Caen accommodations and guide

History and Civilization

Caen lost many of its historic quarters and its historic university campus because of the war and, as such, doesn’t have, as some would call it, the ‘feel’ of a traditional Normandy town such as Honfleur, Rouen, Cabourg, Deauville and Bayeux.

 

• Almost 600 years before the town was ruined in 1944 during World War II, it was similarly ravaged by war, when in 1346 King Edward III of England led his army against the city, hoping to loot the town, which was the richest in Normandy at the time.

 

• During the Battle of Normandy in World War II, Caen saw intense and bitter combat between Allied and Axis forces. After the landing of the British I Corps at Sword Beach on June 6, 1944, progress of the Allied Forces stalled outside Caen. British and Canadian troops finally broke through on July 9, after an intense bombing campaign.

 

• Post-WWII redesign of the city, that included the reconstruction of complete districts of the city and the university campus, took 14 years (1948-1962) and led to the current urbanization of Caen.

 

• The Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit which filmed the D-Day offensive and Orne breakout several weeks later, returned after several months to document the town’s recovery efforts. The resulting film, “You Can’t Kill a City”, is preserved at the National Archives of Canada.

 

• From 1912 to 1993, the SMN produced steel at the SMN plant to the East of the city. The land is now an industrial estate used by the food industry.