Coordinates: 48°53′34″N 0°11′31″W / 48.8927777778°N 0.191944444444°W
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Commune of Falaise |
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| Location | |
  Falaise, Calvados
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regional map
 Falaise, Calvados
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Basse-Normandie |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Caen |
| Canton | Chief town of 2 cantons Falaise-Nord Falaise-Sud |
| Intercommunality | Pays de Falaise |
| Mayor | Eric Macé |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 89–188 m (292–617 ft) (avg. 132 m/433 ft) |
| Land area1 | 11.84 km2 (4.57 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 8,434 (1999) |
| - Density | 712 /km2 (1,840 /sq mi) |
| 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: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Falaise is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region in Normandy, north-western France. Population (1982) 8,820; (1990) 8,387; (1999) 8,797.
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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 Château de Falaise (12th-13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the Dukes of Normandy. Also, the Treaty of Falaise was signed at the castle in December 1174 between the captive William I, King of Scots, and the English King Henry II Plantagenet.
The town is known for the battle of the "Falaise Pocket" during the Allied reconquest of France (called Operation Overlord) in August 1944 in which two German armies were encircled and destroyed by the Allied armies. 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 a combined force of Canadian and Polish troops. Falaise was largely restored after the war.
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The arms of Falaise are blazoned : |
Falaise is twinned with the town Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, England.
Exhibits at the Museum of the Battle of the Falaise Pocket include several military vehicles, pieces of artillery, and other weapons. The weekly market takes place on Saturdays.
   | Normandieweb on Falaise - Normandie Web - Falaise |
| | Castle William-the-Conqueror in Falaise, France. - The Castle of William The Conquérant |
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