Caen#Second World War

The first references to the name of Caen are found in different acts of the dukes of Normandy: Cadon 1021/1025,Marie Fauroux, Recueil des actes des ducs de Normandie (911–1066), Mémoires de la Société des antiquaires de Normandie XXXVI, Caen, 1961, p. 122, n° 32. Cadumus 1025,Ibid., p. 130, n° 34. Cathim 1026/1027.Villam que dicitur Cathim super fluvium Olne: the town called Cathim on the Orne river, ibid., p. 182, n° 58. Year 1070 of the Parker manuscript{{Cite web |date=15 August 2007 |title=Manuscript A: The Parker Chronicle |url=http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/a/a-L.html |access-date=7 July 2009 |publisher=Asc.jebbo.co.uk |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726221228/http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/a/a-L.html |url-status=dead}} of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle refers to Caen as Kadum,Her Landfranc se þe wæs abbod an Kadum com to Ængla lande: Here Lanfranc who was abbot at Caen came to England. and year 1086 of the Laud manuscript[http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/e/e-L.html Manuscript E: The Laud Chronicle] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212153114/http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/e/e-L.html |date=12 February 2009}} – Asc.jebbo.co.uk gives the name as Caþum.He swealt on Normandige on þone nextan dæg æfter natiuitas sancte Marie. 7-man bebyrgede hine on Caþum æt sancte Stephanes mynstre: He [King William] died in Normandy on the day after the Nativity of St Mary and was buried in Caen, in St Stephen's Abbey Despite a lack of sources as to the origin of the settlements, the name Caen would seem to be of Gaulish origin, from the words catu-, referring to military activities and magos, field, hence meaning "manoeuvre field" or "battlefield".René Lepelley, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de communes de Normandie, P.U.C., Corlet, Caen, Condé-sur-Noireau, 1996 In Layamon's Brut, the poet asserts that King Arthur named the city in memory of Sir Kay,Brut, l. 13,936 although the historicity of King Arthur is widely doubted.

{{see also|Timeline of Caen}}

{{See also|History of Normandy}}

{{unreferenced section|date=November 2022}}

Caen was known in Roman times as 'Catumagos', from the Gaulish roots magos meaning 'field' and catu meaning 'combat'. It remained a minor settlement throughout the Roman period and began to see major development commence in the 10th century, under the patronage of the Dukes of Normandy. Around 1060, William the Conqueror began construction of the Château de Caen, which became the centre of the ducal court. Duchess Matilda of Flanders also founded the Benedictine Abbey of Sainte-Trinité, Caen around the same time, eventually being buried in the abbey. Caen succeeded Bayeux as the capital of Lower Normandy, complementing the second ducal capital of Rouen.

Caen fell to Philip II of France on 21 May 1204, and was incorporated along with the remainder of Normandy into the Kingdom of France.

{{Main|Battle of Caen (1346)}}

In 1346, King Edward III of England led his army against the city, hoping to loot it. It was expected that a siege of perhaps several weeks would be required, but the army took the city in less than a day, on 26 July 1346, storming and sacking it, killing 3,000 of its citizens, and burning much of the merchants' quarter on the Île St-Jean. Only the castle of Caen held out, despite attempts to besiege it. A few days later, the English left, marching to the east and on to their victory at the Battle of Crécy. It was later captured following a siege by Henry V in 1417 and treated harshly for being the first town to put up any resistance to his invasion. In 1450 towards the end of the war, French forces recaptured Caen.

{{Main|Battle for Caen}}

File:Canadian bulldozer in Caen.jpg bulldozer in Caen, 1944. The towers of the Abbaye aux Hommes are behind.]]

During World War II, Caen was captured by German forces during the Battle of France in 1940 and placed under military occupation. In 1944, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, invading German-occupied France and rapidly advancing through Normandy. From 6 June to 6 August 1944, the British Second Army fought the battle of Caen to dislodge German forces from the city. During the battle, Allied bombing raids heavily damaged the city and caused numerous French civilian casualties. After the battle, little of prewar Caen remained, and reconstruction efforts in the city continued until 1962.{{cite book |last=Badsey |first=Stephen |title=Normandy 1944 Allied Landings and Breakout |publisher=Osprey |location=London |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-85045-921-0}}{{cite book |last=Badsey |first=S. |chapter=Chapter 4: Culture, Controversy, Caen and Cherbourg: The First Week of the Battle |pages=[https://archive.org/details/normandycampaign00buck_143/page/n60 48]–63 |editor-last=Buckley |editor-first=John |editor-link=John Buckley (historian) |title=The Normandy Campaign 1944: Sixty Years On |url=https://archive.org/details/normandycampaign00buck_143 |url-access=limited |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-1-134-20304-8 }}

Postwar work included the reconstruction of complete districts of the city and the university campus. It took 14 years (1948–1962) and led to the current urbanization of Caen. Having lost many of its historic quarters and its university campus in the war, Caen does not have the atmosphere of a traditional Norman town such as Honfleur, Rouen, Cabourg, Deauville or Bayeux. {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

The Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit filmed the D-Day offensive and Orne breakout several weeks later. It returned several months later to document the city's recovery efforts. The resulting film, You Can't Kill a City, is preserved in the National Archives of Canada.

{{clear|left}}

Caen is in an area of high humidity. The river Orne flows through the city, as well as small rivers known as les Odons, most of which have been buried under the city to improve urban hygiene. Caen has a large flood zone, named "La prairie", located around the hippodrome, not far from the river Orne, which is regularly submerged.{{Cite web |title=La Prairie de Caen |url=http://caen.fr/publications/prairie-caen |access-date=23 March 2018 |website=CAEN |language=fr}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}{{Cite news |title=EN IMAGES. Caen : inondations autour de la Prairie |language=fr-FR |work=Ouest-France.fr |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/normandie/caen-14000/en-images-caen-les-photos-de-la-prairie-inondee-5444265 |access-date=23 March 2018 |archive-date=20 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820061100/https://www.ouest-france.fr/normandie/caen-14000/en-images-caen-les-photos-de-la-prairie-inondee-5444265 |url-status=live }}

Caen is {{cvt|10|km|mi|abbr=off}} from the Channel. A canal (Canal de Caen à la Mer) parallel to the Orne was built during the reign of Napoleon III to link the city to the sea at all times. The canal reaches the English Channel at Ouistreham. A lock keeps the tide out of the canal and lets large ships navigate up the canal to Caen's freshwater harbours.

Caen has an oceanic climate that is somewhat ameliorated due to its slightly inland position. In spite of this, summers are still cool by French standards and the climate is typically maritime in terms of high precipitation, relatively modest sunshine hours and mild winters.

{{Weather box

|location = Caen (CFR), elevation: {{cvt|67|m|ft|0}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1945–present, humidity 1961–1990

|width = 80%

|collapsed =

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 16.8

|Feb record high C = 20.8

|Mar record high C = 24.9

|Apr record high C = 26.6

|May record high C = 30.4

|Jun record high C = 35.2

|Jul record high C = 40.1

|Aug record high C = 38.9

|Sep record high C = 33.5

|Oct record high C = 29.6

|Nov record high C = 21.6

|Dec record high C = 17.3

|year record high C = 40.1

|Jan avg record high C = 13.8

|Feb avg record high C = 14.7

|Mar avg record high C = 19.0

|Apr avg record high C = 22.4

|May avg record high C = 25.6

|Jun avg record high C = 29.7

|Jul avg record high C = 31.3

|Aug avg record high C = 31.4

|Sep avg record high C = 27.4

|Oct avg record high C = 22.3

|Nov avg record high C = 17.1

|Dec avg record high C = 14.0

|year avg record high C = 33.0

|Jan high C = 8.3

|Feb high C = 9.1

|Mar high C = 11.7

|Apr high C = 14.4

|May high C = 17.4

|Jun high C = 20.5

|Jul high C = 22.9

|Aug high C = 23.2

|Sep high C = 20.4

|Oct high C = 16.2

|Nov high C = 11.8

|Dec high C = 8.8

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 5.6

|Feb mean C = 5.9

|Mar mean C = 8.0

|Apr mean C = 10.0

|May mean C = 13.0

|Jun mean C = 15.9

|Jul mean C = 18.0

|Aug mean C = 18.3

|Sep mean C = 15.8

|Oct mean C = 12.5

|Nov mean C = 8.7

|Dec mean C = 6.1

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 2.9

|Feb low C = 2.8

|Mar low C = 4.2

|Apr low C = 5.5

|May low C = 8.5

|Jun low C = 11.2

|Jul low C = 13.1

|Aug low C = 13.3

|Sep low C = 11.1

|Oct low C = 8.8

|Nov low C = 5.6

|Dec low C = 3.3

|year low C =

|Jan avg record low C = -5.1

|Feb avg record low C = -3.8

|Mar avg record low C = -1.8

|Apr avg record low C = 0.2

|May avg record low C = 3.2

|Jun avg record low C = 6.2

|Jul avg record low C = 8.4

|Aug avg record low C = 8.3

|Sep avg record low C = 5.9

|Oct avg record low C = 2.1

|Nov avg record low C = -1.0

|Dec avg record low C = -4.0

|year avg record low C = -6.7

|Jan record low C = -19.6

|Feb record low C = -16.5

|Mar record low C = -7.4

|Apr record low C = -5.7

|May record low C = -0.8

|Jun record low C = 1.0

|Jul record low C = 4.7

|Aug record low C = 4.0

|Sep record low C = 1.8

|Oct record low C = -3.7

|Nov record low C = -6.8

|Dec record low C = -11.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 63.1

|Feb precipitation mm = 52.8

|Mar precipitation mm = 49.7

|Apr precipitation mm = 53.4

|May precipitation mm = 59.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 58.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 51.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 59.6

|Sep precipitation mm = 54.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 78.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 78.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 81.3

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 11.6

|Feb precipitation days = 11.2

|Mar precipitation days = 10.0

|Apr precipitation days = 10.0

|May precipitation days = 9.5

|Jun precipitation days = 8.6

|Jul precipitation days = 8.0

|Aug precipitation days = 8.3

|Sep precipitation days = 9.1

|Oct precipitation days = 12.2

|Nov precipitation days = 13.4

|Dec precipitation days = 14.2

|year precipitation days =

| unit snow days =

| Jan snow days =3.4

| Feb snow days =3.8

| Mar snow days =2.3

| Apr snow days =0.9

| May snow days =0.1

| Jun snow days =0

| Jul snow days =0

| Aug snow days =0

| Sep snow days =0

| Oct snow days =0

| Nov snow days =0.9

| Dec snow days =2.2

| year snow days =

|Jan humidity = 86

|Feb humidity = 84

|Mar humidity = 82

|Apr humidity = 80

|May humidity = 81

|Jun humidity = 82

|Jul humidity = 81

|Aug humidity = 81

|Sep humidity = 83

|Oct humidity = 86

|Nov humidity = 86

|Dec humidity = 87

| Jan sun =70.5

| Feb sun =90.2

| Mar sun =130

| Apr sun =179.1

| May sun =203.4

| Jun sun =212.6

| Jul sun =218.5

| Aug sun =204.8

| Sep sun =170.9

| Oct sun =117.1

| Nov sun =81.9

| Dec sun =67.2

| year sun =

|source 1 = Météo France{{cite web |url=https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_14137001.pdf |title=CAEN–CARPIQUET (14) |work=Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1991–2020 et records |publisher=Météo France |language=fr |accessdate=8 September 2023 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806130840/https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_14137001.pdf |url-status=live }}

|source 2 = Meteociel(sun){{Cite web |url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?DeptPays=14&code=14137001&normes=2020&Lieu=Caen-Carpiquet+%2814%29 |title=Caen-Carpiquet (14) (Alt. 67m ) |work=Normales / Moyennes 1991-2020 |access-date=4 August 2024 |publisher=Meteociel |others=Provided by Météo-France |no-pp=y |language=French}} Infoclimat.fr (relative humidity 1961–1990){{cite web |url=http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07027-caen-carpiquet.html |title=Normes et records 1961–1990: Cain-Carpiquet (14) – altitude 67m |language=fr |publisher=Infoclimat |access-date=6 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312062932/http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07027-caen-carpiquet.html |archive-date=12 March 2013}} (mean max/min){{cite web|url=https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/annee/1991/caen-carpiquet/valeurs/07027.html|title=Climatologie de l'année à Caen-Carpiquet|publisher=Infoclimat|accessdate=8 September 2023|language=fr|archive-date=8 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908190818/https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/annee/1991/caen-carpiquet/valeurs/07027.html|url-status=live}} NOAA(snowy days 1961-1990){{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/FR/07027.TXT |title=CAEN normals for 1961-1990 (WMO Station Number: 07027) |publisher=NOAA |accessdate=4 August 2024}}

}}

The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Caen proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Caen absorbed the former commune of Venoix in 1952.

{{Historical populations

| align = none

| cols = 2

| percentages = pagr

| source = EHESS{{Cassini-Ehess|6530|Caen}} and INSEE (1968-2017)[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-14118#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924211729/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-14118#ancre-POP_T1 |date=24 September 2022 }}, INSEE

| graph-pos = bottom

|1793 |34805

|1800 |30923

|1806 |36231

|1821 |36644

|1831 |39140

|1836 |41310

|1841 |43079

|1846 |44087

|1851 |45280

|1856 |41394

|1861 |43740

|1866 |41564

|1872 |41210

|1876 |41181

|1881 |41508

|1886 |43809

|1891 |45201

|1896 |45380

|1901 |44794

|1906 |44442

|1911 |46934

|1921 |53743

|1926 |54128

|1931 |57528

|1936 |61334

|1946 |51445

|1954 |67851

|1962 |91336

|1968 |110262

|1975 |119640

|1982 |114068

|1990 |112846

|1999 |113987

|2007 |109630

|2012 |108365

|2017 |105354

}}

The castle, the Château de Caen, built {{Circa|1060}} by William the Conqueror, who successfully conquered England in 1066, is one of the largest medieval fortresses of Western Europe. It remained an essential feature of Norman strategy and policy. At Christmas 1182, a royal court celebration for Christmas in the aula of Caen Castle brought together Henry II and his sons, Richard the Lionheart and John Lackland, receiving more than a thousand knights. Caen Castle, along with all of Normandy, was handed over to the French Crown in 1204. The castle saw several engagements during the Hundred Years' War (1346, 1417, 1450) and was in use as a barracks as late as the Second World War. Bullet holes are visible on the walls of the castle where members of the French Resistance were shot during the Second World War. Today, the castle serves as a museum that houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen (Museum of Fine Arts of Caen) and Musée de Normandie (Museum of Normandy) along with many periodical exhibitions about arts and history. (See {{Cite web |title=Timeline of Caen Castle |url=http://www.ville-caen.fr/mdn/RedecouvChateau/chronoGB.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213224638/http://www.ville-caen.fr/mdn/RedecouvChateau/chronoGB.htm |archive-date=13 February 2006 |access-date=28 August 2004}})

In repentance for marrying his cousin Mathilda of Flanders, William ordered two abbeys to be built on the Pope's encouragement:

• Église St.-Étienne, formerly the Abbaye aux Hommes (Men's Abbey). It was completed in 1063 and is dedicated to St Stephen. The current Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) of Caen is built onto the South Transept of the building.{{cite web|url=http://www.crdp.ac-caen.fr/visite-au-musee/museedenormandie/images/Classique/fontette.pdf |title= Autour de la Place Fonette: De l'Abbaye-Aux-Hommes à la place Saint-Sauveur |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123071639/http://www.crdp.ac-caen.fr/visite-au-musee/museedenormandie/images/Classique/fontette.pdf|archive-date=23 November 2006}}
• Église de la Ste.-Trinité, formerly the Abbaye aux Dames (Women's Abbey). It was completed in 1060 and is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The current seat of the regional council (conseil régional) of Basse-Normandie is nearby.

• Jardin botanique de Caen, a historic botanical garden
• Church of Saint-Pierre
• Church of Saint-Étienne-le-Vieux
• Church of Saint-Jean de Caen
• Mémorial pour la Paix ("Memorial for Peace") built in 1988, a museum charting the events leading up to and after D-Day. It is an emotional presentation inviting meditation on the thought of Elie Wiesel: "Peace is not a gift from God to man, but a gift from man to himself". The Memorial for Peace also includes an exhibit of Nobel Peace Prize winners and another one on Conflict Resolution in different cultures.
• Parc Festyland, an amusement park to the west of Caen in the nearby town of Carpiquet. The park receives 110,000 visitors every year.
• Mondeville 2 is a regional shopping centre in adjoining Mondeville.
• Medieval wooden houses{{Cite news |title=Maisons à pans de bois |language=fr |work=Office de Tourisme de Caen |url=http://www.caen-tourisme.fr/fr/decouvrir-caen/patrimoine-architectural/maisons-pans-de-bois |access-date=23 March 2018 |archive-date=20 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020023701/http://www.caen-tourisme.fr/fr/decouvrir-caen/patrimoine-architectural/maisons-pans-de-bois |url-status=dead}}
• Colline aux Oiseaux, a floral parc located on the former dump of the city of Caen{{Cite web |title=Colline aux Oiseaux |url=http://caen.fr/adresse/colline-aux-oiseaux |access-date=23 March 2018 |website=CAEN |language=fr |archive-date=27 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327213344/http://caen.fr/adresse/colline-aux-oiseaux |url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |title=La colline aux oiseaux, l'un des plus grand parc et jardins de Cae |url=https://www.calvados-tourisme.com/diffusio/fr/decouvrir/parcs-et-jardins/caen/la-colline-aux-oiseaux-l-un-des-plus-grand-parc-et-jardins-de-cae_TFOPCUNOR014FS00076.php |access-date=23 March 2018 |website=Site officiel du tourisme dans le Calvados |language=fr |archive-date=27 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327214201/https://www.calvados-tourisme.com/diffusio/fr/decouvrir/parcs-et-jardins/caen/la-colline-aux-oiseaux-l-un-des-plus-grand-parc-et-jardins-de-cae_TFOPCUNOR014FS00076.php |url-status=live }}

File:Armoiries de Caen.PNG

Mayors of Caen have included:

• 1945–1959: Yves Guillou, Rally of the French People
• 1959–1970: Jean-Marie Louvel, MRP and Centre Démocrate
• 1970–2001: Jean-Marie Girault, Republican Party and UDF
• 2001–2008: Brigitte Le Brethon, RPR and UMP
• 2008–2014: Philippe Duron, PS
• 2014–2024: Joël Bruneau, The Republicans
• 2024–present: Aristide Olivier, The Republicans

Joël Bruneau was re-elected mayor in the 2020 municipal elections.

In 1952, the small commune of Venoix became part of Caen.

In 1990, the agglomeration of Caen was organized into a district, transformed in 2002 into a Communauté d'agglomération (Grand Caen (Greater Caen), renamed Caen la Mer in 2004), gathers 29 towns and villages, including Villons-les-Buissons, Lion-sur-Mer, Hermanville-sur-Mer, which joined the Communauté d'agglomération in 2004. The population of the "communauté d'agglomération" is around 220,000 inhabitants.

In the former administrative organisation, Caen was a part of 9 cantons, of which it was the chief town. These cantons contained a total of 13 towns. Caen gave its name to a 10th canton, of which it was not part. Since the 2015 canton reorganization, Caen is part of the cantons of Caen-1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.{{Cite web |title=Décret n° 2014-160 du 17 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département du Calvados | Legifrance |url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000028625983 |access-date=16 May 2017 |archive-date=2 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202071540/https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000028625983 |url-status=live }}

{{more citations needed|section|date=December 2020}}

File:Tramway Caen 1008 et 1022.jpg opened in 2019.]]

Twisto is the urban transport network of Caen, including about sixty bus lines and 3 tramway lines.{{Cite web |url=https://www.twisto.fr/ |title=Twisto - Les Mobilités de Caen la mer |access-date=23 January 2022 |archive-date=23 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123025703/https://www.twisto.fr/ |url-status=live }} The present tram network officially opened on 27 July 2019 replacing the Caen Guided Light Transit ({{langx|fr|TVR de Caen}} but known locally as the "tram"), a guided trolleybus network which operated from 2002 to 2017, which was closed due to reliability issues. The city previously had a tramway which operated from 1860 to 1937.

File:Gare Caen - Caen (FR14) - 2021-11-11 - 11.jpg]]

Caen also had several main and branch railway lines linking Caen railway station ({{langx|fr|Gare de Caen}}) to all parts of Normandy with lines to Paris, Vire, Flers, Cabourg, Houlgate, Deauville, Saint-Lô, Bayeux and Cherbourg.

Now the SNCF operates the Paris-Caen-Cherbourg, Caen-Rouen, Caen-Le Mans-Tours, Caen-Rennes services and some others small lines,{{Cite web |url=https://www.tendanceouest.com/actualite-337499-normandie-derniers-ajustements-pour-les-nouveaux-horaires-des-trains-en-2020 |title=Normandie. Derniers ajustements pour les nouveaux horaires des trains en 2020 |access-date=23 January 2022 |archive-date=23 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123025531/https://www.tendanceouest.com/actualite-337499-normandie-derniers-ajustements-pour-les-nouveaux-horaires-des-trains-en-2020 |url-status=live }} while Railcoop will soon open new lines such as Lille-Amiens-Rouen-Caen-Rennes-Nantes and Paris-Caen-Brest making Caen railway station its north-western hub.{{Cite web |url=https://actu.fr/economie/avec-railcoop-deux-nouvelles-lignes-de-train-passeront-par-la-manche_47990212.html |title=Avec Railcoop, deux nouvelles lignes de train passeront par la Manche |date=19 January 2022 |access-date=23 January 2022 |archive-date=23 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123025530/https://actu.fr/economie/avec-railcoop-deux-nouvelles-lignes-de-train-passeront-par-la-manche_47990212.html |url-status=live }}

Caen station is the second busiest in Normandy, after Rouen station.

Caen - Carpiquet Airport is the biggest airport in Normandy considering the number of passengers and flights that it serves every year. Most flights are operated by HOP!, Volotea and the French national airline Air France operates flights to the French cities of Lyon, Nice, Toulouse, Montpellier, Marseille, Biarritz, Ajaccio, Figari, Bastia and Calvi.{{Cite web |url=https://actu.fr/normandie/caen_14118/air-france-va-proposer-5-destinations-depuis-caen-carpiquet-en-2022_48066368.html |title=Air France va proposer 5 destinations depuis Caen-Carpiquet en 2022 |date=20 January 2022 |access-date=23 January 2022 |archive-date=23 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123024818/https://actu.fr/normandie/caen_14118/air-france-va-proposer-5-destinations-depuis-caen-carpiquet-en-2022_48066368.html |url-status=live }}

Caen is served by the large port of Ouistreham, lying at the mouth of the Caen Canal where it meets the English Channel. A cruise/ferry service operates between Portsmouth, England, and Caen/Ouistreham running both standard roll-on-roll-off car ferries and supercat fast ferries, with the latter making crossing from March to November. The ferry terminal is {{cvt|15|km|mi|abbr=off}} from Caen with a daytime shuttle bus service for foot passengers. There is also a cyclist road from Caen to Ouistreham.Voie Verte

Caen is connected to the rest of France by motorways to Paris (A13), Brittany and Southern France (A84) and to Le Mans and central France (A88–A28). The A13 and A88 are toll roads while the A84 is a toll-free motorway. The city is encircled by the N814 ring-road (Boulevard Périphérique) that was completed in the late 1990s. The N13 connects Caen to Cherbourg and to Paris. A section of the former N13 (Caen-Paris) is now D613 (in Calvados) following road renumbering. The Boulevard Périphérique includes a viaduct called the Viaduc de Calix that goes over the canal and River Orne. The canal links the city to the sea to permit cargo ships and ferries to dock in the port of Caen. Ferries which have docked include the Quiberon and the Duc de Normandie.

• The University of Caen has around 34,000 students in five different campuses and Caen is ranked 18th biggest student city of France. The University has a good reputation as it is ranked 16th in France.{{Cite web |last=Aurelie |date=2022-03-28 |title=Etudier à Caen |url=https://paris-jetequitte.com/etudier-caen/ |access-date=2022-06-16 |website=Paris, je te quitte |language=fr-FR |archive-date=27 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627062027/https://paris-jetequitte.com/etudier-caen/ |url-status=live }}
• The University is divided into 11 colleges, called UFR (Unité fondamentale de Recherche), six institutes, one Engineering School, two IUP and five local campuses. The University is one of the oldest in France, having been founded by John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford, and Henry VI of England, in 1432.
• Caen also has a school of fine arts L'ésam Caen/Cherbourg and grandes écoles such as the École nationale supérieure d'ingénieurs de Caen and the École supérieure d'ingénieurs des travaux de la construction de Caen.
• A campus of the business school, the École de management de Normandie, is also located in the city.

File:Caenpanorama wikipedia.jpg. Photo taken from the Château de Caen – April 2007.]]

The agricultural and food-processing Agrial cooperative has its head office in Caen. Agrial group processes vegetables, cider apples, milk, poultry and meat with the help of its 12,000 employees and all its partners.{{Cite web |title=Annual Report 2014 |url=http://www.agrial.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/RA_Agrial_2014_vgb.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305174644/http://www.agrial.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/RA_Agrial_2014_vgb.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=29 June 2014 |publisher=Agrial Group}}

The Théâtre de Caen (1963) is the home of the Baroque musical ensemble Les Arts Florissants. The organization was founded by conductor William Christie in 1979 and derives its name from the 1685 opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

File:Louis-Gustave Doulcet de Pontécoulant.jpg]]

File:Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen.jpg, 1827]]

{{Category see also|People from Caen}} Caen was the birthplace or origin of:

• Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (ca.1090–1147), illegitimate son of Henry I of England.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Gloucester, Robert, Earl of |volume=12 |last1=Davis |first1=Henry William Carless |author1-link=Henry William Carless Davis |page=130 |short=1}}
• Robert Constantin (ca.1530 – 1605), physician, bibliographer, lexicographer and humanist.
• Samuel Bochart (1599–1667 in Caen), Protestant biblical scholar, taught Pierre Daniel Huet.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Bochart, Samuel |volume=4 |page=106 |short=1}}
• St. John Eudes (1601–1680), Catholic priest, forerunner of the devotion to the Sacred Heart.{{Cite web |url=https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-eudes/ |title=CatholicSaints.Info » Blog Archive » Saint John Eudes |access-date=14 June 2022 |archive-date=4 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804210726/https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-eudes/ |url-status=live }}
• Tanneguy Le Fèvre (1615–1672), classical scholar.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Lefebvre, Tanneguy |volume=16 |page=372 |short=1}}
• Pierre Daniel Huet (1630–1721), churchman and scholar.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Huet, Pierre Daniel |volume=13 |pages=855–856 |short=1}}
• Gervais de La Rue (1751–1835), historian, re. Norman language and Anglo-Norman literature
• Louis Gustave le Doulcet, comte de Pontécoulant (1764–1853), politician.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Pontécoulant, Louis Gustave le Doulcet, Comte de |volume=22 |pages=63–64 |short=1}}
• Charlotte Corday (1768–1793), guillotined for the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat
• Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen (1769–1832), a French general.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Decaen, Charles Mathieu Isidore, Count |volume=7 |last1=Rose |first1=John Holland |author1-link=John Holland Rose |page=907 |short=1}}
• Eugène Poubelle (1831–1907), lawyer and diplomat, introduced waste containers to Paris
• Charles-Hippolyte Pouthas (1886–1974), historian of political and religious history
• Marie-Pierre Kœnig (1898–1970), Maréchal de France, commanded the Free French at the Battle of Bir Hakeim
• Claude Hettier de Boislambert (1906-1986), Resistance leader, governor, politician, diplomat
• Ovida Delect (1926–1996), poet, Communist, politician, member of the French resistance in WWII and a trans woman.
• Sonia de La Provôté (born 1968), member of the French Senate
• Fabrice Le Vigoureux (born 1969), member of the National Assembly

File:Père-Lachaise - Division 41 - Danbé 02.jpg]]

File:Paris - Salon du livre 2012 -Laure Adler - 007.jpg, 2012]]

• Jean Bertaut (1552–1611), poet of light verse to celebrate the incidents of court life.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Bertaut, Jean |volume=3 |page=811 |short=1}}
• François de Malherbe (1555 at Le Locheur – 1628), poet, critic and translator.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Malherbe, François de|volume=17 |page=488|first=George|last=Saintsbury |author-link=George Saintsbury |short=1}}
• François le Métel de Boisrobert (1592–1662), poet, playwright and courtier.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Boisrobert, François le Metel de |volume=4 |page=154 |short=1}}
• Jean François Sarrazin (ca.1611 at Hermanville – 1654), a French writer.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Sarasin, Jean François |volume=24 |pages=204–205 |short=1}}
• René Auguste Constantin de Renneville (1650–1723), writer.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Renneville, René Auguste Constantin de |volume=23 |pages=100–101 |short=1}}
• Jean-Baptiste Belin (1653–1715), painter who specialized in flowers.
• François Henri Turpin (1709–1799), man of literature.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Turpin, François Henri |volume=27 |page=482 |short=1}}
• J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur (1735–1813), French-American writer
• Jean-Jacques Boisard (1744–1833), writer who specialized in fables
• Jean-François Boisard (1762–1820), painter and poet.
• Daniel Auber (1782–1871), composer and director of the Paris Conservatoire.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Auber, Daniel François Esprit |volume=2 |page=889 |short=1}}
• Étienne Mélingue (1807–1875), actor, sculptor and painter.{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Mélingue, Étienne Marin |volume=18 |pages=94–95 |short=1}}
• Jules Danbé (1840–1905), a violinist, composer and conductor, mainly of opera.
• Gabriel Dupont (1878–1914), composer of operas and chamber music.
• Roger Grenier (1919–2017), writer, journalist and radio animator.
• Alain Duhamel (born 1940), journalist and political commentator.
• Jean-Loup Rivière (1948–2018), playwright and drama critic.
• Laure Adler (born 1950), journalist, writer, publisher and radio/TV producer.
• Christophe Desjardins (born 1962), a viola player and specialist in contemporary music.
• Olivier Baroux (born 1964), actor, comedian, writer and director
• Gilles Peterson (born 1964), DJ, record collector, record label owner; lives in London
• Léa Drucker (born 1972), French actress
• Laurent Lefrançois (born 1974), French contemporary composer
• Orelsan (born 1982), rapper, songwriter, record producer, actor and film director
• Seb Toussaint (born 1988), street artist and painter

File:Guillaume-François Rouelle.jpg]]

• Pierre Varignon (1654–1722), mathematician; he invented the U-tube manometer.
• Estienne Roger (c 1664–1722), printer, bookseller and publisher of sheet music
• Paul Jacques Malouin (1701–1778), physician and chemist
• Guillaume-François Rouelle (1703 at Mathieu – 1770), chemist and apothecary{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Rouelle, Guillaume François |volume=23 |page=768 |short=1 }}
• Louis Lépecq de La Clôture (1736–1804), surgeon and epidemiologist
• Pierre-Simon Girard (1765–1836), mathematician and engineer, worked on fluid mechanics.
• Hippolyte-Victor Collet-Descotils (1773–1815), chemist; discovered iridium in 1803.
• Jacques Amand Eudes-Deslongchamps (1794–1867), naturalist and palaeontologist{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Deslongchamps, Jacques Amand Eudes- |volume=8 |page=796 |short=1 }}
• Eugène Eudes-Deslongchamps (1830–1889), paleontologist and naturalist
• Jules Lair (1836–1907), businessman, paleographer, historian and antiquary
• André-Louis Danjon (1890–1967), astronomer, measured the earthshine on the moon.
• René Herse (1908–1976), builder of high-quality touring, randonneur and racing bicycles
• Jean-Pierre Lehman (1914–1981), paleontologist who studied the anatomy and evolution of fossil fish
• Jean-Yves Marin (born 1955), archeologist, medievalist and chief curator of French heritage
• Pierre Denis (born 1964), businessman, CEO of Jimmy Choo Ltd, 2012–2020

File:Jean-Pierre-Jaussaud-by-Rundvald.jpg, 2009]]

• René Menzies (ca.1889 – ca.1971), long-distance cycling record holder
• Jean-Pierre Jaussaud (1937–2021), racing driver, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 and 1980.
• Jean-François Ballester (1965–2018), figure skater, gold medallist at the 2018 Winter Olympics
• Corinne Lagache (born 1975), former football goalkeeper with 27 caps with France women
• Bruno Grougi (born 1983), a former footballer with 451 club caps and 3 for Martinique
• Jérémy Sorbon (born 1983), a former footballer with 518 club caps
• Benoît Costil (born 1987), footballer with over 480 club caps and 1 for France
• Youssef El-Arabi (born 1987), footballer with over 546 club caps and 46 for Morocco and over 303 goals
• Bruno Massot (born 1989), pair skater, gold medallist at the 2018 Winter Olympics
• Kaïlé Auvray (born 2004), footballer{{Cite web |title=Kaïlé Auvray |url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/players/kaile-auvray/ |access-date=January 1, 2025 |website=Major League Soccer}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}

Caen is twinned with:{{Cite web |date=15 September 2019 |title=Nouvelle coopération internationale pour Caen |url=https://caen.fr/sites/default/files/2019-07/CAENMAG195_15juil-15sept_planches.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112144831/https://caen.fr/sites/default/files/2019-07/CAENMAG195_15juil-15sept_planches.pdf |archive-date=2019-11-12 |url-status=live |access-date=12 November 2019 |website=caen.fr |publisher=CaenMag |page=12 |language=fr}}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• {{flagicon|USA}} Alexandria, United States
• {{flagicon|USA}} Nashville, United States
• {{flagicon|MKD}} Ohrid, North Macedonia
• {{flagicon|ENG}} Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom
• {{flagicon|ROU}} Reșița, Romania
• {{flagicon|SEN}} Thiès, Senegal
• {{flagicon|GER}} Würzburg, Germany
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Anzio, Italy {{Cite web |title=Gemellaggio dal 2019 tra Anzio e la città di Caen |date=14 May 2018 |url=https://ilgranchio.it/2018/05/14/anzio-gemellaggio-dal-2019-la-citta-caen-normandia/ |access-date=28 August 2020 |archive-date=24 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224022801/https://ilgranchio.it/2018/05/14/anzio-gemellaggio-dal-2019-la-citta-caen-normandia/ |url-status=live }}

{{div col end}}

File:Match Quevilly-Marseille.JPG]]

From 1947 to 2006, Caen was a stage of the Tour de France a total of 15 times.{{Cite web |title=Caen in the Tour de France |url=http://ledicodutour.perso.sfr.fr/villes_etapes/villes_c/caen.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713104422/http://ledicodutour.perso.sfr.fr/villes_etapes/villes_c/caen.htm |archive-date=13 July 2016}} Further, Caen was one of the hosts of the EuroBasket 1983. The city has a football team, SM Caen, who as of 2024 are owned by superstar footballer Kylian Mbappé. The Drakkars de Caen play ice hockey in the FFHG Division 1. In 2014, Caen was the location of the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games.

Caen has a racecourse called the Hippodrome de la Prairie; it has been used since 1837.{{Cite web|url=https://www.letrot.com/hippodromes/caen/1400|title=Hippodrome de la Prairie | LETROT|website=www.letrot.com}} The course is designed specifically for harness racing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.caenlamer-tourisme.fr/loisirs/hippodrome-de-caen/|title=Hippodrome de Caen à CAEN|date=1 January 2024|website=Caen la mer Tourisme}}

Current arms:

Gules, a single-towered open castle Or, windowed and masoned sable.

Under the Ancien Régime: Per fess, gules and azure, 3 fleurs de lys Or.

During the First French Empire: Gules, a single-towered castle Or, a chief of Good Imperial Cities (gules, 3 bees Or).

File:Blason ville fr Caen ancien.svg|{{center|Arms in effect under Ancien Régime.}}

File:Blason Caen 1809.svg|{{center|Arms requested from Napoleon in 1809 which were refused.Cabinet du maire de Caen}}

File:Blason ville fr Caen (Calvados) Empire (Orn ext).svg|{{center|Arms in effect under the First French Empire.}}

File:Blason ville fr Caen (Calvados) (Orn ext).svg|{{center|Arms in effect today, reverting to the original arms of the 13th century.}}

Today, Caen has no motto, but it used to have one, which did not survive the French Revolution. As a result, its spelling is archaic and has not been updated:{{Cite web |title=French motto and heraldry site |url=http://www.notrefamille.com/v2/services-devises-armoiries/services-devises-armoiries-detail.asp?id=59512811 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102060704/http://www.notrefamille.com/v2/services-devises-armoiries/services-devises-armoiries-detail.asp?id=59512811 |archive-date=2 January 2009 |access-date=23 November 2009}}

Un Dieu, un Roy, une Foy, une Loy.

(One God, one King, one Faith, one Law.)

This motto is reflected in a notable old Chant royal.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bonjourpoesie.fr/lesgrandsclassiques/poemes/pierre_gringoire/chant_royal |title=Chant royal - Pierre GRINGOIRE - Vos poèmes - Poésie française - Tous les poèmes - Tous les poètes |website=www.bonjourpoesie.fr |access-date=14 June 2022 |archive-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930003527/https://www.bonjourpoesie.fr/lesgrandsclassiques/Poemes/pierre_gringoire/chant_royal |url-status=live }}

Caen's home port code is CN.

File:Escoville Angle.jpg|Hôtel d'Escoville, 16th century, Caen

File:Chateau_Caen.jpg|South Wall of the Castle, a huge fortress in the centre of the city

File:Caen Hôtel de Ville.JPG|Town Hall of Caen

File:Caen gare bv.jpg|Caen railway station

File:Tramway de Caen Station.jpg|Caen's former 'tramway' was in fact a modern guided-bus system.

File:Normandie Calvados Caen6 tango7174.jpg|Saint-Étienne-le-Vieux Church

File:Caen-1.JPG|Interior of Saint-Pierre Church

File:Caen-2.JPG|The fortress of Caen

File:Caen-3.JPG|The Abbey of St. Étienne

File:Église Saint Pierre seen from in front of the Château.jpg|Église Saint Pierre seen from in front of the Château

• {{Annotated link|Stade Malherbe Caen}}
• {{Annotated link|Caen stone}}
• Communes of the Calvados department
• Forum of Vieux-la-Romaine

{{reflist|30em}}

{{See also|Timeline of Caen#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Caen}}

• Joseph Decaëns and Adrien Dubois (ed.), Caen Castle. A ten Centuries Old Fortress within the Town, Publications du CRAHM, 2010, {{ISBN|978-2-902685-75-2}}, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110606034828/http://www.unicaen.fr/ufr/histoire/craham/publications/spip.php?article258 Publications du CRAHM]

{{Commons}}

• {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Caen |volume=4 |page=936 |short=x}}
• [http://www.ville-caen.fr/ Caen City Council] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106223137/http://agglo-caen.fr/ |date=6 November 2008}} {{in lang|fr}}
• {{Cite web |title=Caen Borough Council |url=http://agglo-caen.fr/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106223137/http://agglo-caen.fr/ |archive-date=6 November 2008 |access-date=6 April 2017 |language=fr}}
• [https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9018515/Caen Encyclopædia Britannica Caen]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070801165221/http://www.memorial-caen.fr/portail_gb/hp/hp.asp Mémorial pour la Paix museum]
• [http://www.informationfrance.com/caen.php Caen town guide]

{{Cities in France}}

{{Préfectures of départements of France}}

{{Calvados communes}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Communes of Calvados (department)

Category:Prefectures in France

Category:Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast

Category:Cities in France