Granville

Granville has a maritime climate , as the city is located on the English Channel . But due to the fact that the city is located in the depths of the Gulf of Mont-Saint-Michel, it is relatively well protected from winds and hurricanes and the temperature indicators are relatively mild. The maximum nominal temperature of July-August is 21 ° C, and the minimum temperature of January-February is 3 ° C. In 2006, the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur named Granville “the most disgusting seaside resort” due to the small number of sunny days ^[1] .

During the hurricane of 1987, gusts of wind reached 220 km / h, which is an absolute record for the city.

The emergence of a settlement

According to the legend of the Gulf of Mont Saint-Michel, Granville was connected with the Isle of Chaux by the Skissy forest, which disappeared in 709. After that, Granville became a coastal city called Roque de Lihou.

In 1066, during the Norman Conquest of England, the Duke of Normandy William I, the Conqueror, demanded the help of the Grant family and transferred the lands of Roque de Lihou to them in gratitude. Thus, the first lords of the city after the Vikings were Grants ^[2] . In 1143 the parish of Notre Dame was formed. In 1252, Jeanne de Granville, the only heiress, married Raul d'Argouges ( French Raoul d'Argouges ), Senor de Gratotte.

In 1439, the construction of the Notre Dame Church began. On October 26, 1439, the English officer of the Hundred Years War , the Seneschal of Normandy Thomas de Scales, bought these lands from Jean d'Arguigne. The King of England Henry VI sought to isolate Mont Saint-Michel , who remained France's last bridgehead on Norman territory, and ordered Sir Thomas to build fortifications in Granville. The construction of the fortress began in 1440. To better protect the city, Sir Thomas ordered a ditch to be dug between the peninsula and the mainland.

However, on November 8, 1442, the French took control of the fortress by cunning, and then it constantly belonged to France. King Charles VII decided to turn Granville into a fortified city, and in 1445 issued a letter under which residents were exempted from taxes and the coat of arms complained to the city. Since the 1450s, Granville ships went fishing for Newfoundland . In 1470, the city was visited by King Louis XI . In 1492, Jews from Spain , who were persecuted there under the Alhambra Edict, began to arrive in France. One of the communities formed in Granville, and their trading and lending operations allowed the city to acquire a large fleet.

From privateering to sea bathing

In 1562, the city fortifications were modernized and a military garrison was placed in the city barracks . Then, in 1593, the keys to the city were presented to Henry IV , which testified to the importance of this settlement for the French kingdom . Under Louis XIII, fortifications were adapted for artillery . Since the reign of Louis XIV, Granville ships have received the rights to robbery . In that era, Granville equipped 70–80 ships, and France received 15 admirals, the most famous of which was Georges-Rene Pleuville-Lepelli . In 1688, Minister Luvua ordered the demolition of some of the fortifications of the city. Louis XIV in 1692 appointed the first mayor of Granville; they became Luc Lébouche de Gastagni. During the Augsburg League war, the British shelled the city in 1695, destroying 27 houses. At that time, Vauban developed a project to modernize the fortifications, but he did not have time to implement this project.

In the wake of this attack, in 1720 the height of the city fortifications was increased. Then, starting in 1749, work was carried out to expand and modernize the port, having built in 1750 a pier , which exists today. In 1763, the suburbs were badly damaged by fire. In 1777, the new Gênes barracks was built , which exists now.

From November 14, 1793, Granville was besieged by the forces of the Vendee during the Norman expedition of the Vendee mutiny . Having lost over 2000 people, the rebels stopped the attack. On September 14, 1803, the city ​​was again shelled by the British, after which they blocked its water area.

Since 1815, in the midst of the Restoration , after lengthy armed conflicts, Granville decided to choose a new course of development. The city created the Chamber of Commerce; in 1823 the pier was extended and in 1827 the first stone of the lighthouse du Roque was laid. The port acquired its modern look after 1856, when a tidal port pool and a lock were built. In 1860, the first casino was opened in the city. In 1865, St. Peter's Hospital was built.

In 1869, the newspaper Le Granvillais began to be published, and on July 3, 1870, a railway station was opened in Granville on the Paris-Granville route. After that, the city became a real seaside resort, which attracted eminent vacationers, including Stendhal , Jules Michelet , Victor Hugo , as well as the parents of Maurice Denis , “unexpectedly” born in Granville.

After 1875, large construction works were carried out in the city, and in 1889, the Granville Regatta Society was founded to entertain holidaymakers; in 1890 a hippodrome was opened, in 1912 a golf club was organized. In 1898, the church of Saint-Paul was built .

In 1908, a tourist service office was opened in Granville. In 1911, the city received a new casino, maternity hospital and savings bank. In 1912, electricity appeared in the city and inaugurated the Normandy-Hôtel .

After the end of World War I , Granville resumed regattas in 1919. In 1921, the city was visited by his native Lucien Dior , who served as Minister of Commerce in the seventh government of Briand . In 1925, a new train station was built in Granville and the city received the status of a “climatic resort”. In 1931, the last fishing vessel returned to port from the shores of Newfoundland .

World War II

As a garrison city and coastal settlement that defended Mont Saint-Michel Bay , Granville was the first target in any armed conflict. June 17, 1940 German troops entered the city. Eleven Granville residents who participated in the Resistance movement were sent to Auschwitz . The Normandy Hotel has commandant and Gestapo facilities .

The city was liberated without battle by the Allies on July 31, 1944 , and General Patton's troops passed through Granville for two days, heading from Coutances to Avranches .

German troops reoccupied Granville on March 9, 1945, landing from Jersey ; this occupation lasted several hours. On March 9, when France was already liberated, and the Allied forces were 800 kilometers from the city, having begun to force the Rhine, the German troops remaining on the island of Jersey sent a special detachment to occupy Granville. A group of light boats with German soldiers approached the coast of Granville at night. They blew up port facilities and sank 4 cargo ships. In the clash killed 15 American, 8 British and 6 French soldiers. Before retreating, the Wehrmacht soldiers released 70 German prisoners, and captured 5 Americans and 4 British ^[3] .

Modern History

During the war for the independence of Algeria , a training center operated in the Granville barracks, designed for several thousand new recruits who were trained here before being sent to Kabilya .

In 1970, the Regional Center for Sailing was opened in Granville, and in 1975 the port was expanded by building a marina . In 1973, the Heudebert company opened a biscuit factory in the city, which operates to this day. Donations of Richard Anacreon allowed in the 1980s to open a museum of modern art, and many urban buildings were classified as national historical monuments . In 1984, army units left the barracks and the opportunity appeared to carry out the reconstruction of Point Point du Roque .

In 1991, the Christian Dior Museum was opened. In 2000, a business incubator was created in Granville, and in 2003, the new A84 expressway connected Granville with other metropolitan areas and capitals.

Granville is a major economic center of the southern English Channel . The municipality has a port and an airport. Granville is also an important tourist destination on the coast of the Gulf of Mont Saint-Michel. The largest employers in the municipality are the Le Normandy Thalassotherapy Center, the Department of Water Management and the Lu-Heudebert biscuit factory, opened in 1973.

Until 1984, Granville was a garrison city in which the 1st Marine Regiment was stationed.

The market takes place on Saturdays on Jonesville Cours Boulevard .

Employment structure:

• agriculture - 2.4%
• industry - 8.7%
• construction - 5.6%
• trade, transport and services - 43.1%
• state and municipal services - 40.3%

The unemployment rate (2014) is 17.1% (France as a whole - 13.5%, the Manche department - 11.3%).
The average annual income per person, euro (2014) - 19 121 (France as a whole - 20 150, the Manche department - 19 548).

Granville Port

The port at Granville appeared in the 16th century. Nowadays, it is managed by the Chamber of Commerce of the Central and Southern Channel and specializes in yachting, fishing, trade and passenger transportation.

Being a cod and oyster port in the 19th century, currently the port of Granville:

• carries passengers on speedboats Jolie-France-II, Jeune-France-II and the catamaran Jeune-France in the direction of the Chose Islands and Channel Islands ;
• can accept merchant ships up to 18 meters wide and up to 125 meters long, with a displacement of 5-6 thousand tons, mainly for transportation of scrap metal, sand and gravel;
• the main fishing port in Normandy, specializing in mollusks ( venus , trumpeters , glycerimes , known as “oysters of the poor”, as well as scallops ), crustaceans ( lobsters , large crabs, velvet crabs, spider crabs), as well as fish ( sea bream , stingrays , cat sharks , sea ​​tongue , silver pollock , sea ​​bass , mullet , shrimp , cuttlefish , squid ); the port has a seafood market, a refrigerated terminal and a computerized sales system. The volume of fishing (excluding artificially grown) is about 16,000 tons per year. About 75 equipped ships are based in the port. Artificially grown seafood is delivered from the island of Chose , where about 250 tons of cockerel ( French palourde ), 5,000 tons of mussels and 100 tons of oysters are produced annually;
• Since 1975, a marina has been equipped at Hérel Harbor ^[4] . Marina takes 3,500 calls a year; on average 3 yachtsmen on one ship; The annual payment is approximately 787,000 Euros.

There are three museums in the city: the Christian Dior Museum , located in the designer’s home, showing the cultural and creative atmosphere of the Christian Dior era, as well as the history of fashion; the Old Granville Museum , housed in royal apartments, introduces the history of the settlement; Museum of Contemporary Art Richard Anacreon. The city also has a large aquarium located at the tip of the cape, where many species of fish of the tropical seas are represented and three thematic expositions: Shell extravaganza, Palace of Minerals and Butterfly Garden.

For cultural activities, Granville has a Charles de Lamorandière media library in the city center, an Archipel hall , a multifunctional room with 600 seats, an open-air theater with 400 seats, a small theater of the peninsula with 65 seats, the recently reconstructed Le Select cinema with three halls and a music school .

64 urban associations and societies participate in the social and cultural life of Granville.

Natural Heritage

Granville is located in close proximity to natural protected sites, including the Gulf of Mont Saint-Michel and the islands of Chaux . From north to south, the GR 223 “great walking route” runs through the city, starting at Honfleur and ending at Avranches , following along the Normandy coast.

There was an intention in 1992 to include the Shosi Islands in the network of nature protection territories of the European Union Natura 2000 , but the Council of the communal association in 2003 decided to refuse, blocking this issue to date ^[5] .

The municipality has a water treatment plant and a waste processing plant on its territory. The city has implemented a system of separation waste collection .

Architectural Heritage

Granville's cultural heritage is represented by many religious buildings, including the Notre Dame Church , built in the 14th century and classified as a historical monument in 1930. Also worth mentioning is St. Paul 's Church, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Protestant Church.

The surviving parts of city fortifications, including fragments of the city wall, drawbridge (Grand 'Porte) and houses of the 15th century, destroyed and then restored in 1727, included in the additional list of historical monuments in 2004, also testify to the military past of Granville. Also in 1758 In the year barracks were built on Cape Pointe du Roque , which dominates the settlement.

The chateau de Granville , built in the 15th century, the château de la Crete and the estate of St. Nicholas , built in 1786 by the local shipowner Nicola Deland, testify to the importance of some families in the region.

The Monument to Georges-Rene Pleuville-Lepelli, installed in the port, is dedicated to the most striking historical person of Granville.

The city casino in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco style was built in 1925, a hydropathic institution - in 1926.

Regional gastronomy

Гранвиль славится своими блюдами из морепродуктов, в частности:

• Гранвильская галета с морскими гребешками в сливках
• Дорада в солевой корочке с зелёным соусом
• Морской язык по-гранвильски вместе с мидиями и пильчатой креветкой
• Сливочные морские гребешки .

По субботам в городе устраивается рынок, где можно купить местные продукты.

Population dynamics, people

Пост мэра Гранвиля с 2014 года занимает Доминик Бодри ( Dominique Baudry). На муниципальных выборах 2014 года возглавляемый им независимый список победил во 2-м туре, получив 43,40 % голосов (из четырех списков).

Гранвиль является французским участником Douzelage - ассоциации городов-побратимов из стран Европейского Союза , в котором каждая страна представлена одним городом. Членами Douzelage, кроме Гранвиля, являются:

•   Агрос , Республика Кипр
•   Альтеа , Испания
•   Бад-Кёцтинг , Германия
•   Бандоран , Ирландия
•   Белладжо , Италия
•   Зволен , Словакия
•   Карккила , Финляндия
•   Кёсег , Венгрия
•   Марсаскала , Мальта
•   Меерссен , Нидерланды
•   Нидеранвен , Люксембург
•   Превеза , Греция
•   Пренай , Литва
•   Сезимбра , Португалия
•   Сигулда , Латвия
•   Сирет , Румыния
•   Сушице , Чехия
•   Трявна , Болгария
•   Тюри , Эстония
•   Укселёсунд , Швеция
•   Уффализ , Бельгия
•   Хойна , Польша
•   Хольстебро , Дания
•   Шерборн , Великобритания
•   Шкофья-Лока , Словения
•   Юденбург , Австрия

Побратимами Гранвиля также являются:

•   Ривьер-дю-Лу , Канада
•   Уманак , Гренландия

• Пьер Дюмануар (1770—1829) — адмирал, участник наполеоновских войн
• Морис Оранж (1867—1916) — живописец и художник
• Морис Дени (1870—1943) — художник-символист, иллюстратор, историк и теоретик искусства
• Марин-Мари (1901—1987) — писатель и художник-маринист, совершивший несколько трансатлантических одиночных плаваний на яхтах
• Кристиан Диор (1905—1957) — модельер, основатель модного дома Christian Dior
• Жак Гамблен (1957) — актёр кино, театра и телевидения

• National Institute of Statistics
• 2014 municipal election results
• Granville History Site