Rouen

Rouen
/rooh ahonn", -ahn"/; Fr. /rddwahonn/, n.
1. a city in and the capital of Seine-Maritime, in N France, on the Seine: famous cathedral; execution of Joan of Arc 1431. 118,332.
2. one of a breed of domestic ducks resembling the wild mallard.

* * *

City (pop., 1999: city, 106,592; metro. area, 389,862), northwestern France.

Situated on the Seine River, Rouen became important in the 3rd century AD after the arrival of Christianity with St. Mellon. Sacked by the Normans in 876, it became the medieval capital of Normandy. It came under English rule in 1066 and again in 1419. Joan of Arc was imprisoned and executed there in 1431. Rouen was recaptured by the French in 1449. Historic buildings include the 14th-century abbey of Saint Ouen and the great Gothic cathedral, whose oldest parts date to the 11th century. The city was the birthplace of Pierre Corneille and Gustave Flaubert.

* * *

France
Introduction

      port city and capital of Seine-Maritime département, Haute-Normandie région, northwestern France. It is located about 78 miles (125 km) northwest of Paris, on the Seine River.

History
      Known to the Romans as Rotomagus, the city first became important in the 3rd century AD, when Christianity was brought there by St. Mellon, who was its first bishop. Invaded by the Normans in 876, it became subject to the English crown after the Norman Conquest of England (1066). In 1204 the French captured Rouen, and the city prospered until the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), when, in 1419, it was taken by Henry V of England. In 1430 St. Joan of Arc (Joan of Arc, Saint), the patron saint of France, was imprisoned at Rouen in a tower that still stands and now bears her name. Tried and condemned for heresy, she was burned at the stake by the English in the city on the Place du Vieux-Marché in May 1431. The city was recaptured by the French in 1449 and for the following century it was one of the main cultural centres of France. It suffered during the Wars of Religion (late 16th century), and more than half its population emigrated after 1685, when the revocation of the Edict of Nantes deprived French Protestants of their civil and religious liberties. The port and city then declined until the 19th century, when the textile trade brought it new prosperity. Rouen was occupied by the Germans during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.

Contemporary city
      The old city, on the right bank of the Seine River and surrounded by a natural amphitheatre of hills, has so many historical buildings that it has been called a ville-musée (museum-town). Indeed, much of this area was designated a preservation zone. Despite its variety of architectural styles (from early Gothic to late Flamboyant) and its lack of symmetry, Rouen cathedral is considered one of the finest Gothic churches in France. Damaged during World War II, it has been admirably restored. The immense facade, covered with lacelike stonework, stands between two dissimilar towers, the left dating mostly from the 12th century, and the right from the 15th century. Its Tour de Beurre has a carillon of 55 bells. The central lantern tower (13th–16th century), with a late 19th-century spire, is the highest church tower in France (495 feet [151 metres]). The cathedral also has an 11th-century crypt, a 13th-century choir, and Renaissance tombs in the Lady Chapel. The adjoining Archbishop's Palace has a 15th-century facade, behind which stands the mainly 15th-century church of Saint-Maclou, a rich example of Flamboyant Gothic. The church of Saint-Ouen (mainly 12th–15th centuries) has a striking interior and 14th-century windows. Famous secular buildings include the late Gothic Palais de Justice and the 16th-century Hôtel de Bourgtheroulde. The Gros-Horloge, a Renaissance gateway (1527) with an ancient clock, standing next to a 14th-century belfry, is in the centre of the city. The Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum includes a collection of 17th- and 18th-century French paintings and Rouen ceramics. Other museums are devoted to the 17th-century dramatic poet Pierre Corneille (Corneille, Pierre) and to the 19th-century novelist Gustave Flaubert (Flaubert, Gustave), who were born there.

      Although situated abut 75 miles (120 km) inland, Rouen is a major port, serving in part as an outport of Paris. Traditionally the port was associated with Rouen's industrial development and was linked to the growth of the chemical, metalworking, and paper industries. Now, exports are mainly food products, reflecting the importance of agriculture in the surrounding region. Other manufacturing activities in the city include electrical and electronics equipment production, engineering, and food processing.

      Rouen is also a growing business and service centre. Much of the city centre has been made conducive to tourism, with walking paths and retail shops. To the north of the centre, extensive residential development has taken place, especially near the suburb of Mont-Saint-Aignan. Many of the older industrial districts immediately to the south of the river, including a commercial centre in the Saint-Sever district, have been redeveloped.

      Rouen is well-served by highways and by the Seine River. The city is connected to Paris by an electric railway network. A regional airport lies to the east of Rouen at Boos. Pop. (1999) 106,592; (2005 est.) 108,300.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rouen — Rouen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ROUEN — ROUEN, former capital of Normandy, capital of the department of Seine Maritime, northern France. The presence of Jews in Rouen goes back to at least the early 11th century. Under Richard, duke of Normandy, Rouen Jewry suffered from the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Rouen — (spr. ruāng), Hauptstadt des franz. Depart. Niederseine, ehemalige Hauptstadt der Normandie, liegt unter 49°26´ nördl. Br. und 1°6´ östl. L., 5 m ü. M., am rechten Ufer der Seine, die hier, 130 km vom Meere, noch Ebbe und Flut aufweist, und ist… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • ROUEN — ROUE L’ancienne capitale des ducs de Normandie doit sa richesse et sa prospérité à sa position à l’embouchure de la Seine. Son port maritime et fluvial a été l’un des relais les plus importants pour le commerce entre la France et l’Angleterre.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • rouen — ROUEN, Ville capitale de Normandie, Rothomagus, Ciuitas est Archiepiscopalis. Cheval Rouen …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Rouen — (spr. Ruang), 1) Arrondissement im französischen Departement Niederseine; 24,8 QM., 256,500 Ew., 10 Cantone; 2) Hauptstadt desselben u. des Departements, an der Aubette, dem Robec u. dem rechten Ufer der Seine u. an der Eisenbahn von Paris nach… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Rouen — (spr. ruáng), das röm. Rotomagus, Hauptstadt der ehemal. Normandie, jetzt des Dep. Seine Inférieure, an der Seine, (1901) 116.316 E., Kathedrale Notre Dame (16. Jahrh., zwei Türme, 156 m hohe eiserne Pyramide, Königsgräber), Abteikirche St. Quen… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Rouen — Rouen. Eine von Anhöhen umgrenzte Ebene an der Seine, über welche hier eine schöne Schiffbrücke führt, 11,000 Häuser, 6 Vorstädte und 92,000, meist von Handel und Manufacturen lebende Einw., ein Erzbischof, ein königl. Gerichtshof, bedeutende… …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • Rouen — (Ruang), das gallisch röm. Rotomagus, an der Seine, ehemalige Hauptstadt der Normandie, jetzt des Departem. der Niederseine, eine Stadt, welche noch die Bauart des Mittelalters wie wenige andere zeigt, reich an schönen goth. Gebäuden (Kathedrale …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Rouen — → Ruan o Ruán …   Diccionario panhispánico de dudas

  • Rouen — [ro͞o än′; ] Fr [ rwän] city & port in NW France, on the Seine: pop. 103,000 …   English World dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”