Rouen with love ...

I will not make anybody the affront to pretend to know the History of a city of more than 2000 years, it would be presumptuous on my side except, if I were a specialist. I could make "copy / paste" but, what would be the point ?...

Over time, I learned "bits" of history, anecdotes and, the main lines on the conquest of Normandy and Rouen.

I leave the care of the Chronological History of Rouen to Mr. Jean Braunstein, historian, who sums up 2000 years of history of Rouen here .

 

I am fascinated by these buildings that have tavers the ages and, I thank the people who have done everything to preserve them. I like the irregularity of some of these works, always standing, sometimes slightly bent. They are there to show us that men were in those distant times builders of genius. The means of construction were not those of today and yet they have managed masterpieces that have endured over the centuries.

I also see the human aspect and, can not help but think of these men who died during the construction of the monuments and, other buildings which mark out our beautiful city of Rouen. Standards, safety measures and, construction machinery were then out of place in the landscape! ... the lives of humble men had little value in the eyes of the "great", decision makers of the time.

 

When I take pictures, I think of these humble & great men. There are a lot of them left in what we admire. Without them, the architectural ideas of the time would not have seen the light of day.

 

We are also very lucky that, despite the wars, our magnificent Norman houses could have been preserved, at the cost of the blood shed by our ancestors.

 

My photos are my way of paying tribute to them all, without forgetting to take advantage of what today offers us, which makes Rouen a magnificent city in which to walk.