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A BEAUTIFUL CITY ALONG THE SEINEDUCLAIR, a beautiful city along the Seine |
|  Duclair is a city with 4,163 inhabitants, which benefits from a good location : it is situated at the crossroads of three big Normand Abbeys – Saint Wandrille, Saint Martin de Boscherville and Jumieges – at the start of the fruit road and in the middle of the Rouen-Le Havre road.
As a main entrance to the "Parc Naturel Régional des Boucles de la Seine Normande", confined in the heart of the River Austreberthe valley and very near the River Seine, its geographical situation was perfect for its natural vocation. It is a paradise for walkers, for kayak practisers, for fishermen or simply for non professional photographers, greedy for landscape photos.
Rewarded by the "National Committee of the Most Beautiful Flower Decorated Cities", the city is very proud of its "two flowers".
Duclair is inviting you for a visit…
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| | Duroclarum |  Even if a human presence has been confirmed by a Gallic camp, it was only after the Roman invasion that DUROCLARUM (beautiful suburb) became an important urban centre.
The successive building of abbeys also seemed to reach DUCLER (medieval name for Duclair) because a sharing made by Saint Ouen, between Saint Philibert and Saint Wandrille, shows that there existed an Abbey called Saint-Denis in Duclair in 671. It is said to have been destroyed by the Vikings in the 9th century. But as it is the only reference to this abbey, it may have been only an important church.
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|  As early as the 11th century, Duclair was a barony whose head was located in the manor of the Cour du Mont (where the monks used to perform justice). Numerous references can be found about the mills of Duclair around 1180, the port in 1135 and the church in 1147. |
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|  At that time the village was also a market place, since the 7th of June 1198 when the king of England, Duke of Normandy, Richard Cœur de Lion, established it in favour of the religious people every Tuesday. |
|  The population was decimated twice because of the plague in the 11th century. To cure leprosy a place which no longer exists, was set up in the château du Taillis till the end of the epidemic. www.chateau-du-taillis.com |
|  The military story of the city is quite eventful. It had to face the occupation of the English in 1360 during the 100 years' war. During the religion wars, the church was robbed by the Protestants. After the horror of the First World War, everything started again in Duclair on the 29th of may 1940. The population of Duclair had to shelter under the cliffs. The aim of the Allied Forces during the "Bataille of Duclair" was twofold: sink the ferry and force the enemy away from the city. But the ferry kept on floating and even helped the German soldiers escape, in August 1944. |
|  The ferries have always had an important strategic role. Before the building of the Tancarville, Brotonne and Normandy bridges, they were the only way to cross the Seine. |
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|  In the 16th and 17th centuries, an important beer factory ran in Duclair. In 1895, Mustad established a nail factory for horses and a screw factory. The factory was shut down in 1991. |
|  At the beginning of the 20th century, there was in Duclair one of the most picturesque characters the city has ever known: the "Mère l'Amour" (Mother Love). This woman not only sold beer in her troglodyte tavern but she also sold newspapers and postcards of herself. Her face went all around the world because her customers were numerous travellers who came to the "Hôtel de la Poste" to enjoy the famous "Canard au sang" cooked by Denise (duck cooked in its blood).
For more details, please contact the Maison du Tourisme or refer to:
F. Aubert, Duclair un Regard sur le passé, recueil de cartes postales commentées sur Duclair entre 1900 et 1930 (disponible à la Maison du Tourisme : 15 €), Sodimpal 2002
G. Fromager, Le Canton de Duclair à l'aube du XXe siècle, Sodimpal 1986, site
G. Fromager, Le Canton de Duclair de 1900 à 1950, Sodimpal 1993
P. Bonmartel, Histoire du patrimoine industriel de Duclair-Yainville-Le Trait, Bertout, 1998
P. Sorel, Histoire de Duclair, Groupe archéologique du Val de Seine
Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Seine-Maritime, Flohic Éditions, 1997
J.-P. Derouard et G. Fromager, article dans le Chasse-Marée de septembre 1991
Le Pucheux, Bulletin de recherches d'histoire et traditions normandes (article sur le bac n°14)
Fête du plein air, journal d'avant 1939 mais date imprécise, avec article sur Duclair signé de M. Spalikowski, Melle Gérard, M. Candelier
Plaquette éditée par l'Office du Tourisme, avec article sur l'église auquel ont collaboré M. Charles Carre et le Père Le Chevalier
Plaquette éditée par la Mairie et l'ancien Syndicat d'Initiative, en collaboration avec l'Association pour la Promotion du Canard de Duclair
Plaquette le Chemin des Bacs, Duclair et ses environs, éditée par le Conseil Général
Maison des Jeunes de Duclair, article publié dans un bulletin municipal par le groupe archéologique de la MJC, Quelques traits de l'histoire locale.
With special thanks to Francis AUBERT who guided our research and kept us informed.
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