Briouze

Briouze
Briouze
Location within Lower Normandy region  Briouze
Administration
Country	France
Region	Lower Normandy
Department	Orne
Arrondissement	Argentan
Canton	Briouze
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes du Pays de Briouze
Mayor	Jean-Pierre Salles (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	197–254 m (646–833 ft) (avg. 212 m or 696 ft)
Land area1	17.15 km2 (6.62 sq mi)
Population2	1,600  (2006)
- Density	93 /km2 (240 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	61063/ 61220
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.

Briouze is a commune in the Orne department of Normandy in north-western France. A small town of 1599 inhabitants in 2004, it is considered the capital of the "pays d'Houlme" at the western end of the Orne in the Norman bocage. The nearby Grand Hazé marshland is a heritage-listed area (Natura 2000).

William de Braose, First Lord of Bramber (Guillaume de Briouze) was granted lands in England after the Norman conquest and used his wealth to build a priory in his home town.

The name Briouze probably comes from an older Norman form of the word "boue", or "mud".

Heraldry

The arms of Briouze are blazoned : Azure, in base 2 clasped hands Or, and in chief a bird argent on waves couped sable from which issue reeds argent; all within a bordure argent semy of lozenges gules and ermine spots sable.

See also

• Communes of the Orne department

References

• INSEE