the nave, date from
the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries.
The flamboyantly carved main entrance supports a magnificent octagonal bell-tower constructed in 1760
Sainte Catherine
Around this 15th and 16th century church can be found narrow cobbled streets,
art galleries and traditional craft shops.
The Church of Sainte-Catherine was built by shipwrights and is the largest wooden church with a separate bell-tower in France.
The bell-tower, also largely built of wood, dates from the end of the 15th century and is now a museum of religious art
The Old Dock
The Old Dock surrounded by picturesque narrow houses, the Lieutenancy
and St Stephen's Church - this is with no doubt what catches the eye of
every visitor upon their first visit to Honfleur.
The Dock itself was built thanks to Colbert in 1681 so as to take over from the old harbour that had become far too small for the increasing needs of the town. - (Colbert was Louis the 14th's finance minister) - To carry out this work, Colbert had to have the Western part of the rampart demolished.
The narrow houses squeezed against one another on St Catherine's quay are quite unusual. They are not only all different in size and shape. They also have two ground floors, one that opens onto the quay and another one about half way up that opens behind onto the Dauphin Street or the Logettes Street.
Because - or thanks to - this disposition, each house is privately owned by two different householders.
These houses were built between the 16th and the 18th centuries. Some of them have overhanging storeys and many have their walls protected by slates.
The Lieutenance
At one end of the Old Dock stands an odd-looking stone building called
the Lieutenancy. This name refers to the 17th century when the King's
Lieutenant used this building as place of residence. It is however the
only remnant left from the ancient rampart largely altered during the
16th and the 17th centuries.These past alterations make it very difficult
for us nowadays to recognise there the fortified "Caen Gate"
which used to control the entrance into the medieval fortress of Honfleur.
Nonetheless, parts of the walls that protected the town can still be seen
on the Lieutenance
The gateway itself dates back to the 17th century. Above the gate, inside a niche, is a statue of Our Lady of the Harbour.
Two overhanging watch-turrets at the sides are decorated with the town's coat of arms. A drawbridge used to link the fortress with Saint Catherine's suburb, the sailor's district set outside the town's boundaries. Northward, a crenellated bastion defended this fortified gate.To prevent any boat from getting into the Old Dock at night, chains were drawn across the entrance between the Lieutenancy and a Tower built opposite the present bridge. This Tower was demolished in 1808.
The Côte de GrâceFrom the Côte de Grâce, the hill some 1,5 km from the town centre, are spectacular views of the Seine estuary, the harbour and Le Havre.Nearby is one of the region’s oldest sanctuary chapels, Notre Dame de Grâce, founded by Richard II and rebuilt between 1600 and 1615.
The Normandy Bridge
The Mont Joli is a continuation of the Côte de Grâce and provides
a magnificent view of the Pont de Normandie (largest bridge of its kind
in Europe with a central span of 856 m) and the Seine Valley.
Suggested Hotels - Manoir de la Poterie - La Ferme St Simeon - La Chaumerie - Le Manoir du Butin - Le Belvedere - Hotel des Loges - Les Maisons de Lea - Hotel Antares - Le Belleville - Castel Albertine - Hotel Honfleur - Les Cascades - Le Cheval Blanc - La Fraichette - Ferme de la Grande Tour -Tilbury Hotel - Hotel du Dauphin
Copyright photographs : M Lomdard/D Valade/OT de Honfleur
Copyright text : OT de Honfleur
