Lion-sur-Mer (, literally ''Lion on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados
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 northwestern France.
Geography
Lion-sur-Mer is located on the edge of the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, more precisely on the ''
Côte de Nacre
Côte is a British cafe chain founded by Richard Caring, Andy Bassadone, Chris Benians and Nick Fiddler in Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon () is a district and town of Southwest London, England, southwest of the centre of London at Charing Cross ...
'' (Mother of Pearl Coast), about North of
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Bus Verts du Calvados
Bus Verts du Calvados is a network of interurban buses in the département of Calvados, France. The network is operated on behalf of the Conseil Général du Calvados by Keolis Calvados, a subsidiary of the French Keolis transport group.
Keolis ...
'' and line No. 62 of
Twisto
Twisto is the brand name under which buses and trams are operated in the Norman city of Caen. The CTAC (Compagnie des Transports de l'Agglomération Caenaise) owns the buses and has been operating services under the Twisto brand since 2002. Its ...
Ouistreham
Ouistreham () 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 mo ...
(5 km from Lion-sur-Mer) to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in England.
History
* 6 June 1944 : The
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 ...
of the Battle of Normandy during World War II. British soldiers landed on the beach of Lion-sur-Mer which was a part of the Sword Beach sector.
Population
Sights
* The beach, its promenade (''La digue'') and its villas from the beginning of the 20th century
Image:Lion-sur-Mer Plage Est.jpg, To the East, the beach with the promenade (in the foreground, the SNSM look-out post)
Image:Lion-sur-Mer Digue vue de la plage.jpg, The promenade as seen from the beach
Image:Lion-sur-Mer_Plage_Ouest.jpg, To the West, the coast with the cliffes in the background
* ''Saint-Pierre'' church (Tower from the 1st half of the 12th century)
Image:Lion-sur-Mer_Eglise_Saint-Pierre.jpg, Façade of the church
* Lion-sur-Mer castle (Closed to the public)
Image:Lion chateau.jpg, Front view of the castle
* The "le Castel Louis" or "
la Villa Louis
La Villa Louis in Lion-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, was built in 1864 for Pierre Joseph Pasquet to be used as a casino. In 1903 he married Elisa Auber, Daniel Auber's daughter, and modify the building to be use as a villa. The French architect Jean ...
" house (listed building), ancient casino built in 1866–1868 and then transformed in the
art nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
style.
The town is crossed by the
EuroVelo
''EuroVelo'' is a network of currently 17 long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing Europe, in various stages of completion. When completed, the EuroVelo network's total length will almost be . more than were in place. EuroVelo is a project of ...
4 track.
Events
* ''"Les terrasses de l'été"'' ("The summer terraces") : about 40 free animations and concerts in July and August.
* Flea markets several times per year.
Sport
* Hermanville sporting club (8 tennis clay courts)
* Municipal sailing school
* Sport complex (Gymnasium, tennis courts and soccer field)
International relations
Lion-sur-Mer is twinned with:
* Kiebingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany