THE ESSENTIELS CLOS DU COTENTIN VALOGNES #DISCOVERIES www.encotentin.fr 1 LET’S TELL A STORY THE CLOS DU COTENTIN… A JOURNEY BACK IN TIME HOW DO YOU FEEL This is the right place, the Clos du Cotentin ABOUT THAT? includes three towns rich with 2000 years of history: Valognes, nicknamed “Le Petit Versailles Normand” (small Normandy Versailles). Saint- Sauveur-le-Vicomte “Bourgade jolie comme un village d’Ecosse” (as pretty as a Scottish village) and Bricquebec-en-Cotentin “La cité du Donjon” (the city of the tower). The cultural diversity is enchanting: castles, private residences, museums, classified churches… For children, ask for the booklets “Coucou les p’tits cailloux” (Hi, little stones). These small booklets can be filled in by all the family and contain games and ways of discovering the heritage. You can collect all three: the first, about the medieval part of Valognes, the second on Bricquebec- en-Cotentin’s Castle and the third on Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte’s Castle (only in french). Deepen your knowledge of the Clos du Cotentin with guided visits and conferences by the “Pays d’Art et d’Histoire”, which take place throughout the year, as well as treasure hunts, criminal investigations and workshops for children (programs available). A team of guide lecturers with “a la carte” visits are also available for groups. Did you know? During the summer, every Tuesday afternoon, guided visits in french, in a horse-drawn carriage are organized, when you can discover the heritage of Valognes to the clip clop sound of horses’ hooves! Ideal for a family activity. Enquire at the Tourist Office! 2 VALOGNES OVER THE CENTURIES… ROMAN ALAUNA THE HEYDAY OF THE ARISTOCRACY Ancient Gallic city of the Unelles tribe, Valognes Victim of royal taxes and other heavy taxation, became during the 1st century of our era a the Valognes craft industry tended to lose its Roman agglomeration. This town, named vigor during the second half of the 17th century. Alauna had important civilian buildings of This economic crisis, however, is forgotten which remain today some imposing ruins of thanks to the unprecedented phenomenon of Roman baths and the location of a theatre that the multiplication of tower houses built by a held more than 3000 seats. growing urban aristocracy. FROM DUCS TO KINGS MODERNISM After the Viking incursions of the 10th century, The French Revolution leads to the confiscation Valognes entered the prerogative of the Dukes of church property and the end of aristocratic of Normandy. The town is now concentrated privileges. around the ducal mansion and the parish The arrival of the train in 1858, encourages the church, established at the edge of the Merderet development of industrial and commercial th river. In the 12 century, Valognes remained an activities, linked notably to dairy production important place of power, a stopover for the and the extraction of stone. This period is equally dukes when they frequently travelled between marked culturally by important characters such Normandy and England, via the port of Barfleur. as the writer Jules Barbey d’Aurevilly, the painter Félix Buhot, the historian Léopold Delisle and TIME OF WAR… the theorist and political personnality Alexis de During The Hundred Years' War, Valognes and Tocqueville… the Clos du Cotentin became the possession of Charles le Mauvais, king of Navarre, who REBUILD fortified the ducal mansion and established his The major event of the 20th century remains the garrisons there. This fortress became the object trauma of the American bombing in June 1944 of unrelenting conflicts while the plague and which wiped out a large part of the town. famine ravaged the countryside. TODAY …AND PROSPERITY Awarded the stamp of quality “Ville d’Art et The town, offered to Jeanne de France, daughter Histoire” in 1992, Valognes is now a member with of king Louis XI, experienced a definite boom Bricquebec-en-Cotentin and Saint-Sauveur- from the beginning of the second half of the le-Vicomte of “Pays d’Art et d’Histoire du Clos th 15 century. While the castle and the church du Cotentin”, and focuses on highlighting its, were partly rebuilt, “Hôtel-Dieu” and a convent heritage and strives to share its architectural of Cordelier monks were founded, leather and and artistic riches bequeathed by 2000 years sheet crafts developed and the first noble town of history. houses appeared. This movement continued throughout the next century, making Valognes the economic and administrative capital of the Cotentin peninsula. 3 SUGGESTIONS OF WALKS TO DISCOVER VALOGNES Ru Georges Pillet e d e l stadium ’éc e ou Ru e e te s’i d eri a Sain t l pl S t ot eu u -An t d toin ée e P l l e d A La Tassinerie e business park e f Ru e Neuv 8 Ru eu gn le e L 6 Ru l Ru 10 Ru or vi ai é e L Bour 7 e Jardins l es le Gr F ve Allée d et él e Neu 5 e Ru ourn o ix u Buh d e d 4 du t Mal Ru y S Place ot 3 e e Félix Buhot 2 9 P Ru Ru avi Place ll du Bourg e on Ru Fleury Notre-Dame leri e Rue Grévillé e ll Ale queville e d vi xis de Toc 1 u Bour d'Alleaume Sel e Ger e d o a e d ts Ru Church e l Ru Ru Rue des Résistan g- d e Ma t Mal Fl al Bd Di Place es S eur 11 ol uqu Gustave c e y Rur et visi Lerouge E Ru de l Place on L es Ru emin a Mott d du e ecl e e Ch er Ru e at Château Place c cins Justic Vicq-dAzir e 3 apu Pi orn d 4 C C 5 erre des de Place ais o e Pierre al Ru C Henri u P Place 2 oubertin e Godefroy d Vestiges e Mal du Ru Ru 13 ise t e 19 Place Ru gl S Calvaire 1 d GaŲo-Romains du Général l’E e e la e 6 Benedictine d’Alauna de Gaulle d ’Officialité Ru 12 e e l 7 Bou F 18 d 10 Abbey ou 14 Ru e 12 Ru 8 11 Place R le leri Jacques 9 u v Lemarinel e ar e 1 d 6 Rue du Balnéaire Rue de Wéléat17 8 d 11 Regional e 16 s Rue du Vieux Ch s 15 7 âteau 9 l’Hôtel-Dieu 10 Cider Museum R d 1 e e Gisor 5 l 2 i V Rue de u Hôtel de g vix Ch Ru 8 d er o lin Ru i e e asse Bea Sain e Beaumont d t uses d t 2 Mou Ch -Fr enu e Barbe ou asse anç v un Viri A d 4 d ais e Burn e e l 7 4 an Ru Ch Ru ur a Gr 3 A epair Cr du asse 5 v 6 e 3 en oix Ru u y e e V arin d d d’ es Rue es er e A epair Place Beaur Am em ur Mim Croix l Place eur osas ol er Cossol our T e oun ci Croix et 40 5 vi . L 4 Morville 19 9 ett R.P 19 l Fl e R Abbé l an qu ou y e dr er ai es Rue Ru R. Bon Da enu es Dunk te v Ch e A d Ch e Mon d u 8 m Former Royal emin Rur emin e l d R. e G. a P Benedictine San tebour épini enu Abbey d v Ch és A Cotentin d al g u P pr èr emin A Public Hospital d v es e on en d e l u R. Ru t e a d R. e u V Ch R.M. Besn Qu . Hu go d Sain esn u esn d a e l y G t- ée Jean al ar L d d R. a us egen d e Pen des l a emin Cemetery Ch Sin ti Ch lh a esn N°109 gogu omm ale ée un omm e e C e Voi 4 BLUE CIRCUIT 16 Hôtel de Chivré, 16th-17th century, LE GRAND QUARTIER redesigned in the 20th century - 11bis About 30 minutes walk. rue de Wéléat. th 1 Saint-Georges bridge. 17 Hôtel de Touffreville, 17 century - 11 rue Wéléat. 2 Hôtel de Beaumont, 18th century. (see p. 6) 18 Courthouse, 1834 - Place du Général de Gaulle (see p. 7). 3 Former payment of excise duties, place de la Croix Morville. 19 Town Hall, rebuilt in 1955 - Place de Gaulle. 4 Chasse Anthonne, the name of the “rue Burnouf” on its old route. GREEN CIRCUIT Hôtel Saint-Rémy – 38 rue des 5 BENEDICTINE WALK Religieuses. About 30 minutes walk. 6 Birthplace of Leopold Delisle, paleographer – 37 rue des 1 Place du Calvaire, was once the Religieuses. medieval marketplace where the th th gallows were set-up during the 7 Hôtel Grandval-Caligny, 16 -17 Revolution. century-32 rue des Religieuses (see p. 6). 2 Notre-Dame de Protection Abbey, formally the Capucin monastry, 17th 8 Hôtel du Louvre, former post th th century - 8 rue des Capucins (see house, 16 -17 century - 28 rue des p. 7) Religieuses. 3 Hôtel de Chantore, artist’s workshop - 9 Hôtel du Mesnildot de la Grille, 9 rue des Capucins. currently Sainte-Marie school, 18th 4 Hôtel de Baudreville, currently e century - 16 rue des Religieuses.