Falaise, Calvados

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Administration
Commune of Falaise
Location
Coordinates	48° 53' 34" N 00° 11' 31" W
Country	France
Region	Basse-Normandie
Department	Calvados
Arrondissement	Caen
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons Falaise-Nord Falaise-Sud
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes du Pays de Falaise
Mayor	Eric Macé
Statistics
Elevation	89 m–188 m (avg. 132 m)
Land area^¹	11.84 km²
Population^² (1999)	8434
- Density	712/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	14258/ 14700
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Falaise is a commune in the Calvados département, in the Basse-Normandie administrative région, in Normandy, north-western France. Population (1982) 8,820; (1990) 8,387; (1999) 8,797.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Miscellaneous
4 External links

Falaise lies on the Ante River, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) southeast of Caen.

The town was the birthplace of William I the Conqueror, first of the Norman kings of England. The castle (12th-13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the dukes of Normandy.

The town is known for the battle of the "Falaise pocket" during the Allied reconquest of France in August 1944 in which two German armies were encircled and destroyed by the British 2nd Army. Some 10,000 German troops were killed and 50,000 taken prisoner. Two-thirds of Falaise was destroyed by Allied bombing before the town was taken by Canadian and Polish troops. Falaise was largely restored after the war.

Exhibits at the Museum of the Battle of the Falaise Pocket include several military vehicles, pieces of artillery, and other weapons.

Weekly market: Saturdays.