Caen
| Région | Basse-Normandie |
| Département | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | 24 cantons 287 communes 389,973 habitants |
| Cantons | chief town of 9 cantons (13 common, 162,707 habitants) |
| Habitants | Caennais |
| Population (1999) | 117,157 habitants |
| Intercommunality (2004) | Agglomeration 217,805 habitants |
| Size | 2,6 km² |
Caen is a city in northwestern France. It is the préfecture (administrative capital) of the département of Calvados, and the capital of the administrative region of Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy). Population 115,000. The Orne flows through Caen.
Caen is known in particular for its historical buildings built under William the Conqueror. The castle, one of the largest medieval fortresses of Western Europe, was built around 1060. In repentance for marrying his cousin Mathilde de Flandres, William also ordered for two Abbeys to be built. The Abbaye aux Hommes (Men's Abbey) was completed in 1063 and is dedicated to St Etienne (St. Stephen) while the Abbaye aux Dames (Women's Abbey) was completed in 1060 and is dedicated to St Gilles. Nowadays, the former is the site of the Town Hall, while the latter is now home to the offices of the Conseil Régional.
During the end-game of World War II in the wake of the Normandy landings, Caen was the scene of intense combat between Allied and Axis forces with British and Canadian taking the city on July 9, 1944. The rebuilding of Caen took 14 years (1948-1962) and marked its current urbanization.
| Table of contents |
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2 Births 3 Monuments 4 Administration 5 External links |
Universities include
Births
Monuments
Administration
In 1952, the small commune of Venoix became part of Caen.
In 1990, the agglomeration of Caen was organized in an arrondissement, transformed into 2002 in a community of agglomeration (Grand Caen, re-elected Caen la Mer in 2004) which gathers 29 communes including Villons-les-Buissons which recently (in 2004) joined the agglomeration.