Forêt de Brotonne
Encyclopedia
The forêt de Brotonne in France
, is situated to the west of Rouen
in a vast meander
of the Seine
, accessible by the pont de Brotonne
. It is a part of the Parc naturel régional des Boucles de la Seine normande (Regional natural parc of Boucles de la Seine normande), which allows for the safeguarding of a large natural space stretching from the banlieue
of Rouen to the commune
of Marais-Vernier
.
Today the forest encompasses an area 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) in length and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in width, and is divided by multiple forest roads. It contains more than ninety species of trees, notably oaks
and beech
. The state-owned section covers more than 6700 hectares (16,556 acre) (out of a total 7200 hectares (17,791.6 acre)). The forest is one of the largest beech forests in France, with 62% of its area of its surface covered in beech. In addition to beech and oaks, the forest also contains Scots Pine
s and Hornbeam
s.
In addition to the trees, the forest also contains a windmill (the moulin-tour de Hauville) and a communal cottage (four à pain) of La Haye-De-Routot. The forest's western edge is bordered by the A131 autoroute
.
, along with a new palace named le palais dArelaune. Some of the houses constructed during this period measured up to 150 metres (164 yd) long and 80 metres (87.5 yd) wide and were elegantly decorated.
At the entrance of the forest on the other side of the Seine, the Fontenelle Abbey
was constructed during the reign of Clovis II
, which marked the beginning of evangelicalism in the area. Later, during the reign of Thierry III, Condède, a Breton recluse saint moved to an island by the forest where he lived for fifteen years, attracting a number of pilgrims who continued to come even after his death to visit his tomb.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, is situated to the west of Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
in a vast meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
of the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
, accessible by the pont de Brotonne
Pont de Brotonne
The pont de Brotonne is a bridge in the region of Upper Normandy, France, situated between the cities of Le Havre and Rouen. It has crossed the Seine since 1977, to the east of the commune of Caudebec-en-Caux...
. It is a part of the Parc naturel régional des Boucles de la Seine normande (Regional natural parc of Boucles de la Seine normande), which allows for the safeguarding of a large natural space stretching from the banlieue
Banlieue
In francophone areas, banlieues are the "outskirts" of a city: the zone around a city that is under the city's rule.Banlieues are translated as "suburbs", as these are also residential areas on the outer edge of a city, but the connotations of the term "banlieue" in France can be different from...
of Rouen to the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Marais-Vernier
Marais-Vernier
Marais-Vernier is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.The river ends with the Seine on the left bank near Quillebeuf-sur-Seine. It is isolated from a river by a ditch which was constructed by the Dutch....
.
Today the forest encompasses an area 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) in length and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in width, and is divided by multiple forest roads. It contains more than ninety species of trees, notably oaks
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
. The state-owned section covers more than 6700 hectares (16,556 acre) (out of a total 7200 hectares (17,791.6 acre)). The forest is one of the largest beech forests in France, with 62% of its area of its surface covered in beech. In addition to beech and oaks, the forest also contains Scots Pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
s and Hornbeam
Hornbeam
Hornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...
s.
In addition to the trees, the forest also contains a windmill (the moulin-tour de Hauville) and a communal cottage (four à pain) of La Haye-De-Routot. The forest's western edge is bordered by the A131 autoroute
A131 autoroute
Autoroute 131 links the A13 and Le Havre.The motorway starts at exit 26 on the A13 and ends in the outskirts of Le Havre.It is operated by the Société des Autoroutes de Paris Normandie . Its total length is . Apart from the Pont de Tancarville where a toll is applicable, the motorway is toll-free....
.
History
During the Ancient Roman period, the remainder of the primary forests were cleared (as deforestation had already most likely begun during the Neolithic Period in order to build large domains consisting of several farms a linked to new cities which were growing along the banks of the SeineSeine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
, along with a new palace named le palais dArelaune. Some of the houses constructed during this period measured up to 150 metres (164 yd) long and 80 metres (87.5 yd) wide and were elegantly decorated.
At the entrance of the forest on the other side of the Seine, the Fontenelle Abbey
Fontenelle Abbey
Fontenelle Abbey or the Abbey of St. Wandrille is a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Saint-Wandrille-Rançon near Caudebec-en-Caux in Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France.-First foundation:...
was constructed during the reign of Clovis II
Clovis II
Clovis II succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639 as King of Neustria and Burgundy. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanthild until her death in her early thirties in 642...
, which marked the beginning of evangelicalism in the area. Later, during the reign of Thierry III, Condède, a Breton recluse saint moved to an island by the forest where he lived for fifteen years, attracting a number of pilgrims who continued to come even after his death to visit his tomb.