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Rouen
Rouen () is the historic capital city of Normandy, in northern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital of the Upper Normandy|''Haute-Normandie'' (Upper Normandy) Regions of France|region. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of Middle Ages|medieval Europe, Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the eleventh century to the 15th century. It was in Rouen where Joan of Arc was burnt in 1431. People from Rouen are called ''Rouennais''.
The population of the metropolitan area (in French: ''aire urbaine'') at the 1999 census was 518,316 inhabitants and 532,559 inhabitants at the 2007 estimate. The city proper has an estimated population of 110,276 in 2007.
Administration
Upper Normandy|Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) ''région'', as well as a Communes of France|commune and the ''Prefectures in France|préfecture'' (capital) of the Seine-Maritime ''Departments of France|département''.
Rouen and 70 suburban communes of the metropolitan area form the Agglomeration community of Rouen-Elbeuf-Austreberthe|Agglomeration community of Rouen-Elbeuf-Austreberthe (CREA), with 494,382 inhabitants in it at the 2010 census. In descending order of population, the largest of these suburbs are Sotteville-lès-Rouen, Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, Le Grand-Quevilly, Le Petit-Quevilly, and Mont-Saint-Aignan, each with a population exceeding 20,000 inhabitants.
History
Rouen was founded by the Gaulish tribe of the Veliocasses, who controlled a large area in the lower Seine|Seine valley. They called it Ratumacos;[''Ratu-'' is not well explained; ''-macus, magus'' is a familiar toponymic suffix signifying "plain".] the Ancient Rome|Romans called it ''Rotomagus''.[As in Ammianus Marcellinus and the ''Notitia dignitatum''; other variants: ''Ratomagos'' (Ptolemy, ''Geography''), ''Ratomagos'' (Antonine Itinerary, Tabula Peutingeriana).] Roman Rotomagus was the second city of Gallia Lugdunensis after Lugdunum (Lyon) itself. Under the reorganization of Diocletian, Rouen was the chief city of the divided province Gallia Lugdunensis II and reached the apogee of its Roman development, with an amphitheatre and ''thermae'' of which foundations remain. In the fifth century, it became the seat of a bishopric (though the names of early bishops are purely legendary[''Catholic Encyclopedia'', at "Diocese of Rouen", records that [[Mellonius|Saint Mellonius]] was credited with being the first bishop until a Nicaise, linked to Denis|Denis of Paris was inserted to precede him: see Archbishop of Rouen|Diocese of Rouen.]) and later a capital of Merovingian dynasty|Merovingian Neustria.
From their first incursion into the lower valley of the Seine in 841,[Recorded in the Fontenelle|chronicle of Fontenelle Abbey.] the Normans overran Rouen. From 912, Rouen was the capital of the Duchy of Normandy and residence of the duke of Normandy|dukes, until William I of England|William the Conqueror established his castle at Caen.
In 1150, Rouen received its founding charter which permitted self-government. During the twelfth century, Rouen was the site of a yeshiva. At that time, about 6,000 Jews lived in the town, comprising about 20% of the population. In addition, there were a large number of Jews scattered about another 100 communities in Normandy. The well-preserved remains of the yeshiva were discovered in the 1970s under the Rouen Law Courts and the community has begun a project to restore them.
[[File:Normandie Seine Rouen2 tango7174.jpg|thumb|left|City Hall and Church of St. Ouen, Rouen]]
In 1200, a fire destroyed part of the old cathedral and the present Gothic mainworks Rouen Cathedral|cathedral of Rouen were begun. On June 24, 1204, Philip II of France|Philip II Augustus of France entered Rouen and definitively annexed Normandy to the France in the Middle Ages|French Kingdom. He demolished the Norman castle and replaced it with his own, the Château Bouvreuil, built on the site of the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre.[With the exception of the tower associated with Joan of Arc, which was restored by Viollet-le-Duc, the castle was destroyed at the end of the fifteenth century, its stones quarried for other construction.] A textile industry developed based on wool imported from England, for which the cities of Flanders and Brabant were constantly competitors, and finding its market in the Champagne fairs. Rouen also depended for its prosperity on the river traffic of the Seine, on which it enjoyed a monopoly that reached as far upstream as Paris. Wine and wheat were exported to England, with tin and wool received in return. In the fourteenth century urban strife threatened the city: in 1291, the mayor was assassinated and noble residences in the city were pillaged. Philip IV of France|Philip IV reimposed order and suppressed the city's charter and the lucrative monopoly on river traffic, but he was quite willing to allow the Rouennais to repurchase their old liberties in 1294. In 1306, he decided to expel the Jewish community of Rouen, then numbering some five or six thousands. In 1389, another urban revolt of the underclass occurred, the ''Harelle''. It was part of widespread rebellion in France that year[See Popular revolt in late medieval Europe for broad context.] and was suppressed with the withdrawal of Rouen's charter and river-traffic privileges once more.
During the Hundred Years' War, on January 19, 1419, Rouen surrendered to Henry V of England, who annexed Normandy once again to the House of Plantagenet|Plantagenet domains. But Rouen did not go quietly: Alain Blanchard hung English prisoners from the walls, for which he was summarily executed; Canon (priest)|Canon and Vicar general|Vicar General of Rouen Robert de Livet became a hero for excommunicating the English king, resulting in de Livet's imprisonment for five years in England. Joan of Arc was Death by burning|burned at the stake in Rouen on May 30, 1431 in this city, where most inhabitants supported the duke of Burgundy, Joan of Arc's king enemy. The king of France Charles VII of France|Charles VII recaptured the town in 1449.
The city was heavily damaged during World War II on Normandy Landings|D-day and its famed cathedral was almost destroyed by Allied bombs. During the Nazi Germany|German occupation, the German Navy had its headquarters located in a chateau on the École supérieure de commerce de Rouen|École Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen campus.
Main sights
[[File:Vue generale de la cathedrale de Rouen.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Rouen Cathedral]]
Rouen is known for its Rouen Cathedral|Notre Dame cathedral, with its ''Tour de Beurre'' (''butter tower''). The cathedral was the subject of a series of paintings by Claude Monet, some of which are exhibited in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
The ''Gros Horloge'' is an astronomical clock (dating back to the 16th century) though the movement is considerably older (1389). It is located in the ''Gros Horloge'' street.
Other famous structures include the Gothic architecture|Gothic Church of Saint-Maclou|''Church of Saint Maclou'' (15th century); the ''Tour Jeanne d'Arc'', where Joan of Arc was brought in 1431 to be threatened with torture (contrary to popular belief, she was not imprisoned there); the ''Church of Saint Ouen'' (12th–15th century); the ''Palais de Justice'', which was once the seat of the ''Parlement'' (French court of law) of Normandy and the Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics which contains a splendid collection of Faience|faïence and porcelain for which Rouen was renowned during the 16th to 18th centuries.
Rouen is noted for its surviving Timber framing|half-timbered buildings.
There are many museums in Rouen: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, an art museum with pictures of well-known painters such as Claude Monet and Théodore Géricault|Géricault; Maritime, Fluvial and Harbour Museum of Rouen|Musée maritime fluvial et portuaire, a museum on the history of the port of Rouen and navigation; Musée des antiquités, an art and history museum with antic or gothic works; Musée de la céramique, Musée Le Secq des Tournelles...
The Jardin des Plantes de Rouen is a notable botanical garden dating to 1840 in its present form. It was previously owned by Scottish banker John Law (economist)|John Law and was the site of several historic balloon ascents.
In the centre of the Place du Vieux Marché is the modern church of Joan of Arc|Saint Joan of Arc. This is a large, modern structure which dominates the square. The form of the building represents the pyre on which Joan of Arc was burnt.
Rouen was also home to the French Grand Prix, hosting the race at the nearby Rouen-Les-Essarts track sporadically between 1952 and 1968. Much of the former circuit was extant into recent years, before a campaign in 1999 by Rouen authorities to obliterate remainders of Rouen's racing past. Today, little remains beyond the public roads that formed the circuit.
Transport
[[File:Tramway-de-Rouen.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The Tramway de Rouen|métro.]]
Mainline train services operate from Gare de Rouen Rue Verte|Gare de Rouen-Rive-Droite to Le Havre and Paris. Regional services operate to Caen, Dieppe, and other local destinations in Normandy. Daily direct trains operate to Amiens and Lille, and direct TGVs (high-speed trains) connect daily with Lyon and Marseille.
City transportation in Rouen is served by the Tramway de Rouen#The new tramway|métro. It branches into two lines out of a metro tunnel running through the city centre. Rouen is also served by Transport Est-Ouest Rouennais|TEOR and buses run in conjunction with the tramway by the transit company Transports en Commun de l'Agglomération Rouennaise|TCAR (Transports en commun de l'agglomération rouennaise), a subsidiary of Veolia Transport.
Rouen has its own Rouen Airport|airport, serving major domestic destinations as well as international destinations in Europe.
The Seine is a major axis for maritime (cargo) links in the Port of Rouen; and the Cross-Channel ferry ports of Caen, Le Havre, Dieppe (50 minutes), and Calais, and the Channel Tunnel are also within easy driving distance (i.e. two and a half hours or less).
Education
[[File:Gros Horloge, Rouen.jpg|200px|thumb|Gros-Horloge.]]
Higher education in Rouen is provided by the University of Rouen, the École Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen (Rouen Business School) and '''ésitpa''' (agronomy and agriculture) - all centred or located at nearby Mont-Saint-Aignan, and Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Rouen|INSA Rouen and ESIGELEC - both at nearby Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray.
Births
[[File:Tour des archives - Rouen.jpg|200px|thumb|Archives department of Seine-Maritime]]
File:ZenithRouenNuit.jpg|200px|thumb|Rouen zénith
Rouen was the birthplace of:
- Edward IV (1442–1483), king of England
- :fr:Thomas Aubert|Thomas Aubert (Born 1500's), navigator and one of the first French explorers of the New World
- :fr:Guillaume Guéroult|Guillaume Guéroult (1507–1569), Protestant editor, translator and poet
- :fr:François de Civille|François de Civille (1537–1610), Calvinist's chief under Gabriel, comte de Montgomery
- Isaac Oliver (c.1560-1617), Protestant French-born English portrait miniature painter
- Guy de la Brosse (1586–1641), botanist and pharmacist
- Antoine Girard de Saint-Amant (1594–1661), Protestant poet converted to Catholicism
- Samuel Bochart (1599–1667), Protestant theologian and oriental studies|Orientalist
- Jean Dubuc (Born 1600's), Great Grandfather of Julien Dubuque (1762–1810, French-Canadian explorer) and founder of Dubuque Iowa USA.
- Pierre Corneille (1606–1684), tragedy|tragedian
- Guillaume Couture (1617-1701-04-04), Lay Missionary and diplomat who moved to Quebec around 1640
- Adrien Auzout (1622–1691), astronomer
- Thomas Corneille (1625–1709), dramatist, brother of Pierre Corneille
- Noel Alexandre (1630–1724), theology|theologian and ecclesiastical historian
- Catherine Primot-Thiéry (1640- ?), Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville's mother, both Canadian explorers
- Marie Champmeslé (1642–1698), actress
- René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643–1687), cleric and List of explorers|explorer
- Gabriel Daniel (1649–1728), Society of Jesus|Jesuit historian
- Nicolas Lemery (1645–1715), Protestant chemist
- Jean Jouvenet (1647–1717), French painters|painter
- :fr:Nicolas Gueudeville|Nicolas Gueudeville (1652–1721), catholic translator, journalist, historian an writer, converted to Protestantism
- Jacques Basnages (1653–1723), Protestant divine
- Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle (1657–1757), author, nephew of Pierre Corneille
- Pierre Antoine Motteux (1663–1718), huguenot French born English translator and dramatist
- Pierre Dangicourt (1664–1727), huguenot mathematician
- Pierre François le Courayer (1681–1776), Roman Catholic|Catholic theology|theological and supporter of the church of England
- François d'Agincourt (1684–1758), composer, harpsichordist and organist
- Jean II Restout (1692–1768), painter
- Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (1711–1780), novelist
- Jacques-François Blondel (1705–1774), architect, urbanist
- :fr:Marie-Madeleine Hachard|Marie-Madeleine Hachard (1708–1760), nun at Couvent des Ursulines, founder of a sister monastery in New-Orleans
- Jacques Duphly (1715–1789), harpsichordist and composer
- Pierre Levieux (1702–1796), capitaine du navire
- François-Adrien Boïeldieu (1775–1834), composer, mainly of operas
- Pierre Louis Dulong (1785–1838), physicist and chemist
- Théodore Géricault (1791–1824), painter, painted ''The Raft of the Medusa''
- Armand Carrel (1800–1836), writer
- Pierre Adolphe Chéruel (1809–1891), historian
- Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880), novelist, who wrote ''Madame Bovary''
- Eugène Ketterer (1831–1870), composer and pianist
- Maurice Leblanc (1864–1941), novelist, creator of the character Arsène Lupin
- Charles Nicolle (1866–1936), bacteriologist who earned the 1928 Nobel Prize in Medicine
- Georges Guillain (1876–1961), neurologist
- Marcel Dupré (1886–1971), organist and composer
- Philippe Étancelin (1896–1981), Grand Prix motor racing
- Roger Apéry (1916–1994), mathematician
- Jacques Rivette (born 1928), film director
- Anny Duperey (born 1947), actress and novelist
- François Hollande (born 1953), politician and Socialist Party (France)|Parti Socialiste's first secretary
- Élise Lucet (born 1963), journalist
- Stéphan Caron (born 1966), Freestyle swimming|freestyle swimmer
- Karin Viard (born 1966), actress
- Vincent Delerm (born 1976), singer-songwriter, pianist
- David Trezeguet (born 1977), French-Argentina|Argentine football (soccer)|football striker
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Rouen is Twin towns and sister cities|twinned with:
- Gdańsk, Poland, since 1992
- Cleveland, United States of America
- Hanover, Germany
- Norwich, United Kingdom
- Ningbo, China
- Salerno, Italy, since 2003
- Wejherowo, Poland
In fiction and popular culture
Fine art
[[File:RouenCathedral Monet 1894.jpg|thumb|right|Rouen Cathedral, Full Sunlight, by Claude Monet, 1894.]]
The Rouen cathedral (Monet painting)|Rouen Cathedral was the subject for a series of paintings by the Impressionism|Impressionist painter Claude Monet, who painted the same scene at different times of the day. Two paintings are in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; one is in the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade. The estimated value of one painting is over million.
Literature
- The character Erik, or The Opera Ghost of Gaston Leroux's novel ''The Phantom of the Opera'' was supposedly born "in a small town not far from Rouen".[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/175/175.txt]
- Rouen also played a major part in the Flaubert novel ''Madame Bovary''.
- Maupassant, a student of Flaubert, wrote a number of short stories based in and around Rouen.
- In book two of The Strongbow Saga, the Vikings invade and conquer Ruda, also known as Rouen and make it their base in Frankia.
Music
The United Kingdom|British rock band|band Supergrass named their fifth studio album ''Road to Rouen'', punning on an Anglicised version of the city name's pronunciation.
Film
In the 2001 movie ''A Knight's Tale (film)|A Knight's Tale'', the protagonist William Thatcher played by Heath Ledger poses as a noble and competes in his first jousting tournament at Rouen.
Computer games
- The game ''Call of Duty 3'' features a map set in Rouen. The map, entitled Rouen, is mainly city and offers fierce city fighting, much like that seen in World War II.
- In the ''Soul Calibur'' series of fighting games, Raphael (Soul Calibur)|Raphael, a playable character, is explained as being born in Rouen. Interestingly, his fighting style involves an English rapier. His adopted daughter Amy (Soul Calibur)|Amy is also from Rouen, having been a street child living there.
- Rouen appears as an important location to protagonist Alice Elliot in the game ''Shadow Hearts''.
- The ''Rouen-Les-Essarts'' Grand Prix circuit is featured in both ''Grand Prix Legends'' and ''RFactor''.
- The PC adventure game Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer starts in Rouen.
Heraldry
See also
- Archbishopric of Rouen
- Ouen|Saint Ouen (catholic saint)
References
- INSEE
Notes
External links
- Site of the Tourist Board
- City council website
- Rouen Activities
- Télévision de l'agglomération rouennaise
- Objectif Rouen : Pictures and descriptions of the most famous monuments
- ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' 1908 detailed ecclesiastical history
- Photo galleries (free of rights): [http://ric.jalix.org/Galleries/?dir=Rouen 1] [http://romanito.free.fr/photos/?dir=Rouen 2]
- Photos of Eglise Saint Maclou
- Joan of Arc's execution
- Photo gallery of Rouen
- Rouen, Its History and Monuments, by Théodore Licquet, 1840, from Project Gutenberg
Category:Communes of Seine-Maritime
Category:Rouen|*
Category:Viking Age settlements
roa-rup:Rouen
nds-nl:Roeaan
simple:Rouen
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