Cricqueville-en-Bessin
Commune in Normandy, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cricqueville-en-Bessin (French pronunciation: [kʁikvil ɑ̃ bɛsɛ̃] ⓘ, literally Cricqueville in Bessin) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
Cricqueville-en-Bessin | |
|---|---|
 La Pointe du Hoc | |
 Location of Cricqueville-en-Bessin | |
  Cricqueville-en-Bessin Location within France  Cricqueville-en-Bessin Location within Normandy | |
| Coordinates: 49°22′38″N 1°00′01″W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Bayeux |
| Canton | Trévières |
| Intercommunality | CC Isigny-Omaha Intercom |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2022–2026) | Pascale Vibet[1] |
Area 1 | 8.55 km2 (3.30 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 168 |
| • Density | 19.6/km2 (50.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 14204 /14450 |
| Elevation | 0–39 m (0–128 ft) (avg. 50 m or 160 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
The municipality takes its name from its deep-water creek that forms a natural harbor, from Crycavilla.
History
World War II
Just outside Cricqueville, the United States Army Air Forces established an airfield shortly after D-Day on 9 June 1944, just three days after the Allied landings in France. The airfield was one of the first established in the liberated area of Normandy. Known as Advanced Landing Ground "A-2" (Cricqueville), it was used from early June though September 1944. After the Americans moved east into Central France, the airfield was dismantled and the land returned to agricultural use.[3][4]
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 200 | — |
| 1975 | 190 | −0.73% |
| 1982 | 157 | −2.69% |
| 1990 | 171 | +1.07% |
| 1999 | 182 | +0.70% |
| 2007 | 183 | +0.07% |
| 2012 | 188 | +0.54% |
| 2017 | 194 | +0.63% |
| 2023 | 168 | −2.37% |
| Source: INSEE[5] | ||
See also
- Communes of the Calvados department
- Pointe du Hoc, a point of attack by the United States Army during the Battle of Normandy
