Caudebec-en-Caux


Caudebec-en-Caux is a former commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Rives-en-Seine.

Geography

Caudebec-en-Caux is located W.N.W. of Rouen, on the right bank of the River Seine. The tidal bore in the estuary of the Seine which is known as the mascaret in French, but locally as the barre, used to be well seen at this point. The development of the industrial polder towards Harfleur has changed the geometry of the estuary so that mascaret now seems to be a phenomenon of the past.
Since 1977 Caudebec has been served by the Pont de Brotonne, one of three bridges built across the Seine, downstream from Rouen since 1960, to replace the many ferries so making vehicular access between the Pays de Caux and the Autoroute A13 easier.

History

Caudebec is one of numerous places in Normandy having names which are clearly derived from a Scandinavian language.
Caldebec Abt 1025 derives from the old Danish kaldr bekkr: cold stream, cold brook.
In May 1592 during the French Wars of Religion Caudebec had been taken by Spanish and French Catholic League forces of Duke of Parma but was trapped by an army under Henry IV of France. Parma though wounded then made a miraculous escape avoiding complete defeat but died at Arras.

Heraldry

Sights

The chief architectural interest of the town lies in its Flamboyant church, which was constructed during the 15th and the early 16th centuries. Round its top run balustrades formed of Gothic letters, which read as part of the Magnificat. Its west portal, the decoration of the spire of the tower, and its stained glass are among the features which make it one of the finest churches of the Rouen diocese.
Its industries include tanning and leather-currying, and there is trade in grain. The
port has a small trade in coal, live-stock and farm produce. Caudebec was formerly
the location of the French seaplane manufacturer Latham

Caudebec-en-Caux in fiction