Fleury-sur-Orne
Commune in Normandy, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fleury-sur-Orne (French pronunciation: [flœʁi syʁ ɔʁn] ⓘ, literally Fleury on Orne) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is part of the Communauté urbaine Caen la Mer and of the agglomeration of Caen.[3]
Fleury-sur-Orne | |
|---|---|
 A general view of Fleury-sur-Orne | |
 Location of Fleury-sur-Orne | |
  Fleury-sur-Orne  Fleury-sur-Orne | |
| Coordinates: 49°08′49″N 0°22′31″W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Caen |
| Canton | Caen-5 |
| Intercommunality | Caen la Mer |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Marc Lecerf[1] (DVG) |
Area 1 | 6.75 km2 (2.61 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 5,941 |
| • Density | 880/km2 (2,280/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 14271 /14123 |
| Elevation | 2–66 m (6.6–216.5 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Geography
History
Until 1916 Fleury-sur-Orne was known as Allemagne (Calvados) after the Alamanni tribe which once guarded the ford across the Orne.[6] During the First World War this name, meaning in French Germany, became inconvenient and embarrassing for the inhabitants (unlike those of Allemagne-en-Provence in Southern France).[7] The town council therefore decided on 23 August 1916, to change the name and to call it Fleury-sur-Orne in memory of the commune of Fleury-devant-Douaumont, a commune of the Meuse (in 1914: 422 inhabitants, school, church, town hall, 13 tradesmen, 10 landholding farmers), which was destroyed in 1916.[6]
Massacre of the Athis fort
In 1047, Duke William of Normandy (later William the Conqueror), helped by Henry I, king of France, put an end to a revolt of Norman barons at the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes, close to the villages of Chicheboville, Secqueville, Vimont and Bourguébus.[8] Little is known about this battle, but it seems to have been a purely cavalry contest, with neither infantry nor archers playing a significant role.
After a series of disorderly cavalry skirmishes, the rebellious barons fled. They were slaughtered as they tried to cross the Orne, at the Athis ford close to Fleury-sur-Orne. Carried downstream en masse, the bodies of the massacred knights blocked the mill of Barbillon on the level of current Ile Enchantée.[9]
The victory allowed William to remain Duke of Normandy, thus setting the stage for his later brilliant battles and statecraft.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 2,817 | — |
| 1975 | 2,861 | +0.22% |
| 1982 | 3,650 | +3.54% |
| 1990 | 3,861 | +0.70% |
| 1999 | 4,231 | +1.02% |
| 2007 | 4,014 | −0.66% |
| 2012 | 4,299 | +1.38% |
| 2017 | 4,915 | +2.71% |
| 2023 | 5,941 | +3.21% |
| Source: INSEE[10] | ||
Points of Interest
National heritage sites
The commune has two sites listed as a Monument historique.[11]
Personalities
- Nicole Oresme (1325 – 1382), also known as Nicolas Oresme, Nicholas Oresme, or Nicolas d'Oresme, a philosopher of the later Middle Ages, was born here.[14]
Twin towns – sister cities
Fleury-sur-Orne is twinned with:[15][16][17][18]
Ouonck, senegal. Since 1992
Waldbüttelbrunn, Germany. Since 1994
Karpoš, North Macedonia. Since 2012
Mar del Plata, Argentina. Since 2016
