Falaise, Calvados
Falaise is a
commune in the
Calvados département, in the
Basse-Normandie administrative
région, in
Normandy, north-western
France. Population (1982) 8,820; (1990) 8,387; (1999) 8,797.
Falaise lies on the
Ante River, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) southeast of
Caen.
The town was the birthplace of
William I the Conqueror, first of the
Norman kings of
England. The castle (12th-
13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the
dukes of Normandy.
The town is known for the battle of the "
Falaise pocket" during the
Allied reconquest of France in August
1944 in which two German armies were encircled and destroyed. Some 10,000 German troops were killed and 50,000 taken prisoner. Two-thirds of Falaise was destroyed by Allied bombing before the town was taken by Canadian and Polish troops. Falaise was largely restored after the war.
Exhibits at the Museum of the Battle of the Falaise Pocket include several military vehicles, pieces of artillery, and other weapons.
Weekly market: Saturdays.
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Normandieweb on Falaise (in French)
