Ouistreham

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Ouistreham
Commune
Ouistreham locks
Coat of arms
show Location of Ouistreham Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
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Coordinates: 49°17′N 0°16′W / 49.28°N 0.26°W / 49.28; -0.26Coordinates: 49°17′N 0°16′W / 49.28°N 0.26°W / 49.28; -0.26
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Calvados
Arrondissement	Caen
Canton	Ouistreham
Intercommunality	CU Caen la Mer
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Romain Bail
Area 1	9.95 km2 (3.84 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2018)[1]	9,250
• Density	930/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	14488 /14150
Website	http://ouistreham-rivabella.fr/
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Ouistreham (French pronunciation: ​[wistʁe.am]) is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy region in northwestern France.

Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town borders the mouth of the Canal de Caen à la Mer.

Origin of the place name[]

The name Ouistreham derives from Saxon ham, meaning 'village'. There is no clear explanation for the first part of the name. A popular etymology is based on Middle French ouistre (Old French oystre), meaning 'oyster'. Actually most of linguists agree on a Saxon origin, meaning Western or West (though some other linguists have claimed that it derives from the Saxon word meaning Eastern), because of the presence of Saxon speaking settlers from England in Viking Normandy.

History[]

It has been a trading port since the Middle Ages. The harbour is now a part of "Port de Caen-Ouistreham". Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been a bathing beach on the "Riva Bella".

On 6 June 1944, No. 4 Commando landed at Ouistreham (codenamed Sword) and fought their way to Pegasus Bridge, with the 177 Free French of the No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando given the honour of spearheading the advance.^[2] The assault on Ouistreham was featured in the movie The Longest Day, although the film location for Ouistreham was at the nearby village of Port-en-Bessin.

German bunker in Ouistreham, fitted with the turret of a Renault FT tank.

Population[]

Transportation[]

The port of Ouistreham has a scheduled cross-Channel ferry service to Portsmouth, operated by Brittany Ferries. During 2017, Ouistreham became a new focal point for migrants and refugees trying to cross the Channel, leading the British government to contribute to improved security there.^[3][4][5]

International relations[]

Ouistreham is twinned with:^[6]

• Angmering in England (since 1976)^[6][7]
• Braine-l'Alleud in Belgium^[6]
• Lohr am Main in Germany^[6]

See also[]

• Communes of the Calvados department
• The Grand bunker

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ouistreham.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ouistreham.