Vire
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Vire |
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| Vire from the Place du Château | |
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 Vire
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Location within Lower Normandy region
Vire
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Lower Normandy |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Vire |
| Canton | Vire |
| Intercommunality | Vire |
| Mayor | Jean-Yves Cousin (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 85–225 m (279–738 ft) (avg. 134 m or 440 ft) |
| Land area1 | 22.50 km2 (8.69 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 12,231 (2008) |
| - Density | 544 /km2 (1,410 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 14762/ 14500 |
| 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: 48°50′19″N 0°53′21″W / 48.8386°N 0.8892°W
Vire is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
The town is located near the river Vire.
[edit] History
In 1123, Henri I Beauclerc, King of England and Duke of Normandy, had a redoubt constructed on a rocky hill top, which was surrounded by the Vire river. The redoubt was stoned square at the bottom to assure the defense of the Duchy of Normandy against any attacks from Brittany or Maine.[1]
This stone work would be later, beginning of the 13th century, on the order of Saint Louis, completed with exterior ramparts. This second precinct however would be finished only at the beginning of the 14th century.[2]
In the old community of Neuville, north of the territory, the castle of Tracy is the seat of an important manor, Arcisse de Caumont.[3]
At the end of the Middle Ages, the village prospered; first with leather, and then with textiles[4] During the hundred years war, Vire was plundered in 1368 by large military companies,[5] and delivered to the English in 1418. The English occupation would end in 1450 and would be brutal to the inhabitants. The execution of Hugues Vaux, owner of the largest farm of the village, after refusing to give up his farm to the English sergeant Fields, caused grief and concern amongst the population. Some inhabitants nevertheless benefited from the English occupation. Eugène Vergny, who provided Fields with information about the movement of the French troops, received the property of Vaux after his execution.[6]
During the reign of Louis XIII of France, because a number of Fortifications of the Middle Ages served in rebellions by the Huguenots in particular, the castle and it's precinct were dismantled on orders of Richelieu.[7]
During the XIX century, the village did not resist well to the Industrial Revolution and went into an important recession.
On June 6, 1944 during the Second World War, around 8 PM, like many Normand cities and villages, Vire suffered heavily from the British bombings, and was destroyed at 95%. One of the two target marking flare groups was out of alignment and much of the bombing fell across the town of Vire. The Master Bomber in charge of the operation identified the problem and issued corrections to the incoming aircraft. Much of the bombing from the first wave of aircraft fell across the town of Vire killing many of the inhabitants. It was a distressing night for many families.[8]
The reconstruction after the second world war began in the 1960s.
[edit] Population
| Year | 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 | 1856 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7873 | 7700 | 8183 | 8381 | 8043 | 7339 | 7375 | 7658 | 7266 | 7036 |
| Year | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 | 1896 | 1901 | 1906 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7647 | 6863 | 6778 | 6718 | 6597 | 6736 | 6635 | 6600 | 6517 | 6353 |
| Year | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1946 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6298 | 5949 | 5871 | 5766 | 5917 | 3929 | 7963 | 9518 | 11,140 |
| Year | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 13,399 | 13,709 | 12,895 | 12,793 | 12,231 |
[edit] Administration
Vire amalgamated two communes in 19 years:
[edit] Gastronomy
- Andouille, a speciality of Vire.
[edit] Communes of the canton include
- Vaudry
- Saint Germain de Tallevende
- [Saint Martin de Tallevende fr:Saint-Martin-de-Tallevende
[edit] Twins
Vire is twinned with:
Totnes, South Devon, United Kingdom since 1972
Santa Fe, Spain since 1987
Baunatal, Germany since 1983
Atlacomulco, Mexico
Săcele, Romania since 2001
[edit] Personalities
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "GASO, la banque du blason - Vire Calvados". http://www.newgaso.fr/lecture_fiche_commune.php3?page=f14762. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ group="a" name="Vire1000">p. 7.
- ^ Arcisse de Caumont, Statistique monumentale du Calvados, editeur= Hardel year= 1857 tome= 3 title: Arrondissements de Vire et de Bayeux passage 92
- ^ http://www.vire-tourisme.com/pages.php?page=103 |titre= Vire-tourisme : Vire et les alentours |consulté le= 14 octobre 2009.
- ^ Article|prénom1= Yves | nom1= Buffetaut |titre= La prise de Vire par les Grandes Compagnies |périodique= Itinéraires de Normandie |numéro = 15 |mois= septembre | année= 2009 |pages= 60-64 |issn= 1950-9324|résumé= http://itineraires-de-normandie.com/article.php?idarticle=284
- ^ "GASO, la banque du blason - Vire Calvados". http://www.newgaso.fr/lecture_fiche_commune.php3?page=f14762. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ group="a" name="Vire1000">p. 7.
- ^ Coulonces.com - 2009 – David FELL.
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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Vire. |
