Souleuvre en Bocage
Commune in Normandy, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Souleuvre en Bocage (French pronunciation: [sulœvʁ ɑ̃ bɔkaʒ], literally Souleuvre in Bocage) is a commune in the department of Calvados, northwestern France.
Souleuvre en Bocage | |
|---|---|
The church in Sainte-Marie-Laumont | |
 Location of Souleuvre en Bocage | |
  Souleuvre en Bocage Location within France  Souleuvre en Bocage Location within Normandy | |
| Coordinates: 48°56′17″N 0°50′31″W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Vire |
| Canton | Condé-en-Normandie |
| Intercommunality | Intercom de la Vire au Noireau |
Area 1 | 187.28 km2 (72.31 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[1] | 8,629 |
| • Density | 46.08/km2 (119.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 14061 /14350 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 by merger of the twenty former communes of Beaulieu, Le Bény-Bocage (the seat), Bures-les-Monts, Campeaux, Carville, Étouvy, La Ferrière-Harang, La Graverie, Malloué, Montamy, Mont-Bertrand, Montchauvet, Le Reculey, Saint-Denis-Maisoncelles, Sainte-Marie-Laumont, Saint-Martin-des-Besaces, Saint-Martin-Don, Saint-Ouen-des-Besaces, Saint-Pierre-Tarentaine and Le Tourneur.[2]
Geography
The commune is made up of the following collection of villages and hamlets, Saint-Ouen-des-Besaces, Saint-Martin-des-Besaces, La Mancellière, La Ferrière-Harang, Le Tourneur, Montamy, Mont-Bertrand, Vory, Arclais, Campeaux, Bures-les-Monts, Malloué, Montchauvet, Le Hamel Auvray, Souleuvre en Bocage, Le Hamel Pin, La Ferronnière, Carville, Sourdeval, Saint-Martin-Don, Sainte-Marie-Laumont, Beaulieu, Le Reculey, Le Brun and La Graverie.[3]
The Vire River and one of its tributaries the Souleuvre flow through the commune.[4][5]
The Commune along with another nine communes shares part of a 5,729 hectare, Natura 2000 conservation area, called the Bassin de la Druance.[6] The commune also has another Natura 2000 conservation area, Bassin de la Souleuvre, a 2,232 hectare area which is shared with three other communes, Valdallière, Dialan sur Chaîne and Brémoy.[7]
The commune is on the border of the area known as Suisse Normande.[8][3]
Points of Interest
- Souleuvre Viaduct - Originally built by Gustave Eiffel in 1893.[9] The site is now an amusement park, featuring Bungee jumps, a botanical garden and other attractions.[10]
Museums
- Musée de la Percée du Bocage - Also known as the Bocage Breakthrough Museum is a museum dedicated to Operation Bluecoat, part of Operation Overlord.[11] It first opened in 1983 and moved to its current location in 1994 as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the area being liberated.[12]
National heritage sites
The Commune has 6 buildings and areas listed as a Monument historique.[13]
- Église Notre-Dame de La Graverie a thirteenth century church listed as a monument in 1928.[14]
- Alignment of nine menhirs from La Plumaudière a Neolithic monument of nine menhirs that was listed as a monument in 1976.[15]
- Wayside cross a seventeenth century Cross located between Pleines-Oeuvres and Campeaux, which was listed as a monument in 1970.[16]
- Cemetery cross an eighteenth century cross located in Malloué, and listed as a monument in 1970.[17]
- Église Notre-Dame de Sainte-Marie-Laumont a twelfth century church listed as a monument in 1928.[18]
- Église Notre-Dame de Malloué an eighteenth century church listed as a monument in 1970.[19]
Population
Population data refer to the commune in its geography as of January 2025.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 7,396 | — |
| 1975 | 6,763 | −1.27% |
| 1982 | 6,763 | +0.00% |
| 1990 | 7,030 | +0.49% |
| 1999 | 7,488 | +0.70% |
| 2007 | 8,069 | +0.94% |
| 2012 | 8,593 | +1.27% |
| 2017 | 8,839 | +0.57% |
| 2023 | 8,629 | −0.40% |
| Source: INSEE[20] | ||
Notable people
- William Malbank, 1st Baron of Wich Malbank - (c.1050 – before 1109) was lord of Le Bény-Bocage.[21]
- William Malbank, 3rd Baron of Wich Malbank - (c. 1125 – 1176) was lord of Le Bény-Bocage.[21]
- Gilbert de Lacy - (Died after 1163) was lord of Lassy & Campeaux.[21]
- Gaston Jean Baptiste de Renty - (1611 - 1649) was an aristocrat and philanthropist who was born here.[22]
- Didier-François d'Arclais de Montamy - (1702 - 1765) was a civil servant, nature scholar and encyclopédiste who was born here.[23]
- Brigitte Le Brethon (born 1953) is a politician, and a member of The Republicans was born here.[24]
