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Ouistreham
Ouistreham (French pronunciation: [wistʁe.am]) is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy 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 borders the mouth of the Canal de Caen à la Mer.
The name Ouistreham derives from Saxon ham, meaning 'village'. There is no clear explanation for the first part of the name. A popular etymology is based on Middle French ouistre (Old French oystre), meaning 'oyster'. Most linguists agree on a Saxon origin, meaning Western or West (though some other linguists have claimed that it derives from the Saxon word meaning Eastern), because of the presence of Saxon-speaking settlers from England in Viking Normandy. Following this theory, 'Ouistreham' is a calque of 'Westerham' in Kent.
Ouistreham has been a trading port since the Middle Ages. The harbour is now a part of "Port de Caen-Ouistreham". Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been a bathing beach on the "Riva Bella".
On 6 June 1944, No. 4 Commando landed at Ouistreham (codenamed Sword) 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. The assault on Ouistreham was featured in the movie The Longest Day, although the film location for Ouistreham was at the nearby village of Port-en-Bessin.
A "Roman camp" (Catillon or Castillon) was located on the left bank of the Orne near Bénouville. It has been leveled, only a small part of the northwest rampart remains. In reality, modern archeology excludes the hypothesis that it is a Roman camp, at least not from the High Empire, archaeologists having never unveiled a Roman camp dating from this period in the North from Gaul, apart from Arlaines at Ressons-le-Long (Aisne), and probably not from the Lower Empire either. The expression Roman Camp or Caesar's Camp generally applies to works dating from the Iron Age or the Middle Ages.
The Saint-Samson church and the tithe barn make from the border of the town of Ouistreham the heart of this city. Its proximity to the sea meant that the town developed towards the shore, to the north. Ouistreham was a village of fishermen and farmers where the activity was also linked to maritime trade. Ouistreham experienced the development of its port thanks to the extraction and export of Caen and Ranville stone. There are still some typical fishermen's houses in this town.
In 1779, to protect the shore of the Orne from English attacks, it was decided to build three redoubts according to Vauban's plans, at Ouistreham, Colleville and Merville. These redoubts were disarmed in 1816, that of Ouistreham was sold to a private individual who transformed it into a mansion. Remains of the redoubt are still visible at the "Petit Château de la Redoute" at 38 boulevard Boivin-Champeaux.
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Ouistreham AI simulator
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Ouistreham
Ouistreham (French pronunciation: [wistʁe.am]) is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy 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 borders the mouth of the Canal de Caen à la Mer.
The name Ouistreham derives from Saxon ham, meaning 'village'. There is no clear explanation for the first part of the name. A popular etymology is based on Middle French ouistre (Old French oystre), meaning 'oyster'. Most linguists agree on a Saxon origin, meaning Western or West (though some other linguists have claimed that it derives from the Saxon word meaning Eastern), because of the presence of Saxon-speaking settlers from England in Viking Normandy. Following this theory, 'Ouistreham' is a calque of 'Westerham' in Kent.
Ouistreham has been a trading port since the Middle Ages. The harbour is now a part of "Port de Caen-Ouistreham". Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been a bathing beach on the "Riva Bella".
On 6 June 1944, No. 4 Commando landed at Ouistreham (codenamed Sword) 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. The assault on Ouistreham was featured in the movie The Longest Day, although the film location for Ouistreham was at the nearby village of Port-en-Bessin.
A "Roman camp" (Catillon or Castillon) was located on the left bank of the Orne near Bénouville. It has been leveled, only a small part of the northwest rampart remains. In reality, modern archeology excludes the hypothesis that it is a Roman camp, at least not from the High Empire, archaeologists having never unveiled a Roman camp dating from this period in the North from Gaul, apart from Arlaines at Ressons-le-Long (Aisne), and probably not from the Lower Empire either. The expression Roman Camp or Caesar's Camp generally applies to works dating from the Iron Age or the Middle Ages.
The Saint-Samson church and the tithe barn make from the border of the town of Ouistreham the heart of this city. Its proximity to the sea meant that the town developed towards the shore, to the north. Ouistreham was a village of fishermen and farmers where the activity was also linked to maritime trade. Ouistreham experienced the development of its port thanks to the extraction and export of Caen and Ranville stone. There are still some typical fishermen's houses in this town.
In 1779, to protect the shore of the Orne from English attacks, it was decided to build three redoubts according to Vauban's plans, at Ouistreham, Colleville and Merville. These redoubts were disarmed in 1816, that of Ouistreham was sold to a private individual who transformed it into a mansion. Remains of the redoubt are still visible at the "Petit Château de la Redoute" at 38 boulevard Boivin-Champeaux.