Pont-l'Évêque | |
|---|---|
 Saint Michael's Church in Pont-l'Évêque | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Pont-l'Évêque | |
  Pont-l'Évêque  Pont-l'Évêque | |
| Coordinates:49°17′11″N0°11′05″E / 49.2864°N 0.1847°E /49.2864; 0.1847 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Lisieux |
| Canton | Pont-l'Évêque |
| Intercommunality | CC Terre d'Auge |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Yves Deshayes[1] |
Area 1 | 12.98 km2 (5.01 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 5,116 |
| • Density | 394.1/km2 (1,021/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 14514 /14130 |
| Elevation | 5–148 m (16–486 ft) (avg. 16 m or 52 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Pont-l'Évêque (French pronunciation:[pɔ̃levɛːk]ⓘ) is acommune in theCalvadosdepartment in theNormandyregion in northwesternFrance. It is known forPont-l'Évêque cheese, a type of softcheese, the oldest Normandy cheese in production.
In the summer of 1793, in the wake of theMontagnardseizure of power, the town called on neighboring villages to rise up against those who had imprisoned "the most ardent defenders of true liberty". The also blamed the Montagnard for the September massacres of the previous year.[3]
During World War II, the town was severely damaged by a two-day battle in August 1944. On 1 January 2019, the former commune ofCoudray-Rabut was merged into Pont-l'Évêque.[4]
The town serves as the setting forGustave Flaubert's storyUn cœur simple and features heavily in the book13 - Lucky For Some which is about the history of the13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion. There are many then and now photographs as well as maps and diagrams of battles that took place in the region.
The riverTouques flows through Pont-l'Évêque, which takes its name from a bridge (pont) built over the river. Starting in the 10th century, the local bishop (évêque) took responsibility for building and repairing the bridges and roads in France. Pont-l'Évêque thus means "Bishop Bridge".[5] It was Latinised asPons-Episcopi.[6]Pont-l'Évêque station has rail connections to Paris, Deauville, Évreux and Lisieux.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 3,644 | — |
| 1975 | 3,913 | +1.02% |
| 1982 | 4,021 | +0.39% |
| 1990 | 4,156 | +0.41% |
| 1999 | 4,466 | +0.80% |
| 2007 | 4,494 | +0.08% |
| 2012 | 4,825 | +1.43% |
| 2017 | 4,662 | −0.68% |
| Source: INSEE[7] | ||
Ottery St Mary, United Kingdom (since 1977)[8]
Veitshöchheim, Germany (since 1994)[8]Pont-l'Évêque was the birthplace of:
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