Duclair () is a commune in the

Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inf� ...

department in the

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The

Duclair duck The Duclair duck is a type of Rouen duck named after the town of Duclair in Normandy and traditionally raised in the region for both eggs and meat. Official standards were established for the breed on November 23, 1923. Appearance The Duclair duc ...

is named after the town, of which pressed duck (''canard à la presse'') is invented.

Geography

Duclair is a

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and light industrial town situated some west of the centre of

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

at the junction of the D43, D5 and the D982 roads. The river

Austreberthe The Austreberthe () is an 18-km river in the Seine-Maritime. Its source is the village of Sainte-Austreberthe. It meets the Seine at Duclair. The Austreberthe is crossed by the Barentin Viaduct, a noteworthy 30 metre high brick railway bridge ...

joins the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

at Duclair. There is a ferry to Berville-sur-Seine on the south bank of the Seine.

Heraldry

Population

Cuisine

Duclair is known for its duck, which evolved from a

crossbreeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...

of domestic and migratory wild ducks. Beginning in the 17th century, these ducks would be hunted for their tender and tasty flesh. As farmers would protect their ducks from the rainy and windy weather of

, sometimes these ducks would suffocate to death. In the late 19th century, an innkeeper named Henri "Père" Denise realized that suffocated ducks with intact blood make for more tender meat, and began purchasing suffocated ducks at discounted prices. He is credited with the invention of a new dish called pressed duck (''canard à la presse''), which involves serving the duck in its own blood. Since then, this has been the specialty dish of the commune, albeit an elaborate and macabre one.

Places of interest

* The church of St. Denis, dating to the 12th century. * Traces of a

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

. * Remains of a 13th-century presbytery. * The Château du Taillis, dating to

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

times. * The 18th-century Château du Vaurouy. * La Cour-du-Mont

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

with parts dating to the 13th century. * A 17th-century chapel.

Notable people

* Musician Pierre Villette (1926–1998) was born here.

Twin towns

Ronnenberg,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

References

Bibliography

* Francis Aubert, ''Duclair, un regard sur le passé'', Duclair, 2002 * Ariane Duclert, "Le Caneton à la rouennaise, spécialité de Duclair", ''Pays de Normandie'' * Gilbert Fromager, ''Le Canton of Duclair à l'aube du XXe'', Duclair, 1986

External links

*
Official website
{{authority control Communes of Seine-Maritime