Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados

Pont-l'Évêque is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is known for Pont-l'Évêque cheese, a type of soft cheese, the oldest Normandy cheese in production.

For the village of the same name in Oise, see Pont-l'Évêque, Oise.
Pont-l'Évêque
Commune
Saint Michael's Church in Pont-l'Évêque
Coat of arms
Location of Pont-l'Évêque
Pont-l'Évêque
Pont-l'Évêque
Coordinates: 49°17′11″N 0°11′05″E
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentCalvados
ArrondissementLisieux
CantonPont-l'Évêque
IntercommunalityBlangy Pont-l'Évêque
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Yves Deshayes
Area
1
12.98 km2 (5.01 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
4,662
 • Density360/km2 (930/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
14514 /14130
Elevation5–148 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.

During World War II, the town was severely damaged by a two-day battle in August 1944. On 1 January 2019, the former commune of Coudray-Rabut was merged into Pont-l'Évêque.[2]

The town serves as the setting for Gustave Flaubert's story Un cœur simple and features heavily in the book 13 - Lucky For Some which is about the history of the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion. There are many then and now photographs as well as maps and diagrams of battles that took place in the region.

Geography and toponymy

The river Touques 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."[3] It was Latinised as Pons-Episcopi.[4]

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19623,188—    
19683,466+8.7%
19753,709+7.0%
19823,767+1.6%
19903,843+2.0%
19994,133+7.5%
20084,202+1.7%

Transport

Twin Towns

Personalities

Pont-l'Évêque was the birthplace of:

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Arrêté préfectoral 17 December 2018, p. 81 (in French)
  3. James-Raoul, Danièle; Thomasset, Claude (2006). Les ponts au Moyen Âge (in French). Presses Paris Sorbonne. p. 201. ISBN 9782840503736. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  4. Echard, Laurence (1786). Dictionnaire géographique-portatif, ou description des royaumes, provinces, villes, évêchés, duchés, comtés, marguirats (in French). Les libraires associés. p. 570. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  5. https://www.pontleveque.fr/ma-ville/jumelage/



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