Falaise
| Falaise | ||
|---|---|---|
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| region | Normandy | |
| Department | Calvados | |
| Arrondissement | Caen | |
| Canton | Falaise | |
| Community association | Pays de Falaise | |
| Coordinates | 48 ° 54 ′ N , 0 ° 12 ′ W | |
| height | 89-188 m | |
| surface | 11.84 km 2 | |
| Residents | 8,186 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 691 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 14700 | |
| INSEE code | 14258 | |
| Website | www.falaise.fr | |
 View of Falaise |
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Falaise is a French town in the Calvados department in Normandy with 8186 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017).
geography
location
Falaise is located in the south of the Calvados department. The fortified old town lies on a ledge on the Ante River .
Transport links
Falaise is on the A88 ( Caen - Alençon ) motorway and on the N158 .
Falaise used to have a terminus, from which rail lines to Mézidon and Condé-sur-Noireau led.
history
The city is the birth town of William I of England , known as William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England.
The Château de Falaise , which was built on a rock, dating back to the 10th century and was until 1066 the seat of the Dukes of Normandy . In Falaise, Duke Robert I met the tanner's daughter Herleva , who was to become the mother of Wilhelm the Conqueror. Around 1123 the castle was rebuilt by King Henry I of England , adding a rectangular donjon ( keep ) and a strong wall. In 1204, in connection with the conquest of Normandy, it fell into the hands of the French, who built a second, this time round donjon, the later "Tour Talbot". When the castle was reoccupied by the English in 1417, Falaise finally came to France after the Battle of Formigny (1450). In today's suburb of Guibray, one of the most important markets in western Normandy took place in the Middle Ages.
During the Battle of Britain the local airfield was the base of a "Stuka" group of the German Air Force . The Ju 87B / R of the I. Group of the carrier group 186 (I./TrGr 186) arrived in Falaise at the end of June 1940. Renamed a week later to III. Group of Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (III./StG 1), the "Stukas" flew attacks over England until September.
The city is especially known for the Battle of Falaise , which was the result of the landing of the Allied troops in Normandy in 1944. Two German armies were surrounded and destroyed. Large parts of Falaise were destroyed in this battle. After the war, Falaise was extensively rebuilt.
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2016 |
| Residents | 6325 | 7180 | 8368 | 8597 | 8119 | 8434 | 8438 | 8214 |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | ||||||||
Attractions
- Falaise Castle: see the "History" section
- Church Saint-Gervais : in 1066 in the Romanesque begun construction style
- Saint-Laurent Church : built in the 11th century
- Church of Our Lady of Guibray : with an organ of Claude Parisot
- Market hall ( Monument historique )
Town twinning
- Alma in the province of Quebec (Canada), since 1969
- Bad Neustadt an der Saale in Bavaria , since 1969. There are annual student exchanges between the cities.
- Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire (United Kingdom), since 1974
- Cassino in the Lazio region (Italy), since 1975
Personalities
- Herleva (1003-1050), lover (Friedelehe) of the later Duke Robert I of Normandy
- Wilhelm II. (Normandy) or Wilhelm I (England) , initially called "the bastard", later called "the conqueror"
- Jean Vallière (1483–1523), Protestant martyr
- Antoine de Montchrétien (1576–1621), economist from the time of mercantilism
- Frédéric de Lafresnaye (1783–1861), ornithologist and entomologist
- Pauline Roland (1805-1852), feminist
- Louis Liard (born August 22, 1846 Falaise, † September 21, 1917 Paris), philosopher and educator, 1884 rector in Caen, 1884-1902 headed the French education system
- Alain Ferté (* 1955), racing car driver
- Michel Ferté (* 1958), former French racing driver
- Cédric Hengbart (* 1980), football player
Web links
- Normandie web about Falaise (French)