Giverny facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Giverny
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Water lilies in Claude Monet's garden in Giverny, from which he created his Water Lilies series. (2005)
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 Giverny
Location in France
Giverny
Location in Normandy
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| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Eure |
| Arrondissement | Les Andelys |
| Canton | Vernon |
| Intercommunality | Seine Normandie Agglomération |
| Area
1
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6.46 km2 (2.49 sq mi) |
| Population
(2021)
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467 |
| • Density | 72.29/km2 (187.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code |
27285 /27620
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| Elevation | 10–139 m (33–456 ft) (avg. 17 m or 56 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Giverny is a small village in northern France. It is located in the Eure department, near the Seine and Epte rivers. Giverny is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Paris, in the Normandy region.
This charming village is most famous as the home of the well-known artist Claude Monet. He created his beautiful gardens here, which inspired many of his famous paintings. Many other artists also came to Giverny because of its lovely landscapes and Monet's presence.
Today, Giverny is a popular place for tourists. You can visit Monet's house and gardens, which are now a museum. There is also the Museum of Impressionism Giverny, which tells the story of the art movement. The Hôtel Baudy, once a meeting spot for artists, is now a café and restaurant.
History of Giverny
People have lived in Giverny since ancient times. Archeologists have found signs of settlements from the neolithic period (Stone Age). They also found old boots from the Roman era, dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. In old records, the town was called "Warnacum." Growing grapes has been important to the people of Giverny since the Middle Ages.
The village church is very old, built during the Middle Ages. It has parts made in the Romanesque style. The church is dedicated to Sainte-Radegonde. Giverny has always been a small farming village. In 1883, when Monet discovered it, only about 301 people lived there. Since Monet's house and gardens were restored, Giverny has become a popular place for tourists.
Claude Monet's Home and Gardens
Claude Monet, a famous French painter, first saw Giverny from a train window. He loved the area so much that he decided to move there. He rented a house and the land around it. By 1890, he had enough money to buy the property. Monet then began to create the amazing gardens he wanted to paint.
Some of his most famous artworks show his Giverny garden. The garden has two main parts. One is the rectangular Clos Normand, with colorful plants and climbing vines. The other is the water garden, fed by a stream from the Epte river. This water garden has a Japanese bridge, a pond filled with water lilies, and beautiful wisteria and azalea flowers.
The Giverny Art Colony
Starting around 1887, many American Impressionist artists came to Giverny. They were drawn to the beautiful landscapes, the peaceful atmosphere, and the chance to be near Monet. Artists like Willard Metcalf, Louis Ritman, and Lydia Field Emmet lived and worked here. Many of them stayed for the whole year, not just the summer.
One American painter, Theodore Earl Butler, even married Monet's stepdaughter, Suzanne Hoschedé, in Giverny in 1892. Another artist, Frederick Carl Frieseke, spent every summer next door to Monet's house from 1906 to 1919. A new art style called Decorative Impressionism was used to describe Frieseke's work and that of other American painters in Giverny.
In 1910, six artists from Giverny had a special art show in New York. They were called "The Giverny Group." However, the First World War (1914-1918) largely brought an end to this art colony.
Visiting Giverny's Attractions
Claude Monet's property in Giverny, including his house and gardens, is a major attraction. After his son left it to an art academy in 1966, it was restored and opened to the public in 1980. The large studio where Monet painted his water lilies was fixed up. His valuable collection of Japanese woodblock prints is also on display, arranged just as he liked them. The gardens were replanted to look exactly as they did when Monet lived there.
The house and gardens, known as the Claude Monet Foundation, are very popular with tourists. Especially in the summer, when the flowers are blooming, it's a beautiful place to visit.
Another important place to visit is the Museum of Impressionism Giverny. This museum teaches visitors about the history of the Impressionist art movement. It also shows how Impressionism continued in the Giverny art colony and along the Seine River valley.
The Hôtel Baudy was once a lively place for artists in Giverny. Today, it is still a café and restaurant. It has kept its old-fashioned decorations, making you feel like you've stepped back in time. Giverny is also close to the old castle of La Roche-Guyon and the Seine River.
See also
- Giverny (Spanish for kids)
