Vernon (; ) is a commune in the

French department In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

Eure Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.administrative region Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

. It lies on the banks of the river

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 ...

, about midway between

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

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 ...

Vernon–Giverny station Vernon - Giverny (before 2014: ''Vernon'') is a railway station serving the town Vernon, Eure department, northwestern France. It is situated on the Paris–Le Havre railway. Services The station is served by regional trains to Rouen and Paris ...

has rail connections to Rouen and Paris. The town is known for its production of engines by the

SNECMA Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma (''Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation'') or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It d ...

group.

History

Mentioned in a Latin written document as ''Vernum'', the /m/ at the end could be the last remains of the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

''magus'' 'plain' or 'market', or it is a simple latinization, and the origin is just the Celtic word ''*uerno'',

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

tree (

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

''gwern'',

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

''gwern'', Irish ''fern'', modern

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

''verne''). The village gave its name to a family who took part in the

Norman Conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

, and then became a British first name. The village is home to Établissement Saint-Adjutor, a notable private school.

Important dates

* 750 – First mention of name Vernon by

Pepin the Short the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian to become king. Pepin was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude of H ...

. * 1070 – Birth of Saint Adjutor. * 1123 – Building of Vernon Castle * 1153 – Vernon is besieged by king

Louis VII Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

. * 1196 – Vernon is joined to the

royal domain Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

by King

Philip II Augustus Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...

. * 1227 – Saint-Louis comes to Vernon. * 1415 – Vernon becomes English. * 1449 – Vernon passes to France (king Charles VII). * 1596 – 8 October, Henry IV visits Bizy Castle. * 1600 – Construction of the Vieux-Moulin (old mill). * 1606 – Henry IV creates a school. * 1723 – Creation of the Avenue des Capucins. * 1789 – Thomas Jefferson, his family, and Sally and James Hemings stop at Vernon on their way to Le Havre to return to America. * 1804 – Vernonnet is attached to Vernon. * 1810 –

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

comes to Vernon. * 1843 – Arrival of the

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

. * 1858 – Building of the Saint-Louis Hospital. * 1860 – Highworks urbanism in the centre by Suchet d'Albuféra. * 1862 – Building of the library. * 1895 – Inauguration of the new town hall by Adolphe Barette. * 1897 – First cinema show at the Vernon Theatre. * 1910 – The

river floods the town. * 1946 – Arrival of 28 German scientists from

Peenemünde Peenemünde (, ) is a municipality on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in north-eastern Germany. It is part of the ''Amt (country subdivision), Amt'' (collective municipality) of Used ...

to develop French rockets. * 1951 – First attempt to launch a ''Véronique'' rocket (Vernonelectronic

* 1955 – Inauguration of the Clémenceau Bridge. * 1966 – Building of the Georges Dumézil high school. * 1983 – First edition of the ''Foire aux Cerises'' (cherry fair). * 1992 – Building of the Espace Culturel Philippe Auguste.

Population

Twin towns – sister cities

Vernon is Sister city, twinned with: *

Bad Kissingen Bad Kissingen () is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and County town, seat of the Bad Kissingen (district), district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale, Franconia ...

, Germany *

Massa Massa may refer to: Places Italy *Province of Massa and Carrara, province in the Tuscany region of Italy * Duchy of Massa and Carrara, controlled the towns of Massa di Carrara and Carrara * Roman Catholic Diocese of Massa Marittima-Piombi ...

, Italy

Notable people

* Michel de La Vigne (1588–1648), doctor *

Joseph Mallord William Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

(1775–1851), English Romantic painter *

Philippe Montanier Philippe Jacques William Montanier (born 15 November 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of club Toulouse. As a player, he was as a goalkeeper. Montanier led Boulogne, Lens and ...

(born 1964), football player and manager *

Chantal Jouanno Chantal Jouanno (; née Paul; born 12 July 1969 in Vernon, Eure, France) is a French politician who served as Minister of Sports in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon from 14 November 2010 and 26 September 2011, succeeding to Ros ...

(born 1969), politician *

Tongo Doumbia Tongo Hamed Doumbia (born 6 August 1989) is a Malian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi Arabian club Tuwaiq. He has previously played for the Mali national team. Club career French football Doumbia played youth foo ...

(born 1989), footballer * Marie-Charlotte Garin (born 1995), politician *

Ousmane Dembélé Masour Ousmane Dembélé (; born 15 May 1997) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for ...

(born 1997), footballer * Jared Khasa (born 1997), footballer

Gallery

Vernon - Église01.jpg, Collégiale Notre-Dame (now Parish Church) Vernon - Tour des Archives03.jpg, Tour des archives (

Philippe Auguste Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...

's Keep) Vernon MH-maison temps jadis.jpg, Maison du Temps Jadis (Medieval House) Vernon - Musée AG Poulain03.jpg, Corner of Rue du Pont and Rue Carnot Vernon - Musée AG Poulain01.jpg, Museum Vernon - Colombages01.jpg, Place Barette Vernon - Hôtel de ville02.jpg, Town hall Tombeau saint mauxe1.jpg, Tomb of Saint-Mauxe Vernon - Monuments aux morts01.jpg, War memorial Vernon - Pont sur la Seine01.jpg, Pont Clemenceau Pont médiéval à Vernon.JPG, Medieval bridge Vernon - Place du Général-De-Gaulle01.jpg, Place Charles de Gaulle's Market Day Vernon - Espace Philippe-Auguste01.jpg, Espace Philippe-Auguste Culture Centre

References

External links

Official website
(in French)
Nouvelle Normandie Tourisme
– official tourist board website in English {{authority control Communes of Eure Veliocasses