Ouistreham
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (December 2008)
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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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History [edit]
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 [edit]
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1793 | 854 | — |
| 1800 | 796 | −6.8% |
| 1806 | 1,050 | +31.9% |
| 1821 | 1,104 | +5.1% |
| 1831 | 1,162 | +5.3% |
| 1836 | 1,149 | −1.1% |
| 1841 | 1,359 | +18.3% |
| 1846 | 1,194 | −12.1% |
| 1851 | 1,133 | −5.1% |
| 1856 | 1,221 | +7.8% |
| 1861 | 1,259 | +3.1% |
| 1866 | 1,243 | −1.3% |
| 1872 | 1,249 | +0.5% |
| 1876 | 1,196 | −4.2% |
| 1881 | 1,222 | +2.2% |
| 1886 | 1,206 | −1.3% |
| 1891 | 1,194 | −1.0% |
| 1896 | 1,354 | +13.4% |
| 1901 | 1,688 | +24.7% |
| 1906 | 1,523 | −9.8% |
| 1911 | 1,574 | +3.3% |
| 1921 | 2,013 | +27.9% |
| 1926 | 2,220 | +10.3% |
| 1931 | 2,584 | +16.4% |
| 1936 | 2,790 | +8.0% |
| 1946 | 3,527 | +26.4% |
| 1954 | 4,342 | +23.1% |
| 1962 | 4,780 | +10.1% |
| 1968 | 5,223 | +9.3% |
| 1975 | 6,140 | +17.6% |
| 1982 | 6,310 | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 6,709 | +6.3% |
| 1999 | 8,674 | +29.3% |
| 2008 | 9,322 | +7.5% |
Sights [edit]
- 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 [edit]
The port of Ouistreham has a scheduled cross-Channel ferry service to Portsmouth, operated by Brittany Ferries.
International relations [edit]
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 [edit]
References [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ouistreham |
- ^ Dunning, James (2003). The Fighting Fourth - No. 4 Commando at War 1940-45. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 0-7509-3095-0.
