Paradise of the impressionists and medalist of “Ugly France”, the Honfleur paradox

In question, the entrance to the town and its dozen advertising signs for a discount supermarket, a chain of car garages, a regional products shop or a car wash... all within a few dozen meters.

Hence the prize awarded by the association, in the “Sign Fair” category, to this Normandy town on the Seine estuary, which nevertheless welcomes 5,2 million visitors per year, according to the municipality.

Courbet, Boudin, Manet..., Honfleur, from the 19th to the 20th centuries, inspired some of the most illustrious painters of Romanticism and Impressionism.

This is precisely the paradox. “Honfleur is a pretty, attractive town, why ask us to go through +the toilets+ to get in?” protests Olivier Saladin, actor and former Deschiens, member of the board of directors of the “Paysages de France” association. which fights against billboard advertising.

To access this small port and its half-timbered houses, "we are subjected at the entrance to the town, as is often the case, to advertising harassment with these large signs which eat up the landscape", denounces "Monsieur Saladin".

"We do not say that Honfleur is the ugliest city in France, this prize is awarded on a photo so that elected officials are more vigilant", specifies the actor, recalling that since January 1 "it is up to the mayors of enforce the law on advertising.

Sylvain Naviaux, vice-president in charge of town planning issues at the community of communes of the country of Honfleur-Beuzeville (CCPHB), thinks that "this entrance to the town is not as detestable".

“We fight the ugly”

“We (the municipality, editor’s note) think that it is a question of national order and not local,” believes the elected official.

Frédéric Zywica, owner of the escape game "L'Evasion", whose brand is present in the photo, "does not understand" this price.

"The angle is deceptive, the 2x2 lane is wooded, it's not that ugly", judges the trader, "and I need it to survive, I'm set back from the road, no one knows that it There is an escape game in Honfleur, I need this visibility.”

In defense of the municipalities, “the legislation is labyrinthine”, slips Olivier Saladin.

Advertising in public spaces has been governed by the environmental code since 2004. According to the national advertising regulations (RNP), "advertising" is prohibited outside urban areas unless exempted, and subject to media conditions, d location and dimensions in urban areas.

In summary, signs indicating a business can be installed on its building or land. The pre-signs, placed outside the store's land like some in Honfleur, must not exceed 4 m2 in towns of less than 10.000 inhabitants, 12 m2 for others.

“The living environment is a good common to all, it is very important for the quality of life. It is not the surface area that counts but the number of people who pass by”, analyzes the actor, “the entrances to ransacked city impacts 90% of French people every day.

“The wind turbines, the Eiffel Tower, Beaubourg (the Pompidou contemporary art center in the center of Paris Editor's note), it's very subjective,” judges Olivier Saladin, “but advertising is disgusting for everyone, when we love the beautiful, we fight the ugly.”