History

Recent History

Caen continues to be a busy university city and commercial centre into the 21st century. Tourism is playing its part, too, as people increasingly use the city as a base for exploring nearby D-Day beaches and Bayeux. The plans to introduce a new ferry between Portsmouth, England and Caen/Ouistreham in 2009 will no doubt provide a further boost to tourism.

Modern Day History

Six centuries after the city was ransacked by invading English armies, Caen's old town was levelled once more during the shattering bombardments of the WWII Normandy campaign. The city was bombed and set ablaze on D-Day, and by the time it was liberated by Canadian troops on 9 July 1944, over 80% of the city had been razed to rubble. During the battle, many Caen residents took refuge in the Abbaye aux Hommes, built by William the Conqueror so many centuries before.

The abbey along with its feminine counterpart, the Abbaye aux Dames, and the ramparts around the chateau, are practically all that remains of old Caen. The rest of the city was rebuilt in a typically utilitarian postwar style, using plenty of concrete and pale stone; as such, unlike Rouen, Bayeux and other towns in the region, Caen doesn't have a traditional Normandy feel.

Throughout the 20th century Caen developed into a major commercial and industrial centre, with a thermal power station and extensive steelworks along the Orne River, and manufacturing industries producing car parts, electronics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and paper. Its university, founded in 1432 by Henry VI of England and central to the city's identity, was re-sited after war damage and reopened in 1957.

Caen's Museum for Peace was opened in the late 1980s. It gives an excellent overview of Europe's descent into total war, tracing events from the end of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles, through the rise of fascism in Europe and the French occupation, right up to the Battle of Normandy. Another section of the museum focuses on the Cold War and the prospects for world peace. And there's an underground gallery, located in bunkers used by the Germans during the battle for Caen in 1944, dedicated to winners of the Nobel Peace Prize - all very fitting for a city that's been in the wars.

Pre 20th Century History

Founded in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, Caen was subsequently sacked and torched on 26 July 1346 by invading English armies, who killed 3000 of the town's residents. King Edward III led the invasion, hoping to loot what was at the time the richest town in Normandy. In the process, a copy of the 1339 Franco-Norman plan to invade England was found; this came in handy for propaganda purposes and to keep the funds to finance the war flowing. The English again took the town in 1417 and held it until 1450. The Wars of Religion caused Caen more suffering, and it fell to the Protestants in 1562. During the French Revolution, the town was a centre for the Girondins, a group of moderate republican politicians, many of whom were subsequently executed during the Reign of Terror.

The 19th-century construction of a canal, which parallels the Orne River and enters the English Channel at Ouistreham, opened up Caen. The city became an important port, largely importing coke and exporting steel.