- Falaise, Calvados
French commune
nomcommune=Falaise
caption=
région=Basse-Normandie
département=Calvados
arrondissement=Caen
canton=Chief town of 2 cantons
Falaise-Nord
Falaise-Sud
insee=14258
cp=14700
maire=Eric Macé
mandat=
intercomm=Pays de Falaise
longitude=-0.191944444444
latitude=48.8927777778
alt moy=132 m
alt mini=89 m
alt maxi=188 m
hectares=1,184
km²=11.84
sans=8434
date-sans=1999
dens=712
date-dens=1999Falaise is a commune in the
Calvados "département" in theBasse-Normandie region inNormandy , northwesternFrance . Population (1982) 8,820; (1990) 8,387; (1999) 8,797.Geography
Falaise lies on the
Ante River , about 20 miles (32 kilometres) southeast ofCaen .History
The town was the birthplace of William I the Conqueror, first of the Norman kings of
England . The castle (12th-13th century ), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of thedukes of Normandy .The town is known for the battle of the "
Falaise pocket " during the Allied reconquest of France in August1944 in which two German armies were encircled and destroyed by the British 2nd Army. Some 10,000 German troops were killed and 50,000 taken prisoner. Two-thirds of Falaise was destroyed by Allied bombing before the town was taken by Canadian and Polish troops. Falaise was largely restored after the war.Activities
Exhibits at the Museum of the Battle of the Falaise Pocket include several military vehicles, pieces of artillery, and other weapons. The weekly market takes place on Saturdays.
External links
* [http://www.chateau-guillaume-leconquerant.fr/index_uk.php Castle William-the-Conqueror in Falaise, France.] (Official website in English)
* [http://www.normandieweb.org/14/falaise/falaise Normandieweb on Falaise] (in French)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.