Clécy () is a commune in the

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

department in the

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in northwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In 1932 it was awarded the title The Capital of Suisse Normande by the Tourism Minister Monsieur Gourdeau.

Geography

Clécy is on the

River Orne The Orne () is a river in Normandy, within northwestern France. It is long. It discharges into the English Channel at the port of Ouistreham. Its source is in Aunou-sur-Orne, east of Sées. Its main tributaries are the Odon and the Rouvre. Geo ...

, in the middle of

Norman Switzerland Norman Switzerland (; ) is a term for part of Normandy, France, in the border region of the departments Calvados and Orne. Its name comes from its rugged and verdant relief, apparently resembling the Swiss Alps, with gorges carved by the river O ...

, about s south of

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

. Covering it is the second largest commune in the canton of Le Hom. The Commune consists of the following of villages and hamlets, Roche Taillis, Les Thomas, Le Clos d'Ailly, La Haute Bigne, La Faverie, Les Berthaumes, La Loterie, La Fresnée and Clécy. The commune is spread over an area of with a maximum altitude of and minimum of Called the "Capital of Norman Switzerland", the village of Clécy owes its fame to the rugged and verdant

Armorican massif The Armorican Massif (, ) is a geologic massif that covers a large area in the northwest of France, including Brittany, the western part of Normandy and the Pays de la Loire. It is important because it is connected to Dover on the British side o ...

, with valleys through which the Orne flows. In addition to the Orne, two streams, The Val Fournet and La Porte also flow through the commune. The Commune with another 20 communes shares part of a 2,115 hectare,

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

conservation area, called the

Vallée de l'Orne et ses affluents Vallée de l'Orne et ses affluents translated as Orne Valley and tributaries is a Natura 2000 conservation area that is 2,115 hectares in size. Geography The area is focused on Orne and 3 of its main tributaries, the laize, the Noireau and the Ro ...

. Plenty of outdoor activities are available:

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...

hill walking Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much uncultiva ...

and

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

, taking advantage of the geology of Norman Switzerland.

Land distribution

The 2018

CORINE Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) is a European programme initiated in 1985 by the European Commission, aimed at gathering information relating to the environment on certain priority topics for the European Union (air, water ...

Land Cover assesment shows the vast majority of the land in the commune, 44% () is

Meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable condition ...

followed by Heterogeneous agricultural land at 24%. The rest of the land is Forest at 16%,

Arable land Arable land (from the , "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the purposes of a ...

at 12% and the remaining 3% () is urbanised.

History

The name "Clécy" is mentioned in 860 in the reign of

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...

. When French cantons were created, Clécy was the capital of the canton. This ceased to be the case after restructuring in 1801. Clécy has a wealth of historical treasures:

Château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...

x and manor houses are spread all over Clécy and its surroundings. The Château de la Landelle is one of the oldest. More recently, painters such as Paul-Émile Pissarro, Moteley and Andre Hardy have painted landscapes around Clécy.

Administration

Population

Its inhabitants are called ''Clécyens'' in French.

Economy

* Fromagerie Vallée (Valley Cheesemaker)

Sights

* The Château de La Landelle is one of the oldest monuments in the village. At its base it is in the form of a cross, originally on one floor, but was changed to two floors when the wings were reworked. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it was occupied by the Germans. * Musée André Hardy (André Hardy Museum) * Musée du chemin de fer miniature (Museum of miniature trains) * Eglise St Pierre (St Paul's church) (15th century) * Clécy Viaduct (1866)

Sport

The commune has an 18 hole golf course, Golf de Clecy Cantelou.

Personalities

* Paul-Émile Pissarro (1884 – 1972) a French

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

and

neo-impressionist Neo-Impressionism is a term coined by French art critic Félix Fénéon in 1886 to describe an art movement founded by Georges Seurat. Seurat's most renowned masterpiece, '' A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte'', marked the beginn ...

painter, died here.

Twin towns – sister cities

Clécy is twinned with: * Ermington, United Kingdom ''since 1980'' *

Beyne-Heusay Beyne-Heusay (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Beyne-Heusay had a total population of 11,711. The total area is 7.32 km2 which gives a population density of 1,600 inhabitants ...

, Belgium ''since 1976''

References

External links

Clécy sur le site de la communauté de communes

Chemin de fer miniature de Clécy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clecy Communes of Calvados (department) Museums in Calvados (department) Golf clubs and courses in France