Honfleur lies on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine. Probably founded toward the middle of the 12th century, the city functioned as a viable embarkation point for goods from Rouen to England. During the Hundred Years War, Honfleur was taken occupied by the English in 1357 and again from 1419 to 1450. The blockades during the Napoleonic wars, severely impacted maritime commerce in Honfleur, followed by silting, and it never really regained a dominant position. The scenic Normandie Bridge connects Honfleur to Le Havre on the Seine's northern bank