Granville, Manche
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Granville (; Norman: ''Graunville'') is a commune in the
Manche Manche (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...
department and
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 ...
of
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 ...
, 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 ...
. The
chef-lieu An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
of the canton of Granville and seat of the '' Communes of Granville, Terre et Mer'', it is a
seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...
and health resort of Mont Saint-Michel Bay, at the end of the '' Côte des Havres'', a former
cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
-fishing
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
and the first
shellfish Shellfish, in colloquial and fisheries usage, are exoskeleton-bearing Aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrates used as Human food, food, including various species of Mollusca, molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish ...
port of France. It is sometimes nicknamed "
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
of the North" by virtue of its location on a rocky promontory. The town was founded by a
vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
of
William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
on land occupied by the
Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
in the 11th century. The old
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
city and
fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
for the defence of Mont Saint-Michel became a seaside resort in the 19th century which was frequented by many artists and equipped with a
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
and a
horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
course. Home of the Dior family of industrialists, an important commune that absorbed the village of Saint-Nicolas-près-Granville in 1962, port and airport of South Manche, it has also been a
Douzelage Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom. Name The name is a portmanteau of the French words "douze" for twelve and "jumelage" for twinning and stands for t ...
city since 1991, twinned with 20 European cities. Administratively, the islands of
Chausey Chausey () is a group of small islands, islets and rocks off the coast of Normandy, in the English Channel. It lies from Granville and forms a ''quartier'' of the Granville commune in the Manche '' département''. Chausey forms part of the C ...
, the French Channel Islands, which include a small harbour, are part of the commune of Granville.


Geography


Location

Granville is located at the edge of the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
at the extremity of the
natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...
of the Cotentin. It defines the north of the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel and the south of the Côte des Havres. The upper town is located on a
peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
surrounded by
schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...
cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...
s, known as Pointe du Roc or Cap Lihou. The rest of the town extends eastward inland, bounded on the north by the River Boscq, and on the south by alternating cliffs and beaches up to the Saigue stream. The commune has four
sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...
beaches, one to the north between the peninsula and the river, three to the south on the bay. It occupies ; of mostly urbanised territory, but this urbanisation is now limited by the Natura 2000 European directive and the law of preservation of the coastline. The town is part of the French association law of 1901 of Les Plus Beaux Détours de France. The National Institute of Geographic Information and Forestry gives the co-ordinates as . It is at the centre of the Urban Area of Granville Closing in the north of the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel and its
foreshore The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of Marine habitat, habitats ...
of a very gentle gradient, it enjoys the highest
tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...
s in Europe, up to of
tidal range Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun, by Earth's rotation and by centrifugal force caused by Earth's prog ...
. This situation also sometimes leads to significant changes of the coastal features of the nearby beaches. Off the coast, the
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
of the Chausey Islands is administered by the commune of Granville. It is one of the only island quarters of France. It consists of 52 islands of
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
at high tide and more than 365 at low tide covering almost . Granville is located southwest of its insular district of Chausey, to the west of Notre-Dame in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, point zero of the roads of France, southwest of
Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.Avranches, southwest of Coutances, to the south of Cherbourg-Octeville, north of Mont Saint-Michel, northeast of Cancale and to the southwest 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 ...
. It is also located from Granville in the State of New York, from Granville, West Virginia and from
Granville, Ohio Granville is a Village (United States)#Ohio, village in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,946 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. The village is located in a rural area of hills, known locally as the Welsh Hills ...
, among others.


Hydrography

Granville has natural limits materialised by the Boscq river to the north and the Saigue stream in the south. For a few years, an artificial river pierced between the mainland and the peninsula. It was filled and is now replaced by ''Place du Maréchal-Foch''.


Relief

The commune is largely at sea level. It rises only towards the interior, a little more on the peninsula from the Pointe du Roc to reach .


Neighbouring communes

Granville, located on the Pointe du Roc is washed to the north, south and to the west by the English Channel. To the northeast lies the commune of Donville-les-Bains, the village of Yquelon is to the east and to the southeast are the small
seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...
of Saint-Pair-sur-Mer and the village of Saint-Planchers. The island quarter of
Chausey Chausey () is a group of small islands, islets and rocks off the coast of Normandy, in the English Channel. It lies from Granville and forms a ''quartier'' of the Granville commune in the Manche '' département''. Chausey forms part of the C ...
is located off to the northwest, and Mont Saint-Michel is to the south.


Climate

Granville is located on the English Channel coast, it is therefore subject to an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
. However its positioning on the Bay of the Mont Saint-Michel, at the bottom of the gulf formed by
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 ...
and
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
, allows it to be relatively protected from storms and wind (even though it may be exposed to the Suroît wind and enjoy mild temperatures. Annual average temperature stood at with a maximum of and a minimum of . The maximum nominal temperatures of in July–August and in January–February show the mildness of the climate and the lack of thermal amplitude. The
insolation Solar irradiance is the power per unit area ( surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument. Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre ...
values given here are those of the station 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 ...
, due to the lack of local data. Contrary to a common misconception, of total precipitation shows that Normandy is not a wetter region than others. The record of rainfall per 24-hour period was established during a storm on 11 July 1977 with of water. In the 1987 storm, wind speeds reached a high of , which is the current absolute record for the city.


Transport

Several highways serve the commune including the downgraded roads Route nationale 171 (now the RD 971 from Carentan), Route nationale 24-B (now the RD 924 towards Villedieu-les-Poêles) and Route nationale 173 (now the RD 973 from Avranches). Granville is located from the A84 ( E401). It is also crossed from north to south by the old Route nationale 811, today the RD 911, the road to the coast at Avranches. The Paris–Granville line departing from Paris-Montparnasse railway station has its terminus at Granville station; it is used by TER Normandie long and medium distance services. Several bus routes connect Granville with a network set up by the General Council of Manche, Interurban network of Manche with routes 2, 3, 7, 116, 122, 202, 300, 302 and 305, and the Néva network since December 2014, created and operated in-house by the town of Granville. The Granville-Mont-Saint-Michel Airport allows landings of private aircraft and the Caen – Carpiquet Airport ensures the interregional links. By sea, the port of Granville serves the Chausey Islands and the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
(44,100 passengers) and hosts freight activities (197,000 tonnes). An urban transport network is planned for 2014 and should cross the whole Community of Granville communes.


Quarters and localities

The commune is divided into several quarters: the Haute Ville, the historic heart behind the ramparts; Couraye; La Tranchée, which occupies the former site of an arm of the sea dug by man; Le Calvaire; Le Centre, the current
town centre A town centre is the commerce, commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town. Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train ...
; and Saint-Nicolas, which corresponds to the former commune of Saint-Nicolas-près-Granville, joined in 1962. The quarter of the Agora has been classified priority in the title under the policy of the commune.


Toponymy

The name of the city is mentioned in the forms of ''Grandivilla'' in 1054, ''Grande Villa'' in 1056, ''Grandvilla'' in 1172 and ''Granville'' in 1175. All modern toponymists agree on the origin of the ''Gran-'' element: Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing have classed Granville with the toponyms of the Grandvelle/ Grandville type, whose first term is explained just by the
Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...
''grant'' ("grand"). François de Beaurepaire followed suit, as well as Ernest Nègre and :fr:René Lepelley, René Lepelley. According to Édouard Le Héricher ("Avranchin monumental and historic") the origin of the toponym is explained by a character named ''Grant'' who received the fief of Rollo of Normandy during the conquest of
Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the Early Middle Ages, in contrast to the eastern Frankish kingdom, Austrasia. It initially included land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, in the north of present-day ...
. If experts agree all that it is a medieval formation of ''-ville'', the exact meaning to give this suffix varies between "village, hamlet" (Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing, François de Beaurepaire, Ernest Nègre) and "domain" (René Lepelley) which should probably be in the sense of "rural area", initially it had the value of the
Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...
VILLA. Some historians and geographers of the past have attempted to connect Granville to the ''Grannonum''/''Grannona'', toponym attested in the
Notitia Dignitatum The (Latin for 'List of all dignities and administrations both civil and military') is a document of the Late Roman Empire that details the administrative organization of the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire. It is unique as one of very ...
on the Saxon Shore from the late
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
: ''tribunus cohortis primae Armoricanae, Grannona novae in litore Saxonico''. This explains why some 18th-century maps describing the former
Roman Gaul Roman Gaul refers to GaulThe territory of Gaul roughly corresponds to modern-day France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and adjacent parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. under provincial rule in the Roman Empire from the 1st century B ...
revealed the name of ''Grannonum'' at the location of Granville (see map opposite). This hypothesis is now abandoned by contemporary practitioners. During the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
, the town temporarily took the name of ''Granville-la-Victoire'' (after the siege of the Vendéens she had victoriously endured in 1793), the name was then formalised without this complementary addition. According to the standard Norman spelling developed in the second half of the 20th century, the name of the town is written as ''Graunville'' (). Cap Lihou is named from the
Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
word ''holm'' meaning "island, islet" and which has in some cases evolved as ''-hou'', as the endpoint.


History


Origins

According to a legend concerning the Mont Saint-Michel Bay, Granville and the insular quarter of
Chausey Chausey () is a group of small islands, islets and rocks off the coast of Normandy, in the English Channel. It lies from Granville and forms a ''quartier'' of the Granville commune in the Manche '' département''. Chausey forms part of the C ...
were covered in the Forest of Scissy, sunken in 709. Granville, in the heart of the land, would then become like Dinard and
Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...
a coastal town known as Roque de Lihou. In 1066,
William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
sought the help of the local Grant family during the
Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
. As a token of recognition, he awarded the lands of Roque de Lihou. The Grants are therefore the first Lords of the town after the
Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
. In 1143, the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
of Notre-Dame was created. It is probable that monks from Mont-Saint-Michel went to the Priory on Lihou during the first half of the 12th century. In 1252, in the absence of a male descendant, Jeanne de Granville married Raoul d'Argouges, Lord of Gratot. In 1424, the criminal case of Pierre Le Maçon took place in Granville, which was then judged by the chancery of
Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and English claims to the French throne, disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V of England, Henry V, he succeeded ...
in February 1425, in Paris. In 1439, the construction of the Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou Church began. On 26 October 1439, English officer Sir Thomas de Scales, who served as the
Seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of
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 ...
during the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
, bought the Roque of Jean d'Argouges. On the orders of
Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and English claims to the French throne, disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V of England, Henry V, he succeeded ...
, in order to isolate Mont Saint-Michel, the last French bridgehead into Norman territory, he had the walls of Granville built. In 1440, the construction of the
fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
began. To further protect this city, de Scales had a ditch dug between the peninsula and the mainland, so that the sea and the waters of the Boscq made the peninsula an island. However, on 8 November 1442, by ruse, Louis d'Estouteville took over the castle since which has remained permanently in the hands of the French. Charles VII decided to make Granville a fortified town and signed a charter in 1445 granting
arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...
and exempting the residents of
tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
. From 1450, ships were fishing at
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
. In 1470,
Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...
visited the town to ensure its loyalty in the conflict opposing the
Bretons The Bretons (; or , ) are an ethnic group native to Brittany, north-western France. Originally, the demonym designated groups of Common Brittonic, Brittonic speakers who emigrated from Dumnonia, southwestern Great Britain, particularly Cornwal ...
and
Burgundians The Burgundians were an early Germanic peoples, Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared east in the middle Rhine region in the third century AD, and were later moved west into the Roman Empire, in Roman Gaul, Gaul. In the first and seco ...
. In 1492, the Jews of Spain, expelled by the
Alhambra Decree The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Decreto de la Alhambra'', ''Edicto de Granada'') was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdi ...
, arrived in France. A community settled in Granville, their right to
trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
and to lend money allowed the town to arm a large fleet.


Early modern era

In 1562, the restoration of the ramparts began and a
garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...
moved into the
barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...
. Then in 1593 the keys to the city were presented to Henry IV, marking the importance of the town to the Kingdom. Under
Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...
, the fortifications were adapted for
artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
. From the reign of
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, Granville ships also had the right to capture. Therefore, between seventy and eighty ships were armed and Granville gave fifteen admirals to France, of which the best known is Georges René Le Peley de Pléville. In 1688, Louvois razed part of the defences of the town. Louis XIV appointed the first
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of Granville in 1692: Luc Leboucher de Gastagny. On 8 July 1695, during the
Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...
, English
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
warships led by John Benbow bombarded Granville for 8 hours using over 800 shells, destroying 27 of the town's houses. Vauban then studied possible improvements to the stronghold without having the time to carry them out. Following the bombardment, the ramparts were raised and increased in 1720. Then, from 1749, development work and expansion of the port was undertaken, with, in 1750, the laying of the breakwater, ever-present today. This work was completed in 1757, in the meantime, a new barracks was built. In 1763, a fire swept through the faubourgs. In 1777, a new barracks was added, the ''Gênes'' barracks still present today. On 20 July 1786, a new fire broke out, this time in the Tranchée quarter at the gates of the
citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...
. On 14 November 1793, or 24 brumaire year II, was the Siege of Granville by the Vendéens during the Virée de Galerne. A force of some 25,000 Vendéen troops (followed by thousands of civilians of all ages), commanded by Henri de la Rochejaquelein, headed for the port of Granville where they expected to be greeted by British warships and an army of Royalist exiles. Arriving at Granville, they found the walled city surrounded by Republican forces, with no British ships in sight. Their attempts to take the city were unsuccessful. During the retreat the extended columns fell prey to Republican forces. Repulsed by the population, having lost two thousand men, they had to abandon the assault but left by burning the ''Rue des Juifs''. On 14 September 1803, the Royal Navy again bombarded the town after imposing a
blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...
of the coast. From 1815, after years of military conflict, in full Restoration, Granville seemed to take a new direction. The
chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...
and industry was created; in 1816, the shores of the Boscq baptised ''Cours Jonville''; in 1823, the breakwater was joined to the land, and in 1827, the first stone of the Roc
Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
was laid. Granville once formed part of the diocese of Coutances, the
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
of
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
and the intendance 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 ...
. Before the French Revolution, the town had two
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
es: The Church of Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou and Saint-Nicolas. This parish was an appendix of Notre-Dame until Saint-Nicolas was set up in 1829 whose territory is regarded as a commune independent of Granville. The port obtained its current appearance after 1856 and the inauguration of the wet dock and the
lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...
. In 1860, the first wooden
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
, built by former Mayor Méquin, was inaugurated. In 1865, it was followed by the hospice of St. Peter. In 1866, Victor Chesnais composed a hymn for his town, ''"La Granvillaise"'', adapted in 1868 at the
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
. In 1867, the town acquired its first oared lifeboat, the '' Saint-Thomas-et- Saint-Joseph-de-Saint-Faron''. In 1869, the
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
''Le Granvillais'' was created, and in 1870, the Paris–Granville line and Granville railway station were opened on 3 July. The town really became a
seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...
welcoming Parisians and guests such as Stendhal,
Jules Michelet Jules Michelet (; 21 August 1798 – 9 February 1874) was a French historian and writer. He is best known for his multivolume work ''Histoire de France'' (History of France). Michelet was influenced by Giambattista Vico; he admired Vico's emphas ...
and
Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...
, and the parents of
Maurice Denis Maurice Denis (; 25 November 1870 – 13 November 1943) was a French painter, decorative artist, and writer. An important figure in the transitional period between impressionism and modern art, he is associated with '' Les Nabis'', symbolism, ...
who was born "accidentally" in Granville. From 1875, major construction resumed, with the construction of a reservoir of , Polotsk and Solferino barracks, and of the
auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
market hall A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and can be found in many European countries. The most common variation of a mar ...
. The town continued to equip itself with the opening in 1884 of the municipal
library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
, in 1886 the school group of St. Paul, in 1887 the dry dock and in 1897 a corps of
firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...
s. To entertain holidaymakers, the Granvillaises Regatta Society was founded in 1889, the horse racing course and the ''Société des Courses'' of Granville in 1890, and the
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
in 1912. The Montparnasse derailment was on 22 October 1895, when the Granville–Paris express train overran the buffers at Paris Montparnasse station. Finally, in 1898, the St. Paul Church was inaugurated. The 20th century began with the burning of the ''Château de la Crête'' in 1900. In 1905, fashion designer
Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
was born in Granville; his childhood home is now a museum. In 1908, the town was endowed with a visitor centre. It also became a centre of communication with the opening in 1908 of the railway line and
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
way of Granville to Sourdeval, passing through Avranches, and one towards
Condé-sur-Vire Condé-sur-Vire (, literally ''Condé on Vire'') is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Le Mesnil-Raoult was merged into Condé-sur-Vire. On 1 January 2017, the forme ...
in 1910. In 1911, the new casino was opened, with the maternity hospital and the
savings bank A savings bank is a financial institution that is not run on a profit-maximizing basis, and whose original or primary purpose is collecting deposits on savings accounts that are invested on a low-risk basis and receive interest. Savings banks ha ...
by minister Jules Pams. In 1912,
electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
was installed in the commune and the ''Normandy-Hôtel'' was inaugurated. 1914 was a dark year for Granville with the loss of four sailors in the lifeboat accident of the ''Admiral-Amédée-Roze'' and departure for the war of the soldiers of the 2e régiment d'infanterie, 2nd Infantry Regiment and 202nd infantry regiment. After the war, the regatta resumed in 1919, the
carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...
in 1920 and a son of the area, Lucien Dior, became Minister of Commerce in the seventh government of
Aristide Briand Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...
and came to visit the town in 1921. In 1925, a new railway station was inaugurated, Granville became a health
resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...
and the ''Hôtel des Bains'' opened in 1926. In 1931, the last fishing vessel returned from
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
.


World War II

A
garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...
and coastal town closing the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel, Granville has always been coveted during armed conflicts in the area. During 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 ...
, on 17 June 1940, the
Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
entered Granville. On 21 September 1941, an article appeared in ''Le Granvillais'' signed by the name of "Camille", where the author was alerting readers to the dangers and lack of basis for the next laws on the status of Jews of the
Vichy regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...
. Despite this mark of resistance, eight Granville
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
were deported to Auschwitz: Léon Bobulesco and his two sons Armand and Rodolphe, Simon Goldenberg, his wife Minka and their children Henri and Ruben, as well as Smil Weesler. Three
Communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...
suffered the same fate: Léon Lamort, René Loncle and Charles Passot. The whole of the population underwent the constraints of the Occupation. From the beginning, the Germans built fortifications on the Pointe du Roc and forbade access to the
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
. On 20 May 1942, a new
municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...
was installed by the
prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...
. On 1 April 1943, all of the Haute-Ville had to be evacuated, barriers and anti-
tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...
roadblocks prevented access. The Normandy Hotel was transformed into a kommandantur and a branch of the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
. A signature name of this period was Maurice Marland. Born on 12 February 1888 in Falaise, and a teacher of English, French and
civics In the field of political science, civics is the study of the civil and political rights and obligations of citizens in a society. The term ''civics'' derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". In U.S. politics ...
, he led a local resistance network. Notable in the town, in 1939, he organised the reception of Belgian refugees and the evacuation of British military personnel to England. Later, with Jules Leprince, they put escape routes to
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
in place. Throughout the occupation, his relations enabled him to mount a clandestine
intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...
network on port and rail facilities and enemy operations in the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
. Arrested and then released in 1941 and 1943, he nonetheless continued until 22 July 1944, when he was arrested and shot by German forces in the forest of
Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
at the request of French collaborators. On 23 July 1994, his son Serge Marland filed a complaint with the French government, which concluded that he was murdered by the Germans. Today, the
secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
of the commune bears his name. On 6 June 1944, the "Green Plan" of sabotage of railway lines was implemented to cut the Paris–Granville line. Liberated without fighting on 31 July 1944, it saw the troops of General Patton pass for two days, who went down to the town centre by the Coutances road and up the ''Rue Couraye'' to get out by the Avranches road. The vibration caused by the passage of armoured cars for two days brought down the façade nameplates of several houses. Granville was reoccupied for a few hours, during the Granville Raid of 9 March 1945, by German soldiers who had landed from
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
. On 9 March 1945, while France was liberated and Allied troops, away, had begun to cross the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
, German troops based in still-occupied Jersey launched a daring commando raid against Granville. Although spotted by the radar of Coutainville, the Germans, using light boats, managed to land at night in the port of Granville. They dynamited port facilities and sank four freighters. Fifteen U.S., eight British and six French servicemembers were killed, seventy German prisoners of war were freed and five American and four British servicemembers were captured before the Germans retreated.


Contemporary history

During the
Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...
, the barracks housed the 3rd Demi-brigade, and then the 21st Battalion of chasseurs on foot, from 1956 to 1961. It was a training centre for thousands of contingent recruits before leaving for
Kabylie Kabylia or Kabylie (; in Kabyle language, Kabyle: Tamurt n leqbayel; in Tifinagh: ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵍⴻⵇⴱⴰⵢⴻⵍ; ), meaning "Land of the Tribes" is a mountainous coastal region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kaby ...
or the region of
Tiaret Tiaret () or Tahert () is a major city in northwestern Algeria that gives its name to the wider farming region of Tiaret Province. Both the town and region lie south-west of the capital of Algiers in the western region of the Hautes Plaines, i ...
. The commune hosted the finish of stage 1 and the start of stage 2 of the 1957 Tour de France. In 1962, the town of Granville absorbed the commune of ''Saint-Nicolas-près-Granville''; the latter, during the revolutionary period of the
National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...
(1792–1795), bore the name ''Champ-Libre'' ree Field On 4 June 1965, Granville welcomed
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Georges Pompidou Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou ( ; ; 5 July 19112 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 until his death in 1974. He previously served as Prime Minister of France under President Charles de Gaulle from 19 ...
. In 1970, the Regional Nautical Centre moved to Granville and in 1975, the port was completed with a
marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
. In 1972, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Granville, founded in 1815, took the name CCI Granville-Saint-Lô, and which then became the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Central and South Manche in 2000. In 1973, Heudebert opened a factory for the production of biscottes, in business ever since. In the 1980s, donations by Richard Anacréon allowed the opening of the
Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
of
modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...
, many buildings in the town were classified or registered as historical monuments. In 1982, the town was endowed of a new
hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
. In 1984, the military regiments left the barracks, allowing redevelopment of the Pointe du Roc. In 1991, the opened and the Charter of the
Douzelage Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom. Name The name is a portmanteau of the French words "douze" for twelve and "jumelage" for twinning and stands for t ...
was signed. At the turn of the millennium, the business incubator emerged. In 2003, the A84 autoroute joined Granville with other agglomerations.


Demography


Demographic evolution

The inhabitants of the commune are called ''Granvillais'' in French. Of 6,649 people at the beginning of the census of the people in 1793, the commune reached a demographic peak in 1861 with 17,180 inhabitants, prior to be severely affected by the War of 1870 by losing nearly 1,000 of its children. Then began a slow decline accentuated by the
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, no longer accommodating more than 10,132 inhabitants in 1946. The second half of the 20th century – with the absorption of Saint-Nicolas-près-Granville in 1962, the rural exodus and the construction of many estates on the outskirts – allowed the commune to gain residents again to achieve 13,022 inhabitants in 2006. That same year, only 0.5% of the Granville population was foreign, with the presence small Portuguese, Spanish and Moroccan communities each representing 0.1% of the population, far from the regional average of 8.8%, and 16.9% of households consisted of single-parent families, ten points under this same regional average.


Age structure

As reflected in the age structure, Granville is an exemplary commune in terms of the age distribution of its inhabitants, each category representing around 15 to 20% of the population. Only the
centenarian A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...
s are poorly represented, as on the whole of the territory. However, a lower rate of children under 15 years in 2006 reflected an ageing of Granville families and a possible future demographic deficit. That same year, only 25.9% of the population was less than 25 years old.


Politics and administration


Local politics

Granville is the
chef-lieu An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
of the canton represented by the centre-right departmental councillor Jean-Marc Julienne. The commune is linked to Manche's 2nd constituency represented by deputy Guénhaël Huet ( UMP). Thirty-three elected officials sit on the
municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...
, divided into twenty-four members of the municipal majority from a list of independents, a group of five councillors of a UDI list, three elected leftists including former PRG mayor Daniel Caruhel and an elected frontist. The board is chaired by a woman, Dominique Baudry, assisted by nine adjoints. Granville is attached to courts of first instance and the superior court of Avranches, the courts and tribunals of commerce and Council of Tribunals of Coutances, the Court of Appeal of Caen. In 2008, the town had a budget of €30.041 million, of which €22.08 million for operations and €7,961,000 investment, 38.39% funded by local taxes, municipal debt was €15,318,000 the same year. The tax rate in 2008 amounted to 13.12% for the housing tax, 22.06% and 47.53% for
property tax A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...
(built and unbuilt), and 14.30% for business tax set by the Community of Granville communes. Two young workers' homes have settled in the town, an HLM management company manages 1563 homes in the town, a social action community centre provides aid to people in need. The town adheres to the Community of communes of Granville, land and sea for land use, economic development and housing, upgrading of the environment, and the organisation of relief. It also directs the SMBCG (Joint Association of Granville coastal areas) for the protection of coastal waters against microbiological risk.


List of mayors

Sixty-eight
mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
have headed the municipal administration of Granville, since the election of the first mayor in 1692.


Political trends and results

In the context of the elections, the population of Granville shows a relatively
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
tendency and votes as regularly as the entire national population, thus following the ''"vague rose"'' ink wavein the regional elections of 2004, but instead voting by a large majority for the European Constitutional Treaty. An opposition group published a journal, ''Le Sans-culotte de Granville and Coutances''. District committees are located in the commune to enliven the local debate. In 2008, the list led by the outgoing general counsel of the
Miscellaneous left Miscellaneous left (', ''DVG'') in France refers to left-wing candidates who are not members of any party or a member of party that has no elected seats. They include either small left-wing parties or dissidents expelled from their parties for r ...
, Daniel Caruhel, ex-
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
but supported by outgoing UMP mayor, Marc Verdier, and housing nine members of the
Miscellaneous right Miscellaneous right (', ''DVD'') in France refers to centre-right or right-wing candidates who are not members of any large party. This can include members of small right-wing parties, dissidents expelled from their party for running against thei ...
outgoing majority, won the municipal election against the official candidate of the Socialist Party. The canton returned to Jean-Marc Julienne, assistant Marc Verdier and running mate Daniel Caruhel, belonging to the New Centre but elected as
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
. Thus, contrary to what the labels might suggest, Granville voters had once again made the choice of conservatism. Presidential elections, results of the second round * Presidential election, 2002: 86.65% for
Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
( RPR), 13.35% for
Jean-Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (20 June 1928 – 7 January 2025), commonly known as Jean-Marie Le Pen (), was a French politician, lawyer and activist. He founded the far-right National Front (now National Rally) party and served as the party's presi ...
( FN), 75.32% turnout. * Presidential election, 2007: 52.42% for
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
( UMP), 47.58% for Ségolène Royal ( PS), 82.27% turnout. * Presidential election, 2012: 52.22% for
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
( PS), 47.78% for
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
( UMP), 78.97% turnout. Parliamentary elections, results of the second round * Parliamentary election, 2002: 54.24% for Alain Cousin ( UMP), 45.76% for Daniele Jordan-Menninger ( PS), 55.17% turnout. * Parliamentary election, 2007: 54.48% for Alain Cousin ( UMP), 45.52% for Daniele Jordan-Menninger ( PS), 55.09% turnout. * Parliamentary election, 2012: 50.19% for Guénhaël Huet ( UMP), 49.81% for Gérard Saure ( PRG), 55.29% turnout. European elections, results from the two best scores * European Parliament election, 2004: 31.92% for Henri Weber ( PS), 19.08% for
Tokia Saïfi Tokia Afféda Saïfi (born 11 July 1959 in Hautmont, Nord (French department), Nord) is a French politician who served as Member of the European Parliament for the North-West of France from 1999 until 2019. She is a member of the Radical Party ( ...
( UMP), 43.76% turnout. * European Parliament election, 2009: 31.12% for
Dominique Riquet Dominique Riquet (born 18 September 1946 in Valenciennes, Nord (French department), Nord) is a French surgeon and politician of the Radical Party (France), Radical Party who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the 2009 Europe ...
( UMP), 17.72% for Hélène Flautre ( Europe Ecology), 41.13% turnout. Regional elections, results from the two best scores * Regional election, 2004: 50.42% for Philippe Duron ( PS), 38.27% for René Garrec ( UMP), 60.39% turnout. * Regional election, 2010: 56.31% for Laurent Beauvais ( PS), 43.69% for Jean-François Le Grand ( UMP), 50.70% turnout. Cantonal elections, results of the second round * Cantonal elections, 2001: missing data. * Cantonal elections, 2008: 53.63% for Jean-Marc Julienne ( NC), 25.64 to François Heurguier ( PS), 61.92% turnout. Municipal elections, results of the second round * Municipal elections, 2001: 51.53% for Marc Verdier ( RPR) elected in the first round, 48.47% for Jean Leguelinel ( PS), 53.98% turnout. * Municipal elections, 2008: 49.48% for Daniel care ( DVG), 28.59% for André June ( DVG), 62.46% turnout. Referendum elections * Referendum of 2000 relating to the five-year presidential term: 73.39% for Yes, 26.61% for No, 31.83% turnout. * Referendum of 2005 on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe: 51.42% for Yes, 48.58% for No, 66.22% turnout.


Education

The commune was attached to the Academy of Caen. Four public
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
s and
primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
welcome pupils of the commune: The Group of Docteur-Lanos, the Jean Macé Group, the Jules Ferry Group, and the Pierre and
Marie Curie Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (; ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie ( ; ), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was List of female ...
Group. The commune also has the André Malraux
College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...
of general education and SEGPA. The town has two
high schools A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
: Lycée Léon Julliot de la Morandière for general,
technological Technology is the application of conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible tools such as ute ...
and Baccalauréat professionnel, professional education, and the Maurice-Marland hotelier's school. Added to these establishments is the Sévigné Institution, a
private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
with
boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
from
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
to
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
, and the Notre Dame and St. Paul schools for kindergarten and elementary education. The commune is one of the seats of the lt=CCI of Centre and South-Manche, it hosts a lt=GRETA, the group of ''Formation Inter-consulaires de la Manche'' nter-consular training of Manche(FIM), an Institute of
Nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
and the Family and Rural House, providing agricultural and commercial training. Finally, the commune has a
leisure centre A leisure centre, sports centre, or recreation centre is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and provided by the local government authority, where people can engage in a variety of sports and exercise, and keep fit. Typical facilit ...
for the reception of children out of school periods, a family crèche and a multi-host centre for young children. CollegeCaserneGranville (2).JPG, The André-Malraux College in the former Bazeilles barracks Villa-sevigne.jpg, The Sévigné Institution


Health

The commune has on its territory, in association with Avranches, a medical center with a capacity of 742 beds, offering services of general medicine,
surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...
,
gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...
and
obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...
,
cardiology Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...
and SMUR. The centre is also equipped with a scanner. In 2007, a ministerial decision endorsed the closure of the maternity of the communal hospital carrying 410 deliveries per year. The commune also hosts on its territory a centre of re-education and rehabilitation, a centre of thalassotherapy, three Residential homes for elderly dependents, two health centres, 91 doctors, eight
dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...
s and seven
pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...
s. Several medical or social associations are located on the commune, such as the Union of the Speech Therapists of Manche, the SNSM, the
Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...
, the
Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
and the Secours Populaire.


Public services

Granville welcomes the CCI of Centre and South-Manche, a CAF, a subdivision of the DDE, a centre of
social security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
, a
tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
office and treasury, a
gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
barracks, a
police station A police station is a facility operated by police or a similar law enforcement agency that serves to accommodate police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The role served by a police station varies by agency, type, and jurisdiction, ...
, a relief and fire centre, a
customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...
office, a
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
in the town centre and one in the quarter of Saint-Nicolas, agencies of ASSEDIC, ANPE and AFPA, an
auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
house and three notarial offices, two lawyers' offices attached to the bar of Avranches and a
bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...
's office. The civil security has a base for monitoring the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
equipped with a Eurocopter EC145.


Twin towns – Sister cities

Granville has been twinned with
Rivière-du-Loup Rivière-du-Loup (; 2021 population 20,118) is a small city (Quebec), city on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The city is the seat for the Rivière-du-Loup Regional County Municipality and the Judicial districts of Quebec ...
,
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, at a distance of , since 1984. Granville is a founding member of the
Douzelage Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom. Name The name is a portmanteau of the French words "douze" for twelve and "jumelage" for twinning and stands for t ...
, a unique
town twinning A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...
association of 24 towns across the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals. Henry Haffray, initiator and founder of the douzelage was the first president of the ''Granville partenaire européen'' ranville European partnerassociation, he was followed for more than a dozen years by Jean-Marc Julienne, then André Gendre and Pascale Vallée. Members of the Douzelage * Altea,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
– 1991 * Bad Kötzting,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
– 1991 * Bellagio,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
– 1991 * Bundoran,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
– 1991 *
Holstebro Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by Storå, Denmark, ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 37,487 (1 January 2025).Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
– 1991 *
Houffalize Houffalize (; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium.Sven Vrielinck: De territoriale indeling van België 1795-1963 Volume 1. Universitaire Pers Leuven 2000. page 48. On 1 January 2007 the munic ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
– 1991 * Meerssen, the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
– 1991 * Niederanven,
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
– 1991 *
Preveza Preveza (, ) is a city in the region of Epirus (region), Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula of the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the Preveza (regional unit), regional unit of Preveza, which is the s ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
– 1991 *
Sesimbra Sesimbra () is a municipality of Portugal, in the Setúbal District, lying at the foothills of the ''Serra da Arrábida'', a mountain range between Setúbal and Sesimbra. Due to its particular position at the Península de Setúbal, Setúbal Bay, ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
– 1991 *
Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo (South Somerset), River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish include ...
,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
– 1991 * Karkkila,
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
– 1997 * Oxelösund,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
– 1998 * Judenburg,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
– 1999 *
Chojna Chojna (; "King's Mountain in the Neumark, New March") is a small town in northwestern Poland in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It lies approximately south of Szczecin. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 7,330. Chojna is loca ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
– 2004 * Kőszeg,
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
– 2004 *
Sigulda Sigulda (; ; Polish Zygwold) is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, from the capital city Riga. Overview Sigulda is on a picturesque stretch of the primeval Gauja river valley. Because of the reddish Devonian sandstone which forms steep r ...
,
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
– 2004 *
Sušice Sušice (; ) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban mon ...
,
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
– 2004 * Türi,
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
– 2004 * Zvolen,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
– 2007 * Prienai,
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
– 2008 * Marsaskala,
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
– 2009 * Siret,
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
– 2010 * Agros,
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
– 2011 * Škofja Loka,
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
– 2011 * Tryavna,
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
– 2011


Daily life in Granville


Culture

The commune has much cultural infrastructure, including three
museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
s: The and its garden, located in the childhood home of the fashion designer, which allows one to discover the artistic and cultural context of the time of
Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
on the history of
fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...
, the , located in the home of the King who provides an overview of the history of the city, and the . It also hosts an
aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...
located on the Pointe du Roc which shows many species of warm-water marine fish and three exhibition spaces: The ''Féerie des Coquillages'' nchantment of the Shells the ''Palais Minéral'' ineral Palaceand the ''Jardin des Papillons'' utterfly Garden For cultural recreation, the Charles de la Morandière media
library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
, in the town centre, the Room of the Archipelago, a multipurpose room of 600 seats and a 400-seat open-air
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
has been open since 2006, the small Theatre of the Peninsula with a capacity of 65 seats, the newly renovated ''Le Select'' cinema offers three rooms, a
music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...
and a animate the life of the commune. Sixty-four relay and encourage communal cultural life.


Sport

Granville is equipped with numerous sporting facilities allowing the practice of numerous activities, the ''Cité des sports'' equipped with two
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
pitches, two rugby pitches, two
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
courts, an asphalt athletics track, a , a
skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, Freestyle scootering, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairw ...
, a BMX track, four
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
and
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
halls, the Louis-Dior
Stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
, equipped with a football field of honour of two other fields and a cinder athletics track, the André Malraux and
Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; 1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic ...
indoor gyms, a covered
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
, ten
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
and GreenSet covered
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
courts, a sea rowing club, the Regional
Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
Centre, a 27-hole golf course built in 1912 on the seafront, the equestrian club and the racecourse of trot and gallop, with flat and obstacles, opened in 1890 and located in the communes of Bréville-sur-Mer and Donville-les-Bains,
clay pigeon shooting Clay pigeon shooting, also known as clay target shooting, is a shooting sport involving shooting at shooting target#Clay pigeons, special flying targets known as "clay pigeons" or "clay targets" with a shotgun. Despite their name, the targets ...
, the regional parachuting school and two independent schools, the
flying club A flying club or aero club is a non-profit organization, not-for-profit, member-run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft. Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and ...
and
ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...
flying school. A municipal sports school and a municipal
swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
school provide training for members. Sixty-two associations ensure the relay of communal services. In road cycling, Granville was a stage town of the 1957 Tour de France, and the ends each year at Granville. The commune hosted the start of the third stage of the 2016 Tour de France. In
sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
, Granville is a stage town each year of the Tour de France à la voile. In August are organized: A swimming tour of the Roc, the
Chausey Chausey () is a group of small islands, islets and rocks off the coast of Normandy, in the English Channel. It lies from Granville and forms a ''quartier'' of the Granville commune in the Manche '' département''. Chausey forms part of the C ...
regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
, the Course des where ''La Granvillaise'' and ''La Cancalaise'' confront each other, the
raid RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...
of
catamaran A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...
in the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel. The Union Sportive Granvillaise has developed two football teams in the and a third team in the district division. Granville has also developed its first men's handball team in National 3. File:PiscineGranville.JPG, The municipal swimming pool File:StadeDiorGranville.JPG, Entrance of the Louis-Dior Stadium File:HippodromeGranville (2).JPG, A general view of the racecourse


Religion

The
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
churches of Granville are , Saint Paul and Saint Nicolas. They depend on the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
of St. Clement of the Deanery of the Lands of Granville-Villedieu in the Diocese of Coutances and Avranches. The
bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of this
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
is Stanislas Lalanne. Granville has hosted several congregations, which those of the
Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...
and Mercy. Also, between 1839 and 2008, the Sisters Hospitaller of Saint-Thomas-de-Villeneuve were responsible for the hospice of Granville and for the St. Nicolas Care Centre from 1976. The upper town still houses
Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...
. A
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
of the Reformed Church of France and another of the Evangelical Church welcome the faithful. File:France Manche Granville eglise.jpg, The church of Notre-Dame-du-Cap-Lihou File:Granville5.jpg, The church of Saint-Paul seen from the upper town File:EgliseStNicolasGranville.JPG, The church of Saint-Nicolas File:TempleGranville.JPG, The Protestant temple


Media

The weekly and the
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
'' Ouest-France'' have premises in the commune and distribute a specific local edition in the Granville area. Granville is located in the transmission area of the television channel France 3 Normandie. A local correspondent of the ''Gazette de l'Avranchin'' and of the ''Mortainais'' officiates in the commune.


Economy

Granville is the seat of the . It manages the
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
and
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
of the commune. It is the main centre of the of Granville, covering 45 communes. and an important tourist resort of the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel. Accessible via Granville railway station and situated from the , it is an important economic hub in the south of the department of
Manche Manche (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...
. It has set up a business incubator and has three areas of activity or industrial areas: Le Mesnil, La Parfonterie and Le Prétôt. The largest employers in the commune are the centre of thalassotherapy ''Le Normandy'', the Compagnie Générale des Eaux and the biscotte factory of LU- opened in 1973. In 2017, the
unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...
rate was 11.5% for a rated active population of 4,514 people. 44.5% of the main residences were inhabited by their owners (2017), and the commune hosts 1,617 companies (2015). Granville was a
garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...
town with the presence of a contingent of the 1st RIMa until 1984. A market is held every Saturday on the ''Cours Jonville''.


Port of Granville

The port of Granville dates back to the 16th century. It is managed by the and includes
boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...
activities,
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
, commercial and passenger traffic. This part of the Channel is known for its many rocks off the coast, not always visible
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
, and for the dangerous flows caused by
tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...
s. The bay of Mont Saint-Michel experiences one of the greatest tidal ranges in the world, and this causes strong currents that generate dangerous flows into the international sea routes, adding to the normal tidal flow that goes along the Channel. The area also often experiences fog as well as easterly winds which can create dangerous storms during autumn and winter. The waters off Granville are regularly affected by pollution caused by modern shipwrecks, or by illegal fuel tank discharges into the sea. There is now an international agreement between France and the UK, as well as other European countries bordering the Channel, to severely punish ship-owners when such pollution can be proven. The area is constantly under surveillance by aircraft and radar operated by civil and military authorities. Granville harbour hosts a small maritime emergency rescue team. The number of rocks and shipwrecks in the area creates an environment rich in seafood, which can be exploited from the small harbour of Granville. Fishing is dangerous in the area, and many small fishing boats have been involved in collisions with large commercial vessels such as container ships and oil supertankers. In 2005, Granville was placed at 32nd in the national rank with 197,000 tonnes of handled
cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...
and 44,100 passengers. It is also a permanent station of the SNSM which has a lifeboat (registered SNS 074) and two
RIB In vertebrate anatomy, ribs () are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the thoracic cavity, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ...
s. A
cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
fishing and Oyster farming, oyster port in the 19th century, it became: * There are some sea services to England and to the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
. This traffic is relatively light from Granville, as
Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...
and Cherbourg offer more industrialised facilities for passenger and cargo traffic. List of ferry operators#Europe, Manche Iles Express operates a ferry from Granville to St Helier, away. A port for the carriage of passengers with the ferries ''Douce France'', ''Jolie France II'' and ''Joly France I'' destined for the
Chausey Chausey () is a group of small islands, islets and rocks off the coast of Normandy, in the English Channel. It lies from Granville and forms a ''quartier'' of the Granville commune in the Manche '' département''. Chausey forms part of the C ...
and
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
. Although there are no regular passenger sea services between Granville and Chausey. French and British security forces operate permanently in this very dangerous and narrow area of the English Channel, Channel, which is one of the busiest sealanes in the world. * A trading port with the capacity to accommodate ships of wide, long and five to six thousand tons of capacity, primarily for shipments of scrap metal, sand and gravel equipped with two Crane (machine), cranes that can lift one hundred to three hundred tons per hour, and with a conveyor belt with a capacity of 750 tons per hour. The maximum permissible draught in Granville harbour is 11.60 with a tidal coefficient of 100. * The first Norman fishing port of
shellfish Shellfish, in colloquial and fisheries usage, are exoskeleton-bearing Aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrates used as Human food, food, including various species of Mollusca, molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish ...
(Warty venus, clams, Buccinidae, whelks, dog cockles, Pecten maximus, Saint-Jacques scallops), crustaceans (Homarus, lobsters, Cancer pagurus, brown crabs, crab, small crabs, Majoidea, spider crabs) and fish (bream, Batoidea, rays, sharks, Sole (fish), soles, pollock, Bass (fish), bass, red mullet, Trisopterus, cod, cuttlefish and squid) for local consumption with a fish market, a refrigerating terminal and a computerised sale of products. The tonnage landed (excluding farming) is of the order of 16,000 tonnes per year. An average of seventy-five equipped vessels with nearly 450 professional sailors attend the port. The marine cultures present on the islands of
Chausey Chausey () is a group of small islands, islets and rocks off the coast of Normandy, in the English Channel. It lies from Granville and forms a ''quartier'' of the Granville commune in the Manche '' département''. Chausey forms part of the C ...
produce nearly 250 tons of clams, 5,000 tonnes of mussels and 100 tons of oysters. * A marina, since 1975, of a thousand docking rings at the Hérel Basin. It hosts 3,500 vessels per year, with an average of three passengers per boat. They represent €787,000 of direct benefits, in addition to an annual turnover of €25 million for the 40 companies which work from the marina. Located a few minutes walk from the town centre, the Hérel Marina is one of the local economic lungs. A
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
redevelopment and expansion project will provide an additional seven hundred places for recreational
boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...
, the excavation of basins and access Channel (geography), channels to extend access times and Beaching (nautical), beaching capacity, the addition of a quayside for cruise ships and of exception, a new port city link, with the study of a railway extension project a redevelopment of the road routes, respecting and valuing the environmental and architectural heritage including the piers of the 18th and 19th centuries.


Granville-Mont-Saint-Michel Airport

The
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
of Granville-Mont-Saint-Michel specialises in tourist and leisure aviation.


Tourism

The commune has been classified as a climate resort since 16 March 1926, and a tourist and
seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...
since 12 March 1979. Tourism is an important part of the local economy. The commune has a Visitor center, tourist office which ensures the promotion of monuments,
museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
s and natural sites, and has joined the association of the Plus beaux détours de France, Most Beautiful Detours of France. It offers much infrastructure, including some certified by the label issued by the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance: Two three-Star (classification), star hotels, six two-star hotels and seven hotels not classified with a total of 213 rooms, two three-star campsites with a total of 145 pitches, communal gites on the Chausey Islands and guest rooms, a hostel, youth hostel, a thalassotherapy centre, thirty-three restaurants with a total of 1,931 seats. For entertainment, the city offers an independent
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
, four museums, an
aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...
, a rich architectural and environmental Cultural heritage, heritage, four beaches, and four Wi-Fi access points. 17.5% of Granville housing are Holiday cottage, second homes, with 54.1% of apartments. Several cruises start at the port of Granville, with destinations including Chausey, the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
, the Isle of Wight, the Isles of Scilly, and Ireland, including by the passenger ferries of Granville, the ' and '. This organisation and the promotion of tourism provides an important attendance to the area, with 69,627 passengers to Chausey in 2006, 54,301 visitors for the , and 43,500 for the Aquarium du Roc in 2005. File:CasinoGranville.jpg, The casino File:le roc.JPG, The aquarium "Le Roc des harmonies"


Local culture and heritage


Environmental heritage

Granville is located near the protected site of the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel, the
cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...
, the Haute-Ville and the Chausey Islands, are themselves included in the list of sites protected by the of
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 ...
. From north to south through the peninsula, the city is crossed by the GR footpath, hiking trail GR 223 which traverses Normandy from Honfleur to Avranches along the coast. The town was awarded three flowers in the Concours des villes et villages fleuris, Competition of flowery cities and villages thanks to its parks and gardens: The Christian Dior Garden, the Val-ès-Fleur Park of complete with a zoo, the squares of Marland, the Arsenal, Chartier, Bisquine, the Charles VII promenades, those of the harbour and of the Plat Gousset. The landscaped
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
, on the territory of Bréville-sur-Mer, was designed by Harry Colt in 1912 and provides 27 holes of links golf. The Chausey islands were proposed for integration into the Natura 2000 network in 1992, but the Council of the gave an unfavourable opinion in 2003, blocking the procedure to date. However, the Conservatoire du littoral has acquired the Pointe du Phare. In addition, the town has on its territory a sewage treatment plant and a waste processing plant for incineration and recycling. It has also set up waste sorting and heads the Joint Association of Granville Coastal Areas for coastal protection against microbiological hazards. Granville - Jardin de Dior.jpg, The Christian-Dior Garden ValesFleurGranville (5).JPG, The Val-ès-Fleur Park


Architectural heritage

Granville heritage is rich of numerous religious buildings including the , The ancient church of Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou (1441–1796) it dominates the heights, constitutes an imposing granite building of the Romanesque / early Gothic style. It was built by the English during the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
. The Choir (architecture), choir is of 1641, the nave of 1655, the apse chapels in 1676 and 1688, and the sacristy is of 1771, a listed Monument historique, historical monument since 1930, it is decorated with stained glass by Jacques Le Chevallier. As well as a thirteenth-century miraculous statue of Mary, visitors should note, on the eighteenth-century façade, the quatrain: ("If love of Mary is engraved on your heart, when passing do not forget to say Hail Mary, Hail to her.") The same verses are to be seen on the façade of Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours in Montréal. There is also Paul the Apostle, St. Paul's Church (building), Church, the Saint Nicholas, St. Nicholas Church and the Protestant temple. The lower town was partly built on Land reclamation, land reclaimed from the sea. Granville's military past remains, the upper part of the old town is surrounded with the consisting of the ramparts from the fifteenth century, the drawbridge (Grande'Porte), the bloody theatre of the "Siège des War in the Vendée, Vendéens" in 1793, built in the 15th century, destroyed and then raised in 1727, and listed as an historical monument since 2004. Inside the walls of the upper town are some beautiful houses of which several are concentrated on ''Rue Saint-Jean''. On the ''Pointe du Roc'' overlooking the town, the Bazeilles
barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...
built in 1758, the Gênes-Champagne barracks built in 1788 and the battery built in 1942 by the Nazi Germany, German occupiers have been listed monuments since 1987 and 1994. The , built in the 15th century, registered as an historic monument since 1980, the Château de la Crête, and Saint-Nicolas' Manor house, Manor, built in 1786 by the shipowner Nicolas Deslandes, have been registered monuments since 1986 and bear witness to the importance of certain families in the region. The statue of Georges René Le Peley de Pléville, Pléville le Peley at the
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
celebrates the most illustrious character of the city. The
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
of Art Nouveau and Art Deco style, built between 1910 and 1925 by architect , has been listed as an historic monument since 1992, the ''hotel des bains'' of 1926, the railway station of the 19th century, the , built in 1828, according to a study of Augustin-Jean Fresnel, Augustin Fresnel, high, , built in 1844, high, both classified as historical monuments, the on the rock of Sénéquet, off the coast and 27-hole golf course built in 1912 by Harry Colt, Harry Shapland Colt all date from the beginning of the resort nature of the commune. The covered market was labeled 'Heritage of the 20th century' by the Direction régionale des affaires culturelles, DRAC. The residential tower ''"Le Charme"'' [The Charm] located on ''Rue Jean Rostand'' dominates the commune with its thirteen floors. There is a museum located in one of the gates which preserves invaluable documents enabling visitors to discover the history of the town through the centuries. Granville also is the home of the Christian Dior Museum, which is located in the fashion designer's childhood home, ''Villa Les Rhumbs''. After a first bid at the beginning of the 1990s, Granville postulated in 2009 to be labelled French Towns and Lands of Art and History, Town of Art and History. Declared 1 July 2015, in the sub-prefecture of Avranches, the association law 1901 "Granville, country of the foreshore" which comprises the communes of Granville and Saint-Pair-sur-Mer, Jullouville and Carolles, is now the candidacy "Lands of Art and History" label. Granvilleleporche.jpg, The gatehouse of the Haute-Ville ChateauCreteGranville.JPG, The Château de la Crête BanqueFranceGranville.JPG, The Bank of France building HotelBainsGranville.JPG, The ''hôtel des bains'' MarcheCouvertGranville.JPG, The covered market


Festivities

The festive year of Granville revolves around various events. The takes place every year during the week before Mardi Gras. It once celebrated the departure of the sailors who took advantage of the holiday before sailing for
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
. In 2007, for its 134th edition, it hosted more than 130,000 spectators. The feast of the patron saint of the commune is organised at Pentecost. Each year, the third week of July is dedicated to the ''Rue Sorties de Bains'' festival, of which the fifth edition took place in 2007. Outdoor concerts are held during the tourist season. The procession of the ''Grand Pardon des Corporations et de la Mer'' [Atonement of the Corporations and the Sea] is traditionally held the last Sunday of July. The Night of Welders, a festival gathering metalworking artists, takes place during the first weekend of August. The same weekend the ''Journée du Livre'' [Day of the Book] is organised, during which writers dedicate their works. Two fairs are held on the second Saturday in April and the third Saturday of September, a flea market is organised during the weekend of 14 July and an antique fair during the weekend before 15 August. A collectors fair is scheduled for the last Sunday in October. In 2005, the commune celebrated the centenary of the birth of
Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
by organising, across the town, exhibitions and retrospectives on the work and life of the couturier. The Christian Dior Museum sometimes serves as a framework for events, as was the case in 2008 for the exhibition entitled "Dandysmes - 1808–2008, of Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, Barbey d'Aurevilly at Christian Dior".


Personalities linked to the commune

Several public figures were born, died or lived in Granville:


Born in Granville

* Louis-Georges de Bréquigny (1714–1795), historian and Palaeography, paleographer. * Georges René Le Peley de Pléville (1726–1805), vice admiral, Minister of Marine and Colonies * (1747–1816), mayor of Granville, member of the Council of Elders and the Tribunate * Étienne-François Letourneur (1751–1817), French Directory, Director of the First French Republic * (1767–1837), frigate captain during the Revolution and the Empire, he commanded the Seventy-four (ship), seventy-four ''L'Argonaute'' at the Battle of Trafalgar * (1768–1841), captain of ''La Piémontaise'', was born and died in Granville * Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley (1770–1829), vice admiral, he unsuccessfully commanded the vanguard of the line of Franco-Spanish vessels at Battle of Trafalgar, Trafalgar; politician and Commander of the Legion of Honour * (1780–1858), royal courier * (1787–1851), winner of the naval battle of Arromanches in 1811 * (1787–1847), rear admiral * Michel Pierre Alexis Hébert (1799–1887), lawyer and politician * (1807–1873), novelist, poet, politician, journalist and historian * Louis Henri de Gueydon (1809–1886), vice admiral, governor of Algeria * Fortuné du Boisgobey (1821–1891), writer. * (1824–1898), painter * , (1841–1913), Auxiliary Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen, Bishop of Rouen * (1841–1880), landscape painter and on porcelain * (1853–1907), professor of anatomy at the * Émile Paul Amable Guépratte, Émile Guépratte known as ''"point d'honneur"'' [point of honour], (1856–1939), admiral, Grand Croix of the Legion of Honour * (1867–1932), politician and industrialist *
Maurice Denis Maurice Denis (; 25 November 1870 – 13 November 1943) was a French painter, decorative artist, and writer. An important figure in the transitional period between impressionism and modern art, he is associated with '' Les Nabis'', symbolism, ...
(1870–1943), painter, engraver, theorist and historian of French art * Léon Carré (1878–1942), Orientalism, Orientalist painter, winner of the Abd-el-Tif prize in 1909 * Léon Julliot de La Morandière, (1885–1968), Professor and Dean of the Paris Law Faculty, then at the Panthéon-Assas University, University Paris II Panthéon-Assas, also director of the Comparative Law Institute in Paris * (1901–1999), actress *
Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
(1905–1957), legendary couturier * Denise Cocquerillat (1918-1999), archaeologist and Assyriologist, specialist in cuneiform texts * (born 1932), journalist * Pierre Pican (1935-2018), Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux * (born 1939), writer * (born 1939), navigator * Angèle Delaunois (born 1946), writer * Bernard Chenez (born 1946), cartoonist * Michel Santier (born 1947), Bishop of Luçon and of Créteil * Jacky Robert (born 1950), chef * (born 1955), politician * Jacques Gamblin (born 1957), actor * Christophe Auguin (born 1959), sailor, winner of the 1996–97 Vendée Globe yacht race * Lucile Rogations (born 1984), writer who published her first book at twelve, winner of the Groupe Flammarion, Flammarion Youth Prize


Died in Granville

* (1791–1870), artist and songwriter * (1878–1951), painter, died and is buried in Granville * Jean Tissier (1896–1973), actor * Eric Crozier (1914–1994), Libretto, librettist and theatrical director * Guy Degrenne (1925–2006), businessman


Others

* Georges Bonheur, investor who was significant to the development of Granville as a seaside resort at the beginning of the 20th century
About the impact of his life and how it is still relevant in Granville today.
* Richard I de Grenville (died after 1142), Anglo-Norman knight * Thomas de Scales, 7th Baron Scales, Thomas de Scales (c. 1400–1460), List of Knights and Ladies of the Garter, Knight of the Garter, founded the citadel * John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath, John Granville (1628–1701), 1st Earl of Bath, soldier of the English Civil War, lived in Granville * George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne, George Granville (1666–1735), 1st Baron Lansdowne, England, English poetry, poet, playwright and politician, lived in Granville * Robert Carteret, 3rd Earl Granville (1721–1776), 3rd Earl Granville, lived in Granville * Louis Léon Jacob, Louis Jacob (1768–1854), politician and admiral, lived in Granville * Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850), writer, stayed there in 1829. He evoked the headquarters in Granville in ''Le Réquisitionnaire'' in 1831 * (1837–1927), shipowner, politician, mayor of Granville from 1882 to 1888, lived in Granville * (1859–1934), writer and poet, lived in Granville * Maurice Orange (1867–1916), painter, lived in Granville * (1883–1945), poet, stayed in Granville during his youth * Maurice Marland (1888–1944), chief of the French Resistance, Resistance of Granville during World War II, a professor in the same town * (1901–1987), writer and painter, lived at Chausey * (1914–2009), first president of the Court of Auditors in 1978–1982, was mayor * Bertrand Poirot-Delpech (1929–2006), journalist, writer and Académie française, academician, lived at Chausey Stendhal,
Jules Michelet Jules Michelet (; 21 August 1798 – 9 February 1874) was a French historian and writer. He is best known for his multivolume work ''Histoire de France'' (History of France). Michelet was influenced by Giambattista Vico; he admired Vico's emphas ...
,
Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...
, Adolphe Willette and Gustave Goublier also all stayed in Granville.


Heraldry

The coat of arms of Granville has changed several times during its history. The first, granted by Charles VIII of France, Charles VIII in 1487 was thus: * ''Azure a dextrochère Or, issuant from a cloud of the same, which holds a sword argent mounted Or and placed between three stars of the same.'' The sword symbolising the patriotism of the city during the English occupation, the stars appearing on the night of 8 November 1442 when took over the city. The second coat of arms was established in 1697: * ''Azure with dextrochère armed Or issuant from a cloud of the same and holding a sword argent, the guard and handle Or, surmounted by a Sun of the same.'' The Sun replaced the stars, this new coat of arms symbolised the importance of Granville in the monitoring of the coast of the Bay. In 1793, the influence of the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
changed the azure to gules, but the arm is no longer armed and the sword became an honorary, which gives: * ''Gules an arm stretched argent emerging from a cloud azure, holding a sword argent of a guard Or in Pale (heraldry), pale.'' In 1811, the First French Empire, First Empire offered new arms to the town, Napoleon adding distinctive towns of second-order signs, a quarter charged with a capital N and a gold star and the exterior ornament of a mural crown: * ''Azure on a cloudy fess argent, together with three stars Or, two in Chief (heraldry), chief and one in point, dextrochère armed, Sable (heraldry), sable, moving from sinister side of the shield and holding a sword high Or, quarter and trappings of the towns of second order.'' Finally, in 1816 under the Restoration, the town returned to its coat of arms from 1697, unable to pay the registration fee to return to the original coat of arms. This coat of arms is now of the commune, the azure and Sun symbolising its seaside character, the sword recalling its military past of garrison town. The Granville arms appear on the locomotives nos. X4791 and 8719C of the SNCF under the sponsorship of the commune. The commune also has a logo. The commune also has a flag representing a quarterly of blue and white, with a white Crosses in heraldry, cross encircled in blue and charged with a representation of the coat of arms in the centre. It is notably used on the commune's yawls.


Gastronomy

Granville is renowned for its marine products, including Granvillaise galette with Pecten maximus, scallops sprinkled with cream, sea bream in salt crust with virgin sauce (mussels, shrimps, sea snails and whelks), and the Granvillaise Sole (fish), sole accompanied with mussels and prawns. A speciality of the island quarter of
Chausey Chausey () is a group of small islands, islets and rocks off the coast of Normandy, in the English Channel. It lies from Granville and forms a ''quartier'' of the Granville commune in the Manche '' département''. Chausey forms part of the C ...
is also linked: The . On Saturday, a market is held in the town centre to purchase local produce. Finally, the Maurice Marland de Granville Hotel School guarantees the dissemination of knowledge of .


Granville dialect

Beyond the Norman dialect, there a dialect of the Granville area with its expressions. An example expression is ''"achitrer"'' which means "to land a punch".


Granville in the arts and culture

Granville is the subject of several paintings including ''Bateaux à Granville'' [Boats at Granville] painted in 1889 by
Maurice Denis Maurice Denis (; 25 November 1870 – 13 November 1943) was a French painter, decorative artist, and writer. An important figure in the transitional period between impressionism and modern art, he is associated with '' Les Nabis'', symbolism, ...
, ''Les brisants à la pointe de Granville'' [The breakers at the tip of Granville] painted around 1852 by Paul Huet and kept in the Louvre, ''Plage de Granville'' [Beach of Granville] painted in 1863 by Eugène Isabey.


Myths and legends

* The Chausey Islands are part of the ancient , a former place of Paganism, pagan worship, which covered the bay and which reportedly disappeared in 709AD under the waves. * According to a popular belief, the Chausey Islands consist of 52 islands at high
tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...
and 365 at low tide, as the number of weeks and days in a year, respectively.


Gallery

Granville.jpg, A general view of Granville from the ramparts Granville 02.JPG, The Plat-Gousset beach Granville7.jpg, The façade of a Granville house on the rampart, ''Rue du Midi''.


See also

* Communes of the Manche department *
Douzelage Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom. Name The name is a portmanteau of the French words "douze" for twelve and "jumelage" for twinning and stands for t ...
* Gare de Granville * Granville (disambiguation) *


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Granville town council website
*

* Georges Vérez. sculptor of Granville War Memorial. {{authority control Communes of Manche Ports and harbours of the English Channel Populated places established in the 12th century Seaside resorts in France