This summer, the Vikings landed again in Rouen (Seine-Maritime), but in a more peaceful way than their illustrious ancestors. Guests of honor at the Museum of Fine Arts where an exhibition, "Normans: migrants, conquerors, innovators", is dedicated to them, they will also be at the center of a thematic tour through the streets of the city organized by the Tourist Office. "In several visits we obviously already mentioned their links with the city, but there was a demand from the field to do more," explains Benjamin Blanchard, one of the three guide-lecturers who developed this new proposal called "Vikings: beers and legends".
Because the particularity of this visit is that it ends in the heart of the deconsecrated church of Saint-Nicaise, where the Ragnar brewery has been installed for a few seasons. "It will be an opportunity to taste their beers inspired by the spirit of the Vikings, but also to discover this atypical place, which mixes architecture of the fourteenth century and the twentieth, including its concrete facade and its superb stained glass windows. " A little gem, a little away from the historic center, which is well worth the detour.
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Beforehand, during the walk that will begin on the banks of the Seine on the Boieldieu bridge, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about these men of the North and to better understand their influence on the city, and more broadly on Normandy. "We have chosen to insist on a period between the end of the ninth and twelfth centuries, a period that, overall, goes from their arrival in the region, during raids where they came to plunder its wealth, to their installation and integration into the territory," continues Benjamin Blanchard.
Obviously, it will be a question of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, which lays the foundations of the Duchy of Normandy, and Rollo, this Viking leader who became his first duke. But, more broadly, the objective of this journey is to return to the many preconceived ideas that have shaped, over the centuries, the representation of this people. "The drakkar for example. At the time, no one called their boats that. It will only happen much later, "says the guide-lecturer who will also return to the traces, still present, of the Norman language in some local appellations.
The next visit is scheduled for Saturday, June 3 and will continue until September. Information and registration on www.visiterouen.com