In the 5th century, it became the seat of a bishopric and later a capital of Merovingian Neustria.įrom their first incursion into the lower valley of the Seine in 841, the Normans overran Rouen. 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.

It was considered the second city of Gallia Lugdunensis after Lugdunum ( Lyon) itself. They called it Ratumacos the Romans called it Rotomagus. Rouen was founded by the Gaulish tribe of the Veliocasses, who controlled a large area in the lower Seine valley. 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.įor a chronological guide, see Timeline of Rouen. Seat of an archdiocese, it also hosts a court of appeal and a university. Several renowned establishments are located here, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Secq des Tournelles museum, and Rouen Cathedral.

Įndowed with a prestige established during the medieval era, and with a long architectural heritage in its historical monuments, Rouen is an important cultural capital. Severely damaged by the wave of bombing in 1944, it nevertheless regained its economic dynamism in the post-war period thanks to its industrial sites and its large seaport, which today is the fifth largest in France. Claimed by both the French and the English during the Hundred Years' War, it was on its soil that Joan of Arc was tried and burned alive on. From the 13th century onwards, the city experienced a remarkable economic boom, thanks in particular to the development of textile factories and river trade. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the 11th to the 15th centuries. Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy during the Middle Ages. People from Rouen are known as Rouennais. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population of the metropolitan area ( French: aire d'attraction) is 702,945 (2018). It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime.

Rouen ( UK: / ˈ r uː ɒ̃, ˈ r uː ɒ n/, US: / r uː ˈ ɒ̃, r uː ˈ ɒ n/ French: ( listen) or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km 2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Pocket City