Upper Normandy

Upper Normandy, known in French as Haute-Normandie and in Norman as Ĥâote-Normaundie, was a former administrative region in northern France. It occupied the eastern part of the historic province of Normandy and consisted of the departments of Seine-Maritime and Eure. The region ceased to exist as a separate administrative unit on 1 January 2016, when it merged with Lower Normandy to re-create the single region of Normandy. The administrative region was established in 1956, when France divided Normandy into two regional units: Upper Normandy and Lower Normandy. The split reflected the post-war regional-administration framework rather than a complete break with historical or cultural identity. It remained controversial, because many residents and institutions continued to regard Normandy as a unified historical territory and periodically advocated reunification. The eventual merger restored a single regional administration, although the former Upper Normandy territory remains an important geographic, economic, and cultural part of modern Normandy. The name Upper Normandy also had a broader traditional geographical use before the 1956 administrative division. It referred principally to areas such as the Pays de Caux, the Pays de Bray, the Roumois, the Campagne of Le Neubourg, the Plain of Saint-André, and the Norman Vexin. These traditional boundaries did not exactly match the later administrative region. Most of the Pays d'Auge and part of the Pays d'Ouche, for example, were associated with Lower Normandy, while the Pays de Bray was distinguished from the similarly named area in Picardy. Rouen was the regional capital and the principal metropolitan center. It is historically notable for its churches, historic buildings, and cathedral, whose tower is described as the tallest cathedral tower in France. Le Havre was the largest municipality by population, while Rouen was the more populous urban and metropolitan area. Other significant communities included Bernay, Dieppe, Évreux, Fécamp, Le Grand-Quevilly, Le Petit-Quevilly, Louviers, Mont-Saint-Aignan, Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, Sotteville-lès-Rouen, and Vernon. Upper Normandy's economy combined agriculture, manufacturing, petrochemicals, port activity, and tourism. Its position on the lower Seine and along the Channel supported major urban, industrial, and maritime centers, particularly around Rouen and Le Havre. The region also contained rural landscapes, historic towns, coastal areas, and cultural sites that supported tourism. Upper Normandy maintained an international relationship through its twinning with the London Borough of Redbridge in England. As a regional administration, Upper Normandy is now defunct. Its former departments and communities are administered within the modern Normandy region. The name continues to have historical and geographic relevance, but it no longer identifies a separate French administrative region.

Upper Normandy was created in 1956 as part of France's post-war regional-administration structure. At that time, Normandy was divided into two administrative regions: Upper Normandy, comprising Seine-Maritime and Eure, and Lower Normandy, covering the western and central parts of the historic province. The administrative division gave institutional form to a distinction between the eastern and western portions of Normandy, but it did not erase the region's shared historical identity. The term Upper Normandy had older geographical and cultural uses. It traditionally described territories in the eastern part of Normandy, including the Pays de Caux, the Pays de Bray, the Roumois, the Campagne of Le Neubourg, the Plain of Saint-André, and the Norman Vexin. These traditional areas were not identical to the later administrative boundaries. The Pays d'Auge and part of the Pays d'Ouche were generally associated with Lower Normandy, and the Pays de Bray was understood separately from the portion of that name located in Picardy. During the decades in which the two regional administrations existed, the separation remained a subject of public and political controversy. Advocates of reunification argued that Normandy represented a coherent historical and cultural entity and that the division created unnecessary institutional fragmentation. Upper Normandy nevertheless developed as a distinct administrative and economic territory, with Rouen serving as its capital and Le Havre as its largest municipality by population. Rouen was the principal urban and metropolitan center, while the region's other important communities included Évreux, Dieppe, Fécamp, Bernay, Louviers, Vernon, and several towns in the Rouen and Le Havre urban areas. The regional economy rested on a combination of agriculture, industry, petrochemicals, port-related activity, and tourism. The Seine corridor and Channel coast supported major transport and industrial functions, while the countryside and historic settlements contributed to agriculture and visitor activity. Rouen's architectural and religious heritage, including its prominent cathedral, formed part of the region's cultural profile. Upper Normandy also maintained an international twinning relationship with the London Borough of Redbridge in England. French territorial reform ultimately brought the two Norman regions back together. On 1 January 2016, Upper Normandy and Lower Normandy merged into a single administrative region called Normandy. Upper Normandy therefore became a historical and geographic designation rather than a current regional-government unit. Its two former departments continue to form part of modern Normandy, and its principal cities and economic assets remain central to the unified region.

• 2016

  Reunification with Lower Normandy

  [1]Upper Normandyen.wikipedia.org

  Upper Normandy and Lower Normandy merged on 1 January 2016 to create the current administrative region of Normandy.

• 1956

  Upper Normandy established as an administrative region

  [1]Upper Normandyen.wikipedia.org

  France created Upper Normandy from the departments of Seine-Maritime and Eure as part of a division of Normandy into two administrative regions.

A former French administrative region combining the Seine-Maritime and Eure departments, positioned around Rouen and Le Havre and associated with agriculture, industry, petrochemicals, tourism, and the historic eastern part of Normandy.

• 2016

  Administrative reunification of NormandyStrategy

  Background

  The division of Normandy into Upper and Lower Normandy had long been controversial, with continued calls for the two regions to be reunited.

  Action taken

  Upper Normandy was merged with Lower Normandy on 1 January 2016, ending Upper Normandy's existence as a separate administrative region.

  Aftermath

  The former Upper Normandy departments of Seine-Maritime and Eure became part of the unified Normandy region.

  Source

1. 1Upper Normandyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Upper Normandy regional websiteregion-haute-normandie.com