Information AboutNormandy |
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, one of the famous symbols of Normandy.]] Normandy is a geographical region in northern France . Upper Normandy ( Haute-Normandie ) consists of the French '' Département s'' of Seine-Maritime and Eure , and Lower Normandy ( Basse-Normandie ) of the '' Départements '' of Orne , Calvados , and Manche . The Duchy Of Normandy is a formerly independent Duchy situated in northern France occupying the lower Seine area, the Pays De Caux and the region to the west through the Pays D'Auge as far as the Cotentin Peninsula . Normandy was historically a Province Of France . It comprised present-day Upper and Lower Normandy, as well as small areas now part of the ''départements'' of Eure-et-Loir , Mayenne , and Sarthe . The Channel Islands , although British, are culturally and historically a part of Normandy that never reverted to the crown of France. POPULATION Abbey of Gruchet-le-Valasse.]] Normandy has 3.2 million inhabitants, with an average population density of 107 per square kilometre, just under the French national average, but rising to 145 for upper Normandy. The principal cities are Rouen (population 385,000, including suburbs), the capital of upper Normandy and formerly of the whole province; Le Havre (247,000); Caen (200,000), the capital of lower Normandy; and Cherbourg (89,000). Other towns include: Alençon ; Arromanches ; Avranches ; Bayeux ; Coutances ; Dieppe ; Doudeville ; Évreux ; Falaise ; Honfleur ; Houlgate ; Lisieux ; Mortain ; Saint-Lô ; Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte ; Sainte-Mère-Église ; and Villers-Bocage . GEOGRAPHY The region is bordered along the northern coasts by the English Channel . There are granite Cliff s in the west and limestone cliffs in the east. There are also long stretches of beach in the center of the region. The ''bocage'', patchwork of small fields with high hedges, typical of the western areas caused problems for the invading forces in the Battle Of Normandy . There are Meander s of the Seine as it approaches its estuary which form a notable feature of the landscape. Regions
Rivers River s in Normandy include:
The Pont De Normandie crossing the estuary of the Seine is regarded as a feat of modern engineering. HISTORY Normandy was the home of the Normans in the early Middle Ages , the last people to successfully invade England . The Normans were a mixture of the indigenous Gauls and of the Viking invaders under the leadership of Rollo (Gange Rolf), who besieged Paris and was given the area of Normandy ( Treaty Of St.-Claire-sur-Epte , 911 ) in return for defending it against future Pirate attacks. Rollo's descendant William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England in 1066 and became king William I Of England . Normandy remained associated with England until 1087 , in 1106 - 1144 and in 1154 - 1204 . Also see the Battle Of Bouvines in 1214 . Normandy was occupied by English forces during the Hundred Years' War in 1346 - 1360 and again in 1415 - 1450 . Norman families, such as that of Tancred Of Hauteville played important parts in the Crusade s and established a kingdom in Sicily and the south of Italy . Both Wace and Orderic Vitalis are important Norman writers for the history of the province. Jean De Béthencourt conquered and ruled the Canary Islands in the 15th century. Prosperity returned to Normandy after the Hundred Years' War until the Wars Of Religion when many Norman town (Alençon, Rouen, Caen, Coutances, Bayeux) joined the Reformation and battles ensued throughout the province. During the French Revolution , Normandy generally supported the idea of a Federal republic against the highly centralised conception championed by the Jacobin s in Paris. During World War II , the town of Dieppe was the site of the ill-fated Dieppe Raid by Canadian and British units in 1942. Later, Normandy was also the site of the Normandy Invasion or Operation Overlord that began on June 6 1944 , which today is also known as D-Day . This was the successful invasion of German-occupied France by Allied troops. Caen, Cherbourg, Carentan, and other Norman towns endured many casualties in the fight for the province, which continued until the liberation of Le Havre on September 12 . Channel Islands Since the Channel Islands have remained loyal to the English Crown since the division of Normandy in 1204, yet are not part of the UK but rather the Duchy of Normandy, the British monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth II ) is toasted as Duke Of Normandy . However, she is not regarded as Duke of Normandy outside her realms since claims by English monarchs to the title were given up by the Treaty Of Paris Of 1259 . Additionally, the rights of succession to that title are subject to Salic Law , which does not allow for female inheritance of the ducal title. CULTURE Languages The Norman Language , a Regional Language , is spoken by a minority of the population, especially in the Cotentin peninsula in the far West and in the Pays de Caux in the East. Many place names show the influence of this Norse -influenced Oïl Language ; for example ''-bec'' (stream), ''-fleur'' (river), ''-hou'' (island), ''-tot'' (homestead). Arts Architecture Main article is Architecture Of Normandy Architecturally, Norman cathedrals, abbeys (such as the Abbey Of Bec ) and castles characterise the former Duchy in a way that mirrors the similar pattern of Norman Architecture in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066 . Domestic architecture in upper Normandy is typified by Half-timbered buildings that also recall vernacular English architecture, although the farm enclosures of the more harshly landscaped Pays de Caux are a more idiosyncratic response to socio-economic and climatic imperatives. Much urban architectural heritage was destroyed during the Battle of Normandy in 1944 - post-war urban reconstruction, such as in Le Havre and Saint-Lô, could be said to demonstrate both the virtues and vices of Modernist and Brutalist trends of the 1950s and 1960s. Le Havre, the city rebuilt by Auguste Perret , was added to Unesco’s World Heritage List in 2005 . Vernacular Architecture in lower Normandy takes its form from Granite , the predominant local building material. The Channel Islands also share this influence - Chausey was for many years a source of quarried granite, including that used for the construction of Mont Saint Michel . Philosophy Philosophers Norman by birth include: Literature Writers in the French Language connected with Normandy include: Writers in the English Language connected with Normandy include: Writers in the Latin Language connected with Normandy include: Writers in the Norman Language include: See also '' Anglo-Norman Literature '', '' Gesta Normannorum Ducum '' Cathedral by Claude Monet ]] Painting From the 1860s, ''plein-air'' painters, who worked outside the studio, were attracted to Normandy by the ease of railway access from Paris. Claude Monet 's waterlily garden at Giverny is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the region. Eugène Boudin 's paintings of fashionable seaside scenes are also typical. Artists Norman by birth include: Music Composers and musicians Norman by birth include: Design Christian Dior , fashion designer, was born in Granville. Laetitia Casta , supermodel, was born in Pont-Audemer. Religion The Cathedral s of Normandy have exerted influence down the centuries in matters of both faith and politics. Mont Saint Michel is a historic Pilgrimage site. The influence of Celtic Christianity can still be found in the Cotentin. Many Saint s have been revered in Normandy down the centuries, including:
Normandy does not have one generally-agreed Patron Saint , although this title has been ascribed to Saint Michael , and to Saint Ouen . Prominent Protestants ministers include Pierre Allix , Jacques Basnages , and Samuel Bochart . Food and drink Normandy is famous for its rich, rolling countryside, which provides plentiful pasture for dairy , Livarot , Pont L'Evêque , Brillat-Savarin , Neufchâtel , and Boursin . Normandy butter is highly prized, as is Normandy cream, both of which are lavishly used in local gastronomic specialties. Fish and seafood are of superior quality in Normandy. Turbot and oysters from the Cotentin Peninsula are major delicacies throughout France. Normandy is the chief Oyster -cultivating, as well the biggest scallop-exporting, region in France. Normandy is a major Cider -producing region (very little wine is produced). Perry is also produced, but in less significant quantities. The apple brandy, of which the most famous variety is Calvados , is also popular. The mealtime ''trou normand'', or Norman break, is a pause between meal courses in which diners partake of a glassful of calvados, is still observed in many homes and restaurants. '' Pommeau '' is an aperitif produced by blending unfermented cider and apple brandy. Another aperitif is the '' Kir normand'', a measure of cassis topped up with cider. '' Benedictine '' is produced in Fécamp . Apples are also used in cooking: for example, ''moules à la normande'' are Mussel s cooked with apples and cream, ''bourdelots'' are apples baked in pastry, partridges are flamed with reinette apples, and localities all over the province have their own variation of apple tart. A classic pastry dish from the region is Flan Normand a Flaky Pastry -based variant of the apple tart. Other regional specialities include '' Tripe s à la mode de Caen'', '' Andouille s'' and ''andouillettes'', salt meadow (''pré salé'') lamb, seafood (mussels, Scallop s, lobsters, mackerel…), and '' Teurgoule '' (spiced rice pudding). Normandy dishes include duckling ''à la rouennaise'', sautéed chicken ''yvetois'', and goose ''en daube''. Rabbit is cooked with Morel s, or ''à la havraise'' (stuffed with truffled pigs' trotters). Other dishes are sheep's trotters ''à la rouennaise'', casseroled veal, larded calf's liver braised with carrots, and veal (or turkey) in cream and mushrooms. Normandy is also noted for its pastries. It is the birthplace of Brioche s (especially those from Évreux and Gisors) and also turns out ''douillons'' (pears baked in pastry), ''craquelins'', ''roulettes'' in Rouen, ''fouaces'' in Caen, ''fallues'' in Lisieux, ''sablés'' in Lisieux. Confectionery of the region includes Rouen apple sugar, Isigny caramels, Bayeux mint chews, Falaise berlingots, Le Havre marzipans, Argentan ''croquettes'', and Rouen macaroons. Normandy is the native land of Taillevent , cook of the kings of France Charles V and Charles VI . He wrote the earliest French cookery book named ''Le Viandier''. Symbols The traditional provincial flag of Normandy, ''gules, two leopards passant or'', is used in both modern regions. The historic three-leopard version (known in the Norman language as ''les treis cats'', "the three cats") is used by some associations and individuals, especially those who support reunification of the regions and cultural links with the Channel Islands and England. |
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