It was first called Deux Ponts (two bridges) in 715, Pontem Aldemari in 1025, Aldemari Ponte around 1040, then Pontheau de Mer in 1475. As shown by its different names through history, Pont-Audemer was born where crossing the river was the easiest. All over town half-timbered houses are reflected in the waters of the Risle river. From the small bridges crossing the canals rise the washhouses and the old dryers of the city’s tanners, a legacy of its rich artisanal past. It is the little Norman Venice.