Ouistreham
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Ouistreham
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (December 2008) Don't speak French? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the French article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating.
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Ouistreham |
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 Ouistreham
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Location within Lower Normandy region
Ouistreham
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Lower Normandy |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Caen |
| Canton | Ouistreham |
| Mayor | André Ledran (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) avg. |
| Land area1 | 9.95 km2 (3.84 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 9,322 (2008) |
| - Density | 937 /km2 (2,430 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 14488/ 14150 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Coordinates: 49°16′48″N 0°15′26″W / 49.28°N 0.2572°W
Ouistreham is a commune in the Calvados department' in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.
Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry-harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town is about the mouth of the Canal de Caen à la Mer.
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Contents
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History
The name Ouistreham derives from ouistre - 'oyster' and Saxon ham= 'village'. It has been a trading port since the Middle Ages. The harbour is now a part of "Port de Caen-Ouistreham". Ouistreham is pronounced Wee-ss-tram.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, it is a bathing beach on the "Riva Bella".
On 6 June 1944, No. 4 Commando landed at Ouistreham (Sword Beach) and fought their way to Pegasus Bridge, with the 177 Free French of the No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando given the honour of spearheading the advance.[1] The assault on Ouistreham was featured in the movie The Longest Day, although the film location for Ouistreham was actually at Port-en-Bessin.
Population
| Year | 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 | 1856 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 854 | 796 | 1050 | 1104 | 1162 | 1149 | 1359 | 1194 | 1133 | 1221 |
| Year | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 | 1896 | 1901 | 1906 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1259 | 1243 | 1249 | 1196 | 1222 | 1206 | 1194 | 1354 | 1688 | 1523 |
| Year | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1946 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1574 | 2013 | 2220 | 2584 | 2790 | 3527 | 4342 | 4780 | 5223 | 6140 |
| Year | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6310 | 6709 | 8674 | 9322 |
Tourist sites
- Museum of the Atlantic Wall
- Musée du Débarquement n° 4 Commando (museum)
- Der Grosse Bunker (French: Le Grand Bunker) is an old German bunker from WW2 that was captured by the British in the D-Day invasion
Transportation
The port of Ouistreham has a scheduled cross-Channel ferry service to Portsmouth, operated by Brittany Ferries.
Twin towns
Ouistreham is twinned with the West Sussex village of Angmering in England; also with Braine-l'Alleud in Belgium, and Lohr am Main in Germany.
See also
References
- ^ Dunning, James (2003). The Fighting Fourth - No. 4 Commando at War 1940-45. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 0-7509-3095-0.
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