Photo : Florian Pépellin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Granville
Granville occupies a rocky promontory at the northern entrance of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, in Manche. In 1439, the English, led by Thomas de Scales, fortified the site to isolate Mont-Saint-Michel: this is the origin of the Upper Town, enclosed behind its ramparts. This old part overlooks the sea and looks towards the Chausey islands.
The town lived from cod fishing and privateering, and was governed from 1715 to 1790 by the Grimaldi of Monaco, which earned it the nickname "Monaco of the North". In 1793, it withstood a siege by the Vendéens. Granville is also linked to the Dior family, whose childhood villa now houses a museum. It remains France's leading shellfish port, and its harbour allows boarding for the Chausey islands and the Channel Islands. It has about 12,500 inhabitants.
