Isigny-sur-Mer (, literally ''Isigny on Sea'') is a

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

in the

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...

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

and

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

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

of north-western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It is part of the

communauté de communes A ''communauté de communes'' (, "community of communes") is a federation of municipalities (communes) in France. It forms a framework within which local tasks are carried out together. It is the least-integrated form of ''intercommunalité'' (in ...

Isigny-Omaha Intercom, the 59 communes of which have a combined population of 27,181.

Geography and economy

Situated in the fertile grassland region – known as the Baie des Veys – which constitutes the joint estuary of four rivers, Isigny is an important centre of the dairy industry. The town is famous for its AOC butter and cream, as well as for the production of

Mimolette Mimolette is a cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France. In France it is also known as ''Boule de Lille'' after its city of origin, or ''vieux Hollande'' because it was originally inspired by the Dutch Edam cheese. Descript ...

, Pont-l'Évêque,

Camembert Camembert (, also , ) is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, in northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look and taste to brie cheese, albeit wit ...

, and Trésor d'Isigny cheeses, among others, made by the

Isigny Sainte-Mère Isigny may refer to: * Isigny-le-Buat, in the Manche ''département'', France * Isigny-sur-Mer, in the Calvados ''département'', France {{geodis ...

co-operative.

Oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not a ...

s have been extensively cultivated in the nearby waters of the Baie des Veys since the mid 20th century. A major river, the

Vire Vire () is a town and a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Vire Normandie. Geography The town is located on the river Vire. Much of ...

, passes through the commune.

History

The name of the town is proposed to have derived from Latin "Isiniacum", based on Germanic name "Iso" and Latin ending -iacum. The town is well positioned and owes its significance to its industrial history. The industrialisation of

milk processing Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulati ...

began at the start of the 19th century: many factories were built, especially by the Dupont d'Isigny family, which then diversified and created the famous Isigny caramels. More recently, the co-operative Isigny dairy has dominated. Meanwhile, the agricultural fairs and markets have also contributed to Isigny's reputation. The d'Isigny family traces back to before the Norman conquest of England, and

William The Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, ...

(1028–82) had military commanders named d'Isigny. In 1924 Isigny was renamed Isigny-sur-Mer. The port was important in facilitating inshore navigation, allowing commercial and industrial activity to be developed and maintained (import of wood from the North; export coal from the mine at Littry and butter). Fishing was important until the end of the 1970s (mussel fishing and small vessels crewed by fishermen from the Hogues quarter). The famous "Caïeu d'Isigny" is a hymn to Isigny's sailors and fishermen, created in 1869 by Alfred Rossel (1841–1926). Isigny was more than 60% destroyed by two bombardments on 8 June 1944 and has since been almost entirely rebuilt. Isigny played its part in the D-Day landings: Twenty small Dutch

schuyt A Dutch barge is a traditional flat-bottomed shoal-draught barge, originally used to carry cargo in the shallow '' Zuyder Zee'' and the waterways of Netherlands. There are very many types of Dutch barge, with characteristics determined by regio ...

s were employed by the Americans to bring stores and equipment inland from the larger cargo ships that were moored off-shore. Charles de Gaulle paid its inhabitants visits on 14 June 1944 and 16 June 1946. The

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

surname is derived from the town. the branch settled in what is today called Norton Disney in England. On 1 January 2017 the commune was extended by being merged with the former communes of Castilly,

Neuilly-la-Forêt Neuilly-la-Forêt () is a former commune in the department of Calvados in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Isigny-sur-Mer.Les Oubeaux Les Oubeaux () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the commune Isigny-sur-Mer.Vouilly. Until 2015 Isigny-sur-Mer was the seat of the

canton of Isigny-sur-Mer The canton of Isigny-sur-Mer is a former canton of the Calvados ''département'' in northwestern France. It had 10,172 inhabitants (2012).

, which included 24 communes and had a population of 9,935.

Population

Economy

Isigny is famous for local products made from milk, such as butter and cream and caramels. Several agro-food companies manufacture these products, including Isigny-Sainte-Mère (butter and cream) and Dupont d'Isigny (caramels).

International relations

The commune is twinned with

Weilerbach Weilerbach is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated approximately 11 km north-west of Kaiserslautern. Weilerbach is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality" ...

, . A twinning arrangement with

Kingsbridge Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the ab ...

in Devon, England, ended in 2019 after 58 years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isignysurmer Communes of Calvados (department) Calvados communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia Populated coastal places in France