Immaculate light meets dark history in Honfleur

The beautiful harbour of Honfleur is a remarkable sight: slate covered houses reflected in the harbour waters, the slender spire of St. Catherine’s Church poking over the rooftops. It’s a view that’s made Honfleur famous, but the harbour is only part of the magnificent architectural heritage on display in the town. Timber-framed houses line cobbled streets, narrow lanes and alleyways lead to pretty squares and ancient churches.

Honfleur has a history to match its architecture. Sitting on the estuary of the River Seine, with direct access on the river to Paris, this small port has played an outsized role in French history. The Vikings established a settlement here – from which they launched raiding parties – but the first written record was made by Richard III, Duke of Normandy, in 1025. Making the town just over a thousand years old.

Honfleur was already a major port at the outbreak of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. It was a prize both sides coveted and it played a central role in the dramatic events that unfolded between the start of the war in 1337 and its end in 1453. The French fortified Honfleur with massive walls, but after vicious fighting it fell to the English in 1357 and again between 1419 to 1450.

Honfleur’s Golden Age was still to come, and its intrepid sailors would enrich the city in ways unimaginable in the medieval period. The discovery of the New World changed everything. In the Age of Discovery, Honfleur became one of France’s most important ports for exploring the Americas and ultimately for colonising them. It was from Honfleur that Samuel de Champlain sailed in 1608 to establish a colony at Quebec.

For at least a century before that momentous event, Honfleur ships had been sailing to Newfoundland fishing the vast cod shoals, and trading for furs and other goods in modern day Canada. It made the town’s merchants wealthy, but there was a darker trade that also enriched Honfleur: the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It’s hard to take in, but that picture-postcard perfect harbour was also paid for in human misery.

Portugal and Britain were by far the largest slave trading nations, but in the 18th century French ships were responsible for transporting over 1.1 million enslaved Africans to the Americas. Honfleur was the fifth largest slaving port in the country during that period. It’s a history worth recalling as you admire the grand houses in the town. Honfleur’s fortunes waned after the French Revolution and the port sank into semi-obscurity.

That proved to be a modern day boon for the town. The picturesque setting and unique light of the Seine estuary began to attract artists in the 19th century. Honfleur became one of the most important centres for the Impressionist movement, seducing artists from Eugène Boudin, an Honfleur native, to Johan Jongkind and Claude Monet. That tradition continues today, Honfleur has numerous artists studios.

We arrived early one April morning for a long weekend during which the weather did its best to illustrate why so many artists come here. On our first morning the streets were wet with a fine drizzle that soaked everything, the sky a brooding grey. By midday that had been replaced by fluffy white clouds and patches of blue. A day later, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature was unseasonably hot.

Honfleur is a small place and you could easily spend a day here and never look back, but having a few days to explore its streets, walk along the beach, sampling excellent food and sipping the regional speciality, cider, was a lot of fun. It’s not exactly undiscovered, so being there in the early morning and evening gave us a chance to enjoy the streets without the crowds.

We ventured into the nearby countryside to discover the Normandy Cider Route: a must for any fan of apple-based alcohol, especially cider and calvados (or ‘throat burning firewater’ as they should rebrand it). We also stopped in Rouen on the way home for a little Joan of Arc nostalgia. This trip made us realise that Normandy has a lot to offer. As it’s only a short distance from Belgium, we will be back.