Where is Honfleur?
Honfleur is conveniently located on the shores of the English Channel, in the Calvados department, Lower Normandy region. Only 10 km separates it from the most famous Normandy resort of Deauville, and a bridge over the Seine River connects it to the major port of Le Havre. Honfleur has a population of just over 9,000.
From the history of Honfleur.
The historical roots of the city go back to the deep Middle Ages. The first settlements in this area appeared in the Viking Age. The first written mention of the city dates back to the reign of the Norman Duke Richard III. Honfleur was founded in 1027. By the middle of XII century the port of Honfleur became the largest transshipment base in trade with Britain. During the Hundred Years' War the city changed hands several times and was subjected to destruction. But after the end of the war Honfleur flourished and became a major seaport, from where expeditions to the New World were sent. It was from here that the expedition led by Jacques Cartier left in 1534, which opened Canada to the Old World.
The French Revolution and Napoleon's empire had a negative impact on the city's development - it was blockaded and almost destroyed. The rapid development of the port of Le Havre, which was located on the opposite bank of the Seine, and the silting up of its own maritime harbor led to the loss of the city's role and influence on Normandy life, but gave it the opportunity to develop as a historical, cultural and tourist center.
The city's fame as the cradle of French Impressionism has made it even more famous, which still attracts many artists and collectors to Honfleur.
