Holidays in Honfleur
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Honfleur is a commune in the Normandy department of Calvados, France. The town is located on the south bank of the Seine River, near Le Havre and the Pont de Normandie road. Honfleur has a population of approximately 10,000. The famous artist Eugene Bodin was born and lived in the town.
Honfleur is known for its picturesque old port. The facades of Honfleur's houses are painted by renowned artists such as Gustave Coubret, Eugene Bodin, Claude Monet, and Johann Jonkind. These artists belong to the Honfleur school of painting and were among the founders of the new artistic movement – Impressionism.
The first written mention of Honfleur was a letter from Richard III, Duke of Normandy, dating from 1027. By the mid-12th century, the town was a vital transport hub between Rouen, France, and Great Britain.
Situated at the mouth of one of France's most important rivers, close to the harbor, Honfleur has occupied a favorable strategic position since the Hundred Years' War. Charles V built the city's powerful fortifications to protect the Seine estuary from English attacks. However, Honfleur was nevertheless occupied by English troops in 1357 and again from 1419 to 1450. In response to the occupation, the French launched raids on the English coast, even heavily destroying the town of Sandwich in Kent in 1450.
After the end of the Hundred Years' War, Honfleur's economy boomed due to the growth of maritime trade. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Honfleur became a departure point for the ships of famous explorers. For example, in 1503, Gonville's ship began its voyage to Brazil in Honfleur. In 1506, Jean Denis set sail for Newfoundland and the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. The explorer Samuel de Champlain, who set out for the Canadian coast from Honfleur, founded the city of Quebec in 1608.
Honfleur is a commune in the Norman department of Calvados, France. The city is located on the south bank of the Seine River, near Le Havre and the Pont de Normandie. Honfleur has a population of approximately 10,000. The famous artist Eugene Bodin was born and lived in the city.
Honfleur is known for its picturesque old port. The facades of Honfleur's houses are painted by renowned artists such as Gustave Coubret, Eugene Bodin, Claude Monet, and Johann Jonkind. These artists belong to the Honfleur school of painting and were among the founders of the new artistic movement – Impressionism.
The first written mention of Honfleur was a letter from Richard III, Duke of Normandy, dating back to 1027. By the mid-12th century, the city was a vital transport hub between Rouen, France, and Great Britain.
Located at the mouth of one of France's most important rivers, near the harbor, Honfleur had occupied a favorable strategic position since the Hundred Years' War. Charles V built the city's powerful fortifications to protect the Seine estuary from English attacks. However, in 1357 and again from 1419 to 1450, Honfleur was occupied by English troops. In response to the occupation, the French launched raids on the English coast, even heavily destroying the town of Sandwich in Kent in 1450.
After the end of the Hundred Years' War, Honfleur's economy boomed due to the growth of maritime trade. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Honfleur became a departure point for ships of famous explorers. For example, in 1503, Gonville's ship began its voyage to Brazil from Honfleur. In 1506, Jean Denis set sail for the island of Newfoundland and the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. The explorer Samuel de Champlain, who set out for the Canadian coast from Honfleur, founded the city of Quebec in 1608.