In my nostalgic saga of my family visits to wonderful places in my belle France, we found one sublime City, Take your time to visit Rouen, it is sublime to say the least and of course , a must to visit, The gorgeous city in the Seine-Maritime dept 76 of the region of Normandie and in my belle France. We have come here often many times, and glad to have found me more pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me. I have beautiful memories with family visits and walking all over its streets, Therefore, I like to tell you again on the streets of Rouen, part I !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Place du Général-de-Gaulle square, commonly known as Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville This square is located on the right bank facing Rouen’s City/town hall. The square has a 320 places underground car park, The square hosts public transport on its own site with the Hôtel de ville stop for bus lines F1, F2, 5, 6, 11, 13, 20 and 305. A Cy’clic station is also present on the square near rue de l’Hôpital, It took the name of “place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville” on April 7, 1852. On August 15, 1865, the statue of Napoleon was inaugurated , On September 21, 1944, the place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville became by decree Place du General de Gaulle, Some remarkable buildings around it are the Rouen City/town hall, former dormitory of the monks of the Saint-Ouen abbey, Statue of Napoleon (1865), bronze work by sculptor Vital Gabriel Dubray, The Abbey Church Saint-Ouen , At no 5: Hôtel de Bimorel, 18C, now houses the premises of Rouen Habitat, At no 11: Hôtel Fiquet de Normandie, 18C, the ground floor of which is occupied by a supermarket U Express. At no 17: Hôtel de la Ferté, 17C. It housed the “Journal de Rouen” from 1925 then the Paris-Normandie. After the departure of the newspaper, the site was redeveloped to create the “Terrasses Saint-Ouen”, a real estate operation.
The Old Market square,or place du Vieux Marché located at the west end of the rue d’Horloge and not far from the Gros Horloge or big clock, surrounded by several houses half-timbered or corbelled, whose large part actually consists of old façades done to this square , It was on this square, in the middle of the Hundred Years’ War, that Joan of Arc was burned alive on May 30, 1431. The place, as Joan of Arc saw it, did not look like what it is today. The square was smaller and its space was occupied by the Saint-Sauveur church, the Saint-Michel church and by a large market hall. It was also the usual place of executions. A large cross has been erected on the site of the stake. In the middle of the square, the remains of the old Saint-Sauveur church have been unearthed. It is in this modest parish church that Pierre Corneille was baptized, his birthplace, rue de la Pie, now transformed into a museum located nearby. Today it is a lively square, around which there are restaurants and bars.
The Promenade Éric Tabarly is located near the Halle aux Toiles and Ancre de la Jeanne d’Arc public building. It was name in homage to the great Breton navigator who disappeared at sea, the quay was baptized “Promenade Éric-Tabarly”, between the Boieldieu bridge and the Corneille bridge.
The rue Alsace-Lorraine is located in the extension of the rue du Général-Leclerc, it connects the rue de la République to the place Saint-Marc. Rue Alsace-Lorraine is one-way west-east. It is served along its entire length in its own lane by the TEOR and has a “République” stop near the rue de la République. This street owes its name to the memory of Alsace-Lorraine, provinces lost at the end of war of 1870 and returned to France by the Treaty of Versailles, June 28, 1919. You can see at no 20 the building at the corner of rue Malpalu the statues of Alsace and Lorraine (decapitated), made in 1887 by Louis Loisel.
The Rue d’Amiens is a street on the right bank of Rouen. Approximately 800 meters long, it begins to the west at the crossroads with rue de la République, in the extension of rue de la Chaîne. It heads east-southeast to the Charles-Nicolle hospital; it does not change direction but a central reservation is inserted between the two lanes. It ends on Boulevard Gambetta. This road bears the name of the city of Amiens, prefecture of the Somme department (80) This street was opened around the middle of the 19C on the site of several unhealthy streets, such as rue Pigeon, rue Neuve, rue du Battoir, rue des 3-Cornettes. Before taking its current name, it bore the names of “rue du Battoir”, “rue des Arpenteurs”, “rue des Canettes”, “rue des Trois-Cornets” and “rue du Nouveau-Monde”.A remarkable building is at No 75: Juliette Billard ,first female architect in France, lived there,
The Rue Damiette is a street on the right bank of Rouen. Approximately 130 meters long, it begins in the corner of Place Barthélemy, at the corner with Rue de Martainville. It ends to the north at the intersection of Place du Lieutenant-Aubert and Rue du Rosier. Its picturesque character and its perspective on the abbey of Saint-Ouen have made it a favorite subject for painters and engravers. It was represented in particular by Camille Pissarro in 1884. The businesses found there today are mainly antique shops. The name of this street comes either from the capture of Damietta by Louis IX in 1249, or from the name of an owner. Remarkable buildings at nos 28-32: Hôtel de Senneville, a mansion, and at No. 30: Hotel d’Aligre, a mansion. The engraver Narcisse-Alexandre Buquet was born at No. 15. The Saint-Maclou Church (see post) is located at the end of the street on Place Barthélemy.
The Rue de la République leads from the Pierre-Corneille bridge to the City/Town Hall. The streets that join it are the rue de l’Hôpital, the rue des Ditches Louis VIII, the rue de la Croix-verte, the rue du Petit Mouton, the rue de la Chaîne, the rue d’Amiens, the rue Saint- Nicolas, rue Saint-Romain, place Barthélemy, rue des Bonnetiers, rue du Général-Leclerc, rue Alsace-Lorraine, rue Saint-Denis, place de la Haute-Vieille-Tour and rue des Augustins. Formerly called rue Royale until 1848, then rue de la République then rue Impériale in 1852, it was renamed in 1870 under the Third Republic for its current name, The street only began in 1830 under the name “Rue Royale”. It led to the destruction of part of the Saint-Amand abbey. At the end of the 19C, impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro and Joseph Delattre exhibited their paintings at the Hôtel du Dauphin et d’Espagne. In 1906, this hotel was succeeded by the Théâtre de l’Alhambra, a vast building in the Art Nouveau style , which became the Imperial cinema and then the Omnia cinema in 1910, before being badly damaged by the fire of June 1940 and the bombardments, then totally destroyed after WWII. On its site was erected in 1952 a new building of more modest appearance which houses the Gaumont cinema, before becoming a public Art and Essay cinema called L’Omnia on September 1, 2010, as of today, The Legrip gallery “À l’ami des arts”, installed at no. 59 from 1807, allowed many artists from the School of Rouen to start their careers. Today, road traffic is limited to 30 km/h. At the intersection with Alsace-Lorraine and General-Leclerc streets, is crossed by the TEOR (East-West Rouen Transport). Each end of the street has a Cy’clic station (self-service bicycles). Édouard Jean-Marie Hostein, is a French painter, illustrator and lithographer who lived on this street.
A stone’s throw from the City/Town Hall and Saint-Ouen Abbey, the rue des Boucheries-Saint-Ouen becomes pedestrian until Saturday September 16, 2023 , Closed to traffic between rue des Faulx and rue Eau -de-Robec, pedestrianization allows restaurants to extend their terraces, Formerly rue de la Sirène then rue des Boucheries de Robec during the French revolutionary period, its name comes from the butcher shops established in the district in the Middle Ages, The Rue des Boucheries Saint Ouen remains a memory, For the curious who would pass avenue Gustave Flaubert, at n° 74, they will be able, if the door is open, to see a Gothic shop from the end of the 15C, property of the Departmental Museum of Antiquities. It was moved from n°6 rue des Boucheries Saint-Ouen, during the widening of the track for the passage of the tram.
The Rue Jean-Lecanuet is a street that connects Place du Général-de-Gaulle to Place Cauchoise. 900 meters long, it is one of the main arteries of the city center. (My hotel was here) ,This road bears the name of the former minister and mayor of Rouen Jean Lecanuet, an eminent character of centrism and local political life. The street was name Rue de-l’Hôtel de Ville” because it led there, then in 1878 it took the name of rue Thiers, named after the politician Adolphe Thiers (French Pres 2nd Republic). It was renamed rue Jean-Lecanuet by decision of the municipal council in July 1993, a few months after the death of the former mayor of Rouen. At No 22: Art Deco building4, remarkable ironwork gate. Pierre Le Verdier lived at this address. Le Secq des Tournelles museum no 26 bis: Museum of Fine Arts Square Verdrel is a square in the city center of Rouen, between rue Jeanne-d’Arc, the museum of Beaux-Arts and the Ceramics Museum. no 29 Pierre Le Trividic is a French painter and book illustrator from the School of Rouen. no 41: Jean Lecanuet lived there.de-Ville” because it led there, then in 1878 it took the name of rue Thiers, named after the politician Adolphe Thiers. It was renamed rue Jean-Lecanuet by decision of the municipal council in July 1993, a few months after the death of the former mayor of Rouen. At No 22: Art Deco building remarkable ironwork gate. Pierre Le Verdier lived at this address. Others are the Le Secq des Tournelles museum At no 26 bis: Museum of Fine Arts, Square Verdrel between rue Jeanne-d’Arc, the museum of Beaux-Arts and the Ceramics Museum. At no 29 Pierre Le Trividic is a French painter and book illustrator from the School of Rouen.At no 41: Jean Lecanuet lived there.
The Rue Jeanne-d’Arc leads from the Jeanne-d’Arc bridge to Rouen-Rive-Droite train station, and intersects Rue du Gros-Horloge. It also crosses Place Foch where the courthouse is located. Rue Jeanne-d’Arc is served from south to north by three underground stations of the two branches of the Rouen tramway: Théâtre des Arts, Palais de Justice and Gare-Rue Verte. Each end of the street has a Cy’clic bike station: the first is at the level of the Théâtre des Arts while the second is located in front of the train station. This street honors Joan of Arc, heroine of the history of France, warlord and saint of the Catholic Church, condemned to the stake and executed in Rouen (1431). The street was created from 1859, when it received the name of “rue du Chemin-de-Fer”. Then it was inaugurated on November 15, 1862 under the name of “Rue de l’Impératrice”. It took the name “rue Jeanne-d’Arc” on September 25, 1870 after the fall of the Second Empire. Its opening led to the demolition of the churches of Saint-André-aux-Fèvres, including the bell tower, known as the “tour Saint-André” only been preserved, Saint-Martin-sur-Renelle in its entirety, as well as the last vestiges of the church of Saint-Jean-sur-Renelle, essentially destroyed at the beginning of the 19C. All these churches were characteristic of the Gothic style. Some remarkable buildings here are at no 1 (demolished): the cyclist Charles Terront lived there around 1900, one of the first stars of the Tour de France, The beforementioned Tour Saint-André (16C). At no 28: the painter Henri Daniaud lived there and died there. At no 45: hôtel des Postes or post office from 1938-1950 At no 71: the artist Marcel Duchamp lived there, as a child was a French painter, visual artist, man of letters, naturalized American in 1955. At no 102: integrated into the inner courtyard of the Art Nouveau building are the substructures of the tower of the Maid where Joan of Arc was imprisoned from December 25, 1430 to May 30, 1431, which explains the current name of the street. A black marble slab, as well as a sculpture representing the whole of the old castle above the entrance to the building from the beginning of the 20C indicate its location. At no. 107 Louis Jacques Élie Fabulet died there is the translator of the novel Walden or life in the woods by Henry David Thoreau in France. He is also one of the main French translators of Rudyard Kipling, notably of his Jungle Book. The French Academy awarded him the Langlois prize in 1901 for this translation. Today, there are mainly banks and real estate agents, two post offices including the main revenue building, the PTT regional office and the “Armitière” bookstore at no 66.
The Grande Pharmacie du Centre at. 29 Place de la Cathédrale just come to admire its facade. Created by Raymond Subes, a famous French ironworker of the Art Deco period, the facade of the building is a work of art in itself. It is reminiscent of certain Parisian ironworks, such as those of certain large hotels and restaurants, including Fouquet’s, George V and even Lutetia. For good reason, these were also shaped by Raymond Subes! Besides the façade, the Grande Pharmacie du Centre holds another secret: Claude Monet’s studio was located just above, upstairs! From up there, the impressionist painter benefited at any time of the day from an unparalled view of Rouen Cathedral, the muse of his “Series of Cathedrals”. Today, this pharmacy has a very wide range of medicines, medical accessories, cosmetics and herbalism. Its little extra: the prices charged here are often more advantageous than those of the surrounding pharmacies.The pharmacy was created in 2006, and we have purchase here!Webpage : https://pharmacieducentre-rouen.site-solocal.com/
The Rouen tourist office was created in 1908, and installed since 1959 in the oldest surviving Renaissance monument in Rouen, the Finance Office,in the Place de la Cathédrale, The Tourist Office is a real support, and a must to visit even if have been to Rouen like us several times, The Tourist Office is a real support for restaurateurs, hoteliers, tourist structures in areas such as reception, information but also the Tourism & Handicap mission, and visitors like us. Behold, there will be better as the old building is under restoration that began in September 2022 and will continue for 3 years !. A new reception area at the Museum of Fine Arts Esplanade. Marcel Duchamp for visitors was inaugurated in September 2022. Inspired by the history of the place, and the brand new identity, the architect studio proposed a unique project with careful attention particular attention to the choice of materials and the optimization of spaces for the comfort of visitors and stay advisers. It is open from October to April: Monday to Saturday 9h30 to 18h. (except 10h on Tuesday), Sunday and public holidays during short school holidays in all areas from 10h to 18h, May to September: Monday to Saturday 9h to 19h (except 10h Tuesday), Sunday and public holidays 10h to 18h. Closed May 1, November 1 and 11, and December 25. webpage : https://en.visiterouen.com/
Some events on the streets to see here are to go right into the heart of the French resistance in WWII with the story of the Dungeon and a escape game Rue du Donjon running every year , more info official Donjon of Rouen: https://www.donjonderouen.com/en/escape-game-en/
Then, see the Festival Commedia dell’Arte running every year with fencing laughts, theater with the Comedia dell’arte inside the ceramic museum or Musée de la Céramique 1 rue du Faucon More info in Rouen tourist office :https://www.visiterouen.com/actualites/au-rythme-des-temps-forts/festival-commedia-dell-arte-rouen/
The Rouen tourist office: https://en.visiterouen.com/
The Seine Maritime dept 76 tourist office on Rouen : https://www.seine-maritime-tourisme.com/en/destination/city-break/rouen/
The Normandie tourist office on Rouen: https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/unmissable-sites/rouen/
There you go folks, a dandy wonderful walks of Rouen ,sublime any time. One activity I encourage all to do while in town, any town of my belle France,and of course in wonderful Rouen. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the streets of Rouen, part I !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 