Even on a December day, whilst rainy clouds loom in the sky and the air is damp and cold, Honfleur is an enchanting French town, full of history and wonder. The beautiful medieval architecture in Honfleur is a traveller and history lover’s dream.
Honfleur is a small port town in Normandy, France. Historic houses and fishing boats on the calm waterfront compete for any travellers attention. At first glance, you might be thinking you’re looking at Amsterdam’s tall, narrow and mismatched houses that line the city’s canals. Like Amsterdam, Honfleur’s houses were built high, tightly packed into rows. Honfleur’s decadent houses are a sign of the wealthy traders who lived there long ago. Many shipowners made their money from trading with North America.
Nowadays, the harbour looks small and quaint and is mostly a tourist attraction but in the past, it was used as a busy commercial port for this bustling small town.
Beautiful Medieval Architecture
During the Hundred Years War, the English took charge of the port for many decades. Samuel de Champlain was an explorer who headed out from Honfleur to Quebec in Canada to seek trade deals. Trade here also had a darker side and the port was on a slave trade route.
So what was the Hundred Years’ War?
It was a series of battles between England and France over who was the successor to the French throne caused a war that lasted 116 years, from 1337 to 1453.
Image: HISTORY.com
Wooden church of St. Catherine
This church is made entirely out of wood. It replaced a church that was destroyed during the Hundred Years’ War. Once the English cleared off from France, the residents had to use from the nearby forest as resources were in limited supply.
She Roams and Rambles 