France River Cruise
September, 2014
Caudebec-en-caux & Fécamp
Our first stop on the return trip to Paris was at Caudebec-en Caux. It was the jumping off point for the trip out to the town of Fécamp on the coast.
Fécamp has the dubious honour of being the site of an ill-fated landing attempt during the second world war. What the allies didn't know at the time was that the beach was made up of smooth round stones that ranged in size from golf balls to base balls. These had the same effect on the allied equipment as trying to move uphill over a layer of ball bearings.
The landing failed completely because there was no possible way of getting the equipment up the beach and onto flat ground. Just the surf pounding on the rocks causes them to roll and create the trough visible in the photos above. We can certainly attest to the problems the allies must have had, as just trying to walk on the beach was very difficult.
The Bénédictine Monks, and their Exploitation
One of the famous products that comes from this area of France is the liqueur known as Benedictine. Named after the monks of the Benedictine Abby of Fécamp which was all but destroyed during the French revolution, the story is that these monks created this herbal concoction for medicinal purposes, and this present day liqueur is a continuation of that glorious extract. Unfortunately, this is all it is... a story. The monks never created any such liquid, and their legacy has been exploited for profit.
The Bénédictine monks are present everywhere in the Palais Bénédictine.
The liqueur was invented in 1863 by Alexandre Le Grande with the help from a local chemist, and he adorned it with the Benedictine name to connect it with the abby and the city of Fécamp in order to fabricate a "history" for it to enhance the marketing potential. It's recipe is a closely guarded secret, but this hasn't stopped numerous attempts to duplicate its formula. So much so that the Benedictine company maintains a museum of counterfeits at it's facility in Fécamp, and aggressively prosecutes anyone who it feels is infringing on its intellectual property.
The Palais Bénédictine
Alexandre Le Grande was an industrialist and wine merchant. The son of a Fécamp sea captain, he got started on the development of the Benedictine by pouring over the archives of the Benedictine Abby where he discovered their records of herbal formulas they used to help treat the local population. It was from these that he developed his formula for the liqueur.
A collection of door and cabinet locks, latches, hinges and other items that are on display in the Palais Bénédictine.
He built the Palais Bénédictine to house his liqueur production facility, and to also showcase his art collection. Something that most wealthy needed to do in order to compete with their contemporaries for status. Many of the things in his collection are true works of art, but then there are lots of things on display that seemingly have more in common with a hardware store than an art gallery.
Nevertheless, the other art items are impressive, as it the building and its decoration. A long way from that which you see in the palaces of royalty, what the Palais Bénédictine has to offer is impressive. Especially when you consider its relatively recent re-construction in 1900 after the fire.
One of the unusual collections on display in the basement of the Palais Bénédictine.
Le Grande was a forward thinker. He was the first to establish a pension fund for his employees, and insured them for accidents encountered in the workplace. On top of that he founded an orphanage in Fécamp and an orchestra. The Palais was destroyed in 1892, but was rebuilt in even more grandiose fashion than the original. Unfortunately, Le Grande never got to see the completion of the new Palais as he died in 1900, two years before it was finished. His children finished the project and carried on with the distillery. The family eventually sold the Bénédictine product to Martini and Rossi, who in turn sold it to Bacardi.
