Airan

Airan
Chateau of Coupigny
Airan
Location within Normandy region
Airan
Coordinates: 49°06′07″N 0°09′02″W / 49.1019°N 0.1506°W / 49.1019; -0.1506Coordinates: 49°06′07″N 0°09′02″W / 49.1019°N 0.1506°W / 49.1019; -0.1506
Country France
Region Normandy
Department Calvados
Arrondissement Caen
Canton Troarn
Area1 13.5 km2 (5.2 sq mi)
Population (2014)2 669
 • Density 50/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 14005 /14370
Elevation 22–64 m (72–210 ft)
(avg. 30 m or 98 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Airan is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Valambray.[1]

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Airannais or Airannaises[2]

Geography

Airan is located some 17 km south-east of Caen and 25 km east by south-east of Lisieux. It can be accessed from the D40 from Vimont in the north-west, passing through the south of the commune and continuing south-east to Vieux-Fumé. The D613 (Route de Paris) also from Vimont passes through the north of the commune and continues east to Crèvecœur-en-Auge. Neither road passes the village which can be accessed by the D47 road from Moult in the west which passes through the village then the heart of the commune before continuing south-east to Cesny-aux-Vignes. There is also the D43 road coming from the north through the village and continuing south to Fierville-Bray. The railway from Caen to Mézidon-Canon passes through the commune from west to east but there is no station in the commune. The nearest station is Bonafini to the west. The commune is quite large in extent and consists almost entirely of farmland with a few small patches of forest. Apart from the village there are also the hamlets of Le Haute-des-Pedouzes, Le Ruel, Valmeray, and Coupigny.[3]

The Muance river forms part of the western border of the commune before it flows west then north to join the Dives river through a network of canals near Bures-sur-Dives. The Douet also rises in the north of the commune and forms part of the northern border before continuing north to join the Dives near Hernetot.[3]

Toponymy

The name is of Continental Germanic origin in an area where such origins are rare (Heidram from the 9th century), possibly a personal name taken from Heidrammus or alternatively the name -ham preceded by an appellative or an unidentified person's name.

History

Archaeological excavations have uncovered the remains of a Merovingian necropolis. There is a legend of the famous Treasure of Airan.

In 1942, the resistance caused two derailments in the commune - on the night of 15 to 16 April and also on 30 April to 1 May. These two derailments left a total of forty dead and fifty wounded German soldiers who were on leave in these trains. Following this Nazi repression was brutal for many hostages: some were shot, others deported.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Airan[4]

FromToNamePartyPosition
18501862M. Borgarelli d'IsonColonel of Infantry E.R.
18621869Jules Alfred Le Tourneur du CoudrayFirst Secretary for the Minister of Finance
18691903Stanislas Le Tourneur d'IsonAttached to the Taxation Administration of France
??Yves le Tourneur d'IsonDoctor of Juridical Science
19661989Maurice LecoqMarket gardener
19892008Michel DeuzetSEFarmer
20082020Patrice MartinSEBank Officer

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2010 the commune had 686 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.[Note 1]

Population change (See database)
1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851
574 341 603 548 631 633 631 632 603
1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896
622 620 586 564 580 539 524 476 458
1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
454 471 462 426 451 435 433 423 400
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2010 -
404 358 437 662 740 692 594 686 -

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Population of Airan

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

  • A Water Mill (1682) is typical of the Caen region.[5]
  • The Chateau of Coupigny (18th century)[6]
  • The Chateau of Coupigny Park (18th century)[7]
Other sites of interest
  • Valmeray Tower and its surroundings are classified by DREAL Lower Normandy as an historical monument.[8] The ruined tower is located in a hamlet near Airan. An old legend tells of a secret passage connecting the tower to the church at Airan. The legend also says that the old bell in gold from the church is hidden in the secret passage. Many people have tried to find it but without success.
  • The Alley of Lime Trees along the D43 is also registered with DREAL.[9]

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

  • The Church of Saint Germain (12th century)[10] has a Romanesque facade.

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine., the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" which allow, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For municipalities with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these municipalities is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

  1. ↑ Arrêté préfectoral 8 September 2016 (in French)
  2. ↑ Inhabitants of Calvados (in French)
  3. 1 2 3 Google Maps
  4. ↑ List of Mayors of Airan
  5. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00111009 Water Mill (in French)
  6. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00111007 Chateau of Coupigny (in French)
  7. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA14003357 Chateau of Coupigny Park (in French)
  8. ↑ DREAL Basse-Normandie (in French)
  9. ↑ DREAL Basse-Normandie (in French)
  10. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00111008 Church of Saint Germain (in French)
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