Ouistreham
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (December 2008) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Ouistreham | |
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 Ouistreham locks | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Ouistreham  | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Caen |
| Canton | Ouistreham |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | André Ledran |
| Area 1 | 9.95 km2 (3.84 sq mi) |
| Population (2008) | 9,322 |
| • Density | 940/km2 (2,400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 14488 /14150 |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
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.
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
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