15 Facts About Rouen

1.

Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy during the Middle Ages.

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2.

Every four to six years, Rouen becomes the showcase for a large gathering of sailing ships called "L'Armada"; this event makes the city an occasional capital of the maritime world.

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3.

Rouen was founded by the Gaulish tribe of the Veliocasses, who controlled a large area in the lower Seine valley.

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4.

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.

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5.

From 912, Rouen was the capital of the Duchy of Normandy and residence of the local dukes, until William the Conqueror moved his residence to Caen.

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6.

In 1150, Rouen received its founding charter which permitted self-government.

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7.

Rouen demolished the Norman castle and replaced it with his own, the Chateau Bouvreuil, built on the site of the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre.

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8.

Rouen depended for its prosperity on the river traffic of the Seine, on which it enjoyed a monopoly that reached as far upstream as Paris.

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9.

Rouen is known for its Rouen Cathedral, with its Tour de Beurre financed by the sale of indulgences for the consumption of butter during Lent.

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10.

Jardin des Plantes de Rouen is a notable botanical garden once owned by Scottish banker John Law dated from 1840 in its present form.

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11.

Rouen was home to the French Grand Prix, hosting the race at the nearby Rouen-Les-Essarts track sporadically between 1952 and 1968.

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12.

In 1999 Rouen authorities demolished the grandstands and other remnants of Rouen's racing past.

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13.

Rouen has an opera house, whose formal name is "Rouen Normandy Opera House – Theatre of Arts" .

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14.

Rouen is served by TEOR and by buses run in conjunction with the tramway by TCAR, a subsidiary of Transdev.

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15.

Rouen Cathedral is the subject of a series of paintings by the Impressionist painter Claude Monet, who painted the same scene at different times of the day.

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