Granville

We went to Granville and the ruins of the Chateau Ducal in Gavray today.

The coast near Granville is known for its many spread rocks off the coast, and for the dangerous flows caused by the cyclic tide (the bay of Mont Saint-Michel experiences one of the most important tidal ranges in the world, and this causes strong currents that generate dangerous waves orthogonal to the international sea road and to the normal tidal flow that goes along the Channel).

The town was founded in 12th century and was taken several times by the English who fortified it in 1437. The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the 15th century. These are entered through the drawbridge (Grand'Porte), the bloody theatre of the "Siège des Vendéens" in 1793.


Granville + Gavray