Colleville-Montgomery (; formerly ''Colleville-sur-Orne'') is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norm ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It was known as Colleville-sur-Orne until 13 June 1946 to distinguish it from another town in the department, also in a coastal location,

Colleville-sur-Mer Colleville-sur-Mer (, literally ''Colleville on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandie region in northwestern France. History It was originally a farm owned by a certain ''Koli'', a Scandinavian settler in the Middle Ag ...

. The new name honoured

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

The 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, the senior-ranking British military commander who commanded the

invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

on 6 June 1944. There are two neighbouring towns in Calvados called

Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Val-de-Vie Val-de-Vie () is a commune in the department of C ...

and

Saint-Germain-de-Montgommery Saint-Germain-de-Montgommery () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Val-de-Vie.William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

's invading army in 1066 and settled in England. The town was featured in the 1962 film, '' The Longest Day'', detailing the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

and their efforts on

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

Sights

* The Church Built by Saint-Vigor, Bishop of the city of Bayeux (511-531), during the 11th and 12th centuries, it has two choirs and a Romanesque nave. The first bay consists in

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

s. The other vaults are more recent, built at the same time as the

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

es which lead to the second choir, from the thirteenth century. The side tower from the twelfth century for the lower part is of Romanesque design, and from the fifteenth century for the upper part with a terrace on top surrounded by a parapet, and contains three bells. The bell tower, partially destroyed during the liberation of the area, was reconstructed. The windows were designed in the style of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

and their

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

were restored after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. *

Hillman Fortress The Hillman Fortress (french: Site fortifié Hillman, german: Widerstandsnest 17) was a German bunker complex and command post built during the Second World War and located near Colleville-Montgomery in Normandy, France. The bunker complex, d ...

Built by the German army in 1942, it consists of a complex of bunkers which are being restored since 1990 by an association called "Les Amis du Suffolk Régiment". Free guided visits are organised during the summer. * La Redoute Located at the end of Vauban street, this fortification was built in 1779 according to a design by Vauban. Half of it still remains visible.

Tourism

There is a camping place located about 200 m from the beach.

Population

International relations

Colleville-Montgomery is twinned with: *

Kleinrinderfeld Kleinrinderfeld is a municipality within the district of Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany. Sport The towns association football club TSV Kleinrinderfeld experienced its greatest success in 2012 when it won promotion to the new northern division of th ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Sights

Tourism

Population

International relations

See also