Travel Guide Pont-Audemer

Historically, a Gallo-Roman military post already coveted for its strategic location on the Risle and at the crossroads of the Roman road linking Lisieux to Lillebonne, then contested in the Middle Ages by lords and kings, the town of Pont-Audemer has asserted its importance throughout history. Known as Duos Pontes, then Pons Audomaris, the town quickly became an important crossroads for trade in the region. This eventful past was marked in particular by the boom in its manufacturing industries, especially paper and leather. The tannery business, the largest in Europe, is at the origin of the network of canals criss-crossing the city, where hides were washed. The quality of the leather was such that William the Conqueror equipped his army with it, and more recently, in the 1830s, Thierry Hermès settled in Pont-Audemer to supply his new saddlery and horse harness factory - which would become a great house and a symbol of French luxury!Today, Pont-Audemer is undeniably one of the prettiest towns in the region, and a stopover not to be missed. Cradled by the Risle River and close to Honfleur, Pont-Audemer was once a famous city of tanners: a stroll through the medieval old town reveals the old hide drying sheds with their wooden clinkers. The charm of Place du Pot-d'Etain with its cobblestone lacework, the fountains of Place Victor-Hugo, the town houses and the stone bridges over the canals that have earned Pont-Audemer its nickname of "Little Venice of Normandy" are all worth a visit.