Dieppe is a
commune in the
Seine-Maritime department in
France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe
urban area was 81,419.
A
port on the
English Channel, famous for its
scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the
Gare Maritime to
Newhaven in
England, Dieppe also has a popular
pebbled
beach, a 15th-century
castle and the
churches of
Saint Jacques and
Saint Rémi.
Geography
Dieppe belongs to the
Pays de Caux, in the
Haute-Normandie regionIt is located on the Manche coast, north of Rouen.
History
First recorded as a small
fishing settlement in 1030, Dieppe was an important prize fought over during the
Hundred Years' War.
Dieppe housed the most advanced French school of
cartography in the 16th century, and was the premier port of the kingdom in the 17th century.
On
July 23, 1632, 300
colonists heading to
New France departed from Dieppe.
At the
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Dieppe lost 3000 of its
Huguenot citizens, who fled abroad.
Dieppe was an important target in
wartime; the town was largely destroyed by an
Anglo-
Dutch naval bombardment in 1694. Rebuilt after 1696, it was popularised as a
seaside resort following the 1824 visit of the widowed
Duchess of Berry,
Charles X's daughter-in-law. She encouraged the building of the recently-renovated municipal
theater, the
Petit-Theatre (1825), associated particularly with
Camille Saint-Saëns.
During the later nineteenth century, Dieppe became popular with English artists as a
beach resort. Prominent literary figures such as
Arthur Symons loved to keep up with the latest fads of avant-garde France here, and during "the season" sometimes stayed for weeks on end.
The
Dieppe Raid in the
Second World War became known as a bloody battle, and a costly one for the
Allies. On
August 19, 1942 Allied soldiers, mainly drawn from the
2nd Canadian Infantry Division, landed at Dieppe in the hope of occupying the town for a short time, gaining intelligence and drawing the
Luftwaffe into open battle. The Allies suffered more than 1,400 deaths, 1,946 Canadian soldiers were captured - more prisoners than the army lost in the 11 months of the 1944-45 NW Europe campaign. But no major objectives were achieved.
Dieppe was liberated on September 1, 1944 by soldiers from the
2nd Canadian Infantry Division.
Dieppe, New Brunswick (previously Léger Corner) received its present name in 1946, in honour of the Canadian soldiers killed in the Dieppe Raid.
Famous people
Louis de Broglie, a
Nobel Prize-winning physicist, was born in Dieppe.
Emmanuel 'Manu' Petit, a World Cup-winning footballer, is from Dieppe.
St.
Jean de LaLande SJ, a seventeenth century Jesuit brother who was martyred by the Iroquois Indians in present-day New York State.
St.
Antoine Daniel SJ, martyr and saint.
Jean (Johan) Cossin(s), one of the first to show the Sinusoidal projection, he used it for a world map of 1570.
Heraldry
Historical images of Dieppe
Sights
The
castle,
Château de Dieppe, which survived the 1694 bombardment, is now a museum and exhibition space, with a strong maritime collection. A rich collection of 17th- and 18th century
ivory carvings, including lacy folding fans, for which Dieppe was known, and the furnishings and papers of Camille Saint-Saens. The castle's interior courtyard is picturesque.
At the
Square du Canada, near the castle in a park at the western end of the Esplanade, there is a monument erected by the town commemorating the long relationship between Dieppe and
Canada. The events recorded begin with the early 16th century, and culminate with the Dieppe Raid and the liberation of Dieppe by Canadians on
September 1, 1944. The base of the monument is inscribed with the words "
nous nous souvenons" ("we remember"). Above the monument, the
Canadian Maple Leaf flag is flown side-by-side with that of France.
Some of the Canadian soldiers who were killed are buried in the
Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, in the
commune of
Hautôt-sur-Mer south of Dieppe.
Transport
The town has a railway station, operated by SNCF, with frequent departure for Rouen and Paris.
Dieppe has a ferry port, directly linked with the town of
Newhaven, situated at the mouth of the
river Ouse in
East Sussex.
Current services
- Transmanche Ferries (Newhaven x 2 sailings daily)
Former services
- Hoverspeed (Newhaven x 3 sailings daily). Withdrawn in 2004.
- P&O Stena Line (Newhaven x 3 sailings daily). Withdrawn in 1999.
Twin towns
Dieppe has several
twin towns, including:
See also
