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55-798: Initially the December 1939 annex to the Franco-Polish Alliance Treaty establishing the Polish Armed Forces in the West proposed the creation of four Polish squadrons: The third squadron started to be formed at Bron near Lyon (modern Lyon–Bron Airport ). In early February 1940 the newly created squadron was earmarked to take part in the Allied intervention in the Winter War , together with Polish Independent Highland Brigade . Because of those plans,

110-597: A war with Germany . Finally, a new alliance started to be formed in 1939. The Kasprzycki–Gamelin Convention was signed May 19, 1939 in Paris . It was named after Polish Minister of War Affairs General Tadeusz Kasprzycki and Commander of the French Army Maurice Gamelin . The military convention was army-to-army, not state-to-state, and was not in force legally, as it was dependent on signing and ratification of

165-513: A balloon in 1817. There is also a park and garden at the Champs de Mars, to the east of the city centre. The Paris–Rouen motor race of 1894, Le Petit Journal Horseless Carriages Contest, ended at the Champs de Mars. In the centre of the Place du Vieux Marché (the site of Joan of Arc's pyre) is the modern church of St Joan of Arc . This is a large, modern structure which dominates the square. The form of

220-467: A chateau on what is now the Rouen Business School . The city was heavily damaged during the same war on D-day , and its famed cathedral was almost destroyed by Allied bombs. Rouen is known for Rouen Cathedral , with its Tour de Beurre ( butter tower ) financed by the sale of indulgences for the consumption of butter during Lent . The cathedral's gothic façade (completed in the 16th century)

275-555: A court of appeal and a university . Every four to six years, Rouen becomes the showcase for a large gathering of sailing ships called "L'Armada"; this event makes the city an occasional capital of the maritime world. Rouen was founded by the Gaulish tribe of the Veliocasses , who controlled a large area in the lower Seine valley. They called it Ratumacos ; the Romans called it Rotomagus . It

330-570: A formal alliance with Poland, which would force Czechoslovakia to take sides in Polish–German territorial disputes . Czechoslovakia's influence was weakened by the doubts of its allies as to the trustworthiness of its army, and Poland's influence was undermined by fighting between supporters and opponents of Józef Piłsudski . France's reluctance to invest in its allies' industry (especially Poland's), improve trade relations by buying their agricultural products and share military expertise further weakened

385-475: A group of 15 Dornier Do 17 bombers and 10 Bf 109 fighters. Ppor. Jerzy Czerniak scored two Dorniers, ppor. Aleksander Żukowski and por. Tadeusz Czerwiński scored one each. However, Józef Kępiński, the commanding officer of the squadron was heavily wounded, the unit also lost three damaged and one aircraft destroyed. The following day the pilots were moved further away to Sermaize , some 15 kilometres south of Etampes and two days later to Châteauroux , where some of

440-667: A newly formed fighter unit created to defend the seat of the Polish government in Exile in Angers . The unit was re-equipped with Bloch MB.152 fighters. On 5 June the 1st escadrille of the Squadron was attached to GC I/1 under Maj. Robilon at Bretigny , but was returned to Dreux the following day. On 8 June five C.714s led by Maj. Józef Kępiński attacked a group of roughly 20 Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. Despite German numerical and technical superiority,

495-701: A population exceeding 20,000. The city council is based at the Hôtel de Ville . The main schools of higher education are the University of Rouen and NEOMA Business School (former École Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen ), Unilasalle (agronomy and agriculture), both located at nearby Mont-Saint-Aignan , and the INSA Rouen , ESIGELEC , ESITech and the CESI , the three at nearby Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray . The main opera company in Rouen

550-553: A tram and a bus system. The tramway branches into two lines out of a tunnel under the city centre. Rouen is also served by TEOR ( Transport Est-Ouest Rouennais ) and by buses run in conjunction with the tramway by TCAR (Transports en commun de l'agglomération rouennaise) , a subsidiary of Transdev . Rouen has its own airport . The Seine is a major axis for maritime cargo links in the Port of Rouen. The Cross-Channel ferry ports of Caen , Le Havre , Dieppe (50 minutes) and Calais , and

605-688: Is "Rouen Normandy Opera House – Theatre of Arts" (in French: Opéra de Rouen Normandie – Théâtre des arts ). Rouen has an oceanic climate ( Cfb in the Köppen climate classification). Mainline trains operate from Gare de Rouen-Rive-Droite to Le Havre and Paris, and regional trains to Caen , Dieppe and other local destinations in Normandy . Daily direct trains operate to Amiens and Lille , and direct TGVs (high-speed trains) connect daily with Lyon and Marseille . City transportation in Rouen consists of

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660-481: Is full of gaps, needed to keep our country away from war". Rouen Rouen ( UK : / ˈ r uː ɒ̃ , ˈ r uː ɒ n / , US : / r uː ˈ ɒ̃ , r uː ˈ ɒ n / ; French: [ʁwɑ̃] or [ʁu.ɑ̃] ) is a city on the River Seine , in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime . Formerly one of

715-670: Is now a museum. At that time, about 6,000 Jews lived in the town, comprising about 20% of the population. On 24 June 1204, King Philip II Augustus of France entered Rouen and definitively annexed Normandy to the French Kingdom . He demolished the Norman castle and replaced it with his own, the Château Bouvreuil , built on the site of the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre. A textile industry developed based on wool imported from England, for which

770-636: Is the Opéra de Rouen – Normandie. The company performs in the Théâtre des Arts, 7 rue du Docteur Rambert. The company presents opera, classical and other types of music, both vocal and instrumental, as well as dance performances. Every five years, the city hosts the large maritime exposition, L'Armada . The city is represented by Quevilly-Rouen football club, currently in the Championnat National . Officially called Union Sportive Quevillaise-Rouen Métropole ,

825-546: The Channel Tunnel are within easy driving distance (two and a half hours or less). Rouen and its metropolitan area of 70 suburban communes form the Métropole Rouen Normandie , with 494,382 inhabitants at the 2010 census. In descending order of population, the largest of these suburbs are Sotteville-lès-Rouen , Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray , Le Grand-Quevilly , Le Petit-Quevilly , and Mont-Saint-Aignan , each with

880-596: The French Military Mission to Poland to aid the Polish army. In early February in Paris, three pacts were discussed by Polish Chief of State Józef Piłsudski and French President Alexandre Millerand : political, military and economic. The political alliance was signed there on February 19, 1921 by Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Count Eustachy Sapieha and French Minister of Foreign Affairs Aristide Briand , in

935-575: The Hundred Years' War , on 19 January 1419, Rouen surrendered after a long siege to Henry V of England , who annexed Normandy once again to the Plantagenet domains . Rouen did not go quietly: Alain Blanchard hanged English prisoners from the walls, for which he was summarily executed after the city surrendered, while Canon and Vicar General of Rouen Robert de Livet became a hero for excommunicating

990-589: The interwar period the alliance with Poland was one of the cornerstones of French foreign policy . During the France-Habsburg rivalry , which began in the 16th century, France tried to find allies to the east of Austria , hoping to ally with Poland. Polish King Jan III Sobieski also had the intention to ally with France against the threat of Austria, but the greater threat posed by the Muslim-led Ottoman Empire made him fight along with Austria for

1045-550: The 11th to the 15th centuries. From the 13th century onwards, the city experienced a remarkable economic boom, thanks in particular to the development of textile factories and river trade. Claimed by both the French and the English during the Hundred Years' War , it was on its soil that Joan of Arc was tried and burned alive on 30 May 1431. Severely damaged by the wave of bombing in 1944 , it nevertheless regained its economic dynamism in

1100-630: The Boieldieu Bridge in the center of Rouen, this intentional location was chosen by the artist to magnify the historical separation of its city's citizens. Rouen Cathedral is the subject of a series of paintings by the Impressionist painter Claude Monet , who painted the same scene at different times of the day. Two paintings are in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; two are in

1155-688: The Bronze Age through the Renaissance, the Musée de la céramique , the Museum of Natural History, founded in 1834 and re-opened in 2007, and the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, which houses various collections of objects. The Jardin des Plantes de Rouen is a notable botanical garden once owned by Scottish banker John Law , dating from 1840 in its present form. It was the site of Élisa Garnerin 's parachute jump from

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1210-611: The Christian cause in the Battle of Vienna . In the 18th century, Poland was partitioned by Russia , Prussia and Austria , but Napoleon recreated the Polish state in the Duchy of Warsaw . With the rise of a united German Empire in the 19th century, France and Poland found a new common enemy. During the Polish–Soviet War of 1920, France, one of the most active supporters of Poland, sent

1265-569: The English king, resulting in de Livet's imprisonment for five years in England. Joan of Arc , who supported a return to French rule, was burned at the stake on 30 May 1431 in this city, where most inhabitants supported the duke of Burgundy, the French king's enemy. The king of France, Charles VII , recaptured the town in 1449. Rouen was staunchly Catholic during the French Wars of Religion , and underwent an unsuccessful five-month siege in 1591/2 by

1320-590: The French authorities had no other aircraft to offer, the Polish pilots ignored the order and continued to fly the C.714. Despite flying a fighter hopelessly outdated compared to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E, the Polish pilots scored 12 confirmed and three unconfirmed victories in three battles between 8 June and 11 June, losing nine in the air and nine more on the ground. Among the aircraft shot down were four Dornier Do 17 bombers, but also three Messerschmitt Bf 109 and five Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters. On 2 June

1375-672: The GC I/145 then joined the newly created No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron fighting alongside the Royal Air Force . 1st escadrille 2nd escadrille Franco-Polish Alliance The Franco-Polish Alliance was the military alliance between Poland and France that was active between the early 1920s and the outbreak of the Second World War . The initial agreements were signed in February 1921 and formally took effect in 1923. During

1430-452: The GC I/8 (both squadrons equipped with Dewoitine D.520 ). The following day a flight of three planes (WO Delagay, Capt. Wczelik and LSgt Markiewicz) shot down a lone Heinkel He 111. This was the last victory of the Polish unit during the French campaign. The following day the pilots were evacuated by cars to the port of La Rochelle , from where they were transported to England. Thirteen pilots of

1485-592: The Polish pilots scored one probable kill. The following day the entire Squadron was re-based to Bernaby , some 50 kilometres South-West of Rouen . There it joined two other French squadrons: GC II/10 and GC III/10. Around 14:00 the unit, led by Maj. Kępiński left on patrol. Around 15:00 near Vernon it encountered a group of roughly 25 Dornier Do 17 bombers escorted by approximately 20 Messerchmitts. The Germans lost three Bf 109 fighters (Lieutenant Główczyński, Cpr. Parafiński and one downed jointly by Lt. Godlewski and Cpr. Zaniewski). In addition, Capt. Wczelik downed one of

1540-672: The Protestant King Henry IV of France and an English force commanded by the Earl of Essex . A brief account by an English participant has survived. See 'Memoirs of Robert Carey', (F.H.Mares (ed.), Oxford, 1972), pp. 18–21. The first competitive motor race ran from Paris to Rouen in 1894. During the German occupation in World War II , the Kriegsmarine had its headquarters located in

1595-619: The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow; one is in the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade. The estimated value of one painting is over $ 40 million. This may be rendered, "On a red background a haloed white pascal lamb looking back over its shoulder ( contorny ) holds a white banner bearing a gold cross; above, a broad blue band across the top bears 3 gold fleurs de lis". On the front of

1650-639: The alliance. In the 1930s, the alliance remained mostly inactive and its only effect was to keep the French Military Mission to Poland , which had worked with the Polish General Staff ever since the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1920. However, with the German threat becoming increasingly visible in the latter part of the decade, both countries started to seek a new pact to guarantee the independence of all contracting parties and military co-operation in case of

1705-458: The background of the negotiations that ended the Polish–Soviet War by the Treaty of Riga . The agreement assumed a common foreign policy, the promotion of bilateral economical contacts, the consultation of new pacts concerning Central and Eastern Europe and assistance in case one of the signatories became a victim of an "unprovoked" attack. As such, it was a defensive alliance . The secret military pact

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1760-423: The bombers. However, the GC I/145 also suffered losses: three pilots were killed (por. Jan Obuchowski, ppor. Lech Lachowicki-Czechowicz and kpr. Edward Uchto), one wounded (por. Julian Kowalski), while four more were forced to land away from the home base. Altogether the unit lost four pilots and seven fighters. On 10 June the squadron moved back to Dreux. En route a flight of 12 planes under Maj. de Marmier attacked

1815-485: The building represents an upturned Viking boat and a fish shape. Rouen was also home to the French Grand Prix , hosting the race at the nearby Rouen-Les-Essarts track sporadically between 1952 and 1968. In 1999 Rouen authorities demolished the grandstands and other remnants of Rouen's racing past. Today, little remains beyond the public roads that formed the circuit. Rouen has an opera house , whose formal name

1870-552: The cities of Flanders and Brabant were constantly competitors, and finding its market in the Champagne fairs . Rouen also depended for its prosperity on the river traffic of the Seine, on which it enjoyed a monopoly that reached as far upstream as Paris . In the 13th and 14th centuries urban strife threatened the city: in 1291, the mayor was assassinated and noble residences in the city were pillaged. Philip IV reimposed order and suppressed

1925-811: The city at Stade Saint Exupéry. The local team, Huskies de Rouen play in the top French tier, they also play some games in European competition. Rouen was the birthplace of: Rouen is twinned with: During the second half of the 20th century, several sculptures by Jean-Yves Lechevallier were erected in the city. Inaugurated in 2010, the Rouen Impressionnée hosted the contemporary urban (re)development installation sculpture 'Camille' by Belgian artist Arne Quinze . Quinze's use of interlocking systems in sculpture employ wood, concrete, paint and metal. The Quasi-Quinze method of sculpture utilizes structural integrity and randomness as key elements for 'Camille'. Located on

1980-588: The city's charter and the lucrative monopoly on river traffic, but he was quite willing to allow the Rouennais to repurchase their old liberties in 1294. In 1306, he decided to expel the Jewish community of Rouen, then numbering some five or six thousand. In 1389, another urban revolt of the underclass occurred, the Harelle . It was suppressed with the withdrawal of Rouen's charter and river-traffic privileges once more. During

2035-467: The club play at the 12.018 capacity Stade Robert Diochon in nearby Le Petit-Quevilly . Rouen Normandie Rugby represent the city in Rugby Union. One of few professional rugby teams from northern France, Rouen Normandie Rugby , currently play in the second-tier Pro D2 . Dragons de Rouen , an ice hockey club, play in the top-tier Ligue Magnus at the Île Lacroix arena. Baseball is also played in

2090-758: The first 20 M.S.406 fighters and started guarding the skies around Lyon. On 10 of May the German invasion of France started. On that day the Lyon–Bron Airport was struck twice by enemy air raids. The squadron did not suffer any losses and was moved to a reserve airfield at Mions . As the French had no available M.S. 406 fighters to spare, on May 12 the Ministry of Air decided to re-equip the Poles with hopelessly flawed Caudron C.714 fighters waiting in Villacoublay near Paris. The pilots received 35 new planes on May 18 and already

2145-456: The following day suffered the first casualty: Witold Dobrzyński was killed in an air accident. After just 23 sorties, adverse opinion of the fighter was confirmed by front line pilots who expressed concerns that it was seriously underpowered and was no match for contemporary German fighters. On 25 May, only a week after it was introduced, French Minister of War Guy La Chambre ordered all C.714s to be withdrawn from active service. However, since

2200-574: The largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , the population of the metropolitan area ( French : aire d'attraction ) is 702,945 (2018). People from Rouen are known as Rouennais . Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy during the Middle Ages. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman and Angevin dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from

2255-511: The losses were replaced by Bloch MB.152 fighters. The command over GC I/145 was taken over by Capt. Piotr Łaguna . As the situation of the French Army was becoming increasingly desperate, on 17 June it was decided to split the Polish fighter unit and attach it to two French units badly needing reinforcements. Eight pilots under Capt. Wczelik joined the GC I/1, while eight under Lt. Wilczewski joined

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2310-418: The lower valley of the Seine in 841, the Normans overran Rouen. From 912, Rouen was the capital of the Duchy of Normandy and residence of the local dukes , until William the Conqueror moved his residence to Caen . In 1150, Rouen received its founding charter which permitted self-government . During the 12th century, Rouen was the site of a yeshiva known as La Maison Sublime . Discovered in 1976, it

2365-409: The new unit was unofficially called the Finnish Squadron. It was equipped with Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighters, the workhorses of French aviation, while Caudron C.714 fighters were used as trainers. As soon as the unit was to reach Finland, it was to be re-equipped with Caudron fighters entirely. However, in March 1940 Finland signed a cease-fire with the USSR and the plan was aborted. Meanwhile,

2420-498: The political convention was the basis of the recreation of the Polish Army in France . Piotr Zychowicz quoted the memoirs of the French ambassador to Poland , Léon Noël , who wrote as early as October 1938, "It is of utmost importance that we remove from our obligations everything that would deprive French government the freedom of decision on the day when Poland finds itself in war with Germany". Foreign Minister Georges Bonnet reassured Noel by writing that "our agreement with Poland

2475-490: The political convention. It obliged both armies to provide help to each other in case of a war with Germany. In May, Gamelin promised a "bold relief offensive" within three weeks of a German attack. The treaty was ratified by France on September 4, 1939, on the fourth day of German offensive on Poland . However, France provided only token help to Poland during the war in the form of the Saar Offensive , which has often been considered an example of Western betrayal . However,

2530-511: The post-war period thanks to its industrial sites and its large seaport, which merged with the ports of Le Havre and Paris in 2021 to form the HAROPA Port. Endowed with a prestige established during the medieval era , and with a long architectural heritage in its historical monuments, Rouen is an important cultural capital. Several renowned establishments are located here, such as the Museum of Fine Arts , Le Secq des Tournelles museum, and Rouen Cathedral . Seat of an archdiocese , it also hosts

2585-410: The training of the Polish squadrons in France went slowly and by April only the 3rd 'Dęblin' Sqn. was ready for service. As on 6 April 1940 the French Ministry of Aviation officially created the Polish Fighter Squadron of Warsaw ( French : Groupe de Chasse Polonaise de Varsovie ), the 3rd was renamed and became the first operational Polish air unit on French soil. By the end of April the unit received

2640-410: The unit was moved to Dreux ( Vernouillet Airfield ) 80 kilometres west of Paris. The following day a flight of three aircraft (Maj. Lionel de Marmier , Lt. Tadeusz Czerwiński and Lt. Aleksander Żukowski ) attacked a flight of three Heinkel He 111 bombers taking part in German Operation Paula , shooting down two. Around that time some of the pilots were detached from the squadron and pressed into

2695-410: The use of force to achieve a revision of the postwar settlement and ensuring that German forces would be confronted with significant combined strength of its neighbours. Although Czechoslovakia had a significant economy and industry and Poland had a strong army, the French–Polish–Czechoslovakian triangle never reached its full potential. Czechoslovakian foreign policy, under Edvard Beneš , avoided signing

2750-453: Was considered the second city of Gallia Lugdunensis after Lugdunum ( Lyon ) itself. Under the reorganization of Diocletian , Rouen was the chief city of the divided province Gallia Lugdunensis II and reached the apogee of its Roman development, with an amphitheatre and thermae of which foundations remain. In the 5th century, it became the seat of a bishopric and later a capital of Merovingian Neustria . From their first incursion into

2805-431: Was further extended by the Franco–Polish Warrant Agreement, signed on October 16, 1925 in Locarno , as part of the Locarno Treaties . The new treaty subscribed all previously-signed Polish–French agreements to the system of mutual pacts of the League of Nations . The alliance was closely tied with the Franco-Czechoslovakian Alliance. France's alliances with Poland and Czechoslovakia were aimed at deterring Germany from

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2860-409: Was not imprisoned there but in the tour de lady Pucelle (since destroyed); the Church of Saint Ouen (12th–15th century); the Palais de Justice , which was once the seat of the Parlement (French court of law) of Normandy; the Gothic Church of St Maclou (15th century); and the Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics which contains a splendid collection of faïence and porcelain for which Rouen

2915-452: Was renowned during the 16th to 18th centuries. Rouen is also noted for its surviving half-timbered buildings. There are many museums in Rouen: the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen , an art museum with paintings by well-known artists such as Claude Monet and Géricault ; the Musée maritime fluvial et portuaire , a museum on the history of the port of Rouen and navigation; Musée des antiquités , an art and history museum with local works from

2970-451: Was signed two days later, on February 21, 1921, and clarified that the agreement was aimed at possible threats from both Germany and the Soviet Union . An attack on Poland would make France keep lines of communication free and Germany in check but not require it to send troops or to declare war. Both political and military pacts were legally not in force until the economic pact was ratified, which occurred on August 2, 1923. The alliance

3025-451: Was the subject of a series of paintings by Claude Monet , some of which are exhibited in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The Gros Horloge is an astronomical clock dating back to the 14th century. It is located in the Gros Horloge street . Other famous structures include Rouen Castle , whose keep is known as the tour Jeanne d'Arc , where Joan of Arc was brought in 1431 to be threatened with torture (contrary to popular belief, she

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