Lion-sur-Mer (, literally ''Lion on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department in the

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

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

in northwestern France.

Geography

Lion-sur-Mer is located on 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 ...

, more precisely on the '' Côte de Nacre'' (Mother of Pearl Coast), about North 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 ...

. The beach is made of fine sand and is bordered, to the west, by middle-sized cliffs. The town is served by 2 bus services : line No. 1 of the '' Bus Verts du Calvados'' and line No. 62 of Twisto. A ferry of Brittany Ferries links

Ouistreham Ouistreham () is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy region in northwestern France. Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town borders t ...

(5 km from Lion-sur-Mer) to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

in England.

History

* 6 June 1944 : The

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

of the

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

during World War II. British soldiers landed on the beach of Lion-sur-Mer which was a part of the

Sword Beach Sword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase, Operation Neptune, of Operation Overlord. The Allied invasion of German-occupied Fra ...

sector.

Population

Sights

* The beach, its promenade (''La digue'') and its villas from the beginning of the 20th century Image:Lion-sur-Mer Plage Est.jpg, To the East, the beach with the promenade (in the foreground, the SNSM look-out post) Image:Lion-sur-Mer Digue vue de la plage.jpg, The promenade as seen from the beach Image:Lion-sur-Mer_Plage_Ouest.jpg, To the West, the coast with the cliffes in the background * ''Saint-Pierre'' church (Tower from the 1st half of the 12th century) Image:Lion-sur-Mer_Eglise_Saint-Pierre.jpg, Façade of the church * Lion-sur-Mer castle (Closed to the public) Image:Lion chateau.jpg, Front view of the castle * The "le Castel Louis" or "

la Villa Louis La Villa Louis in Lion-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, was built in 1864 for Pierre Joseph and Elisa Pasquet to be used as a casino. she was musician and piano teatcher, their son modify the building in 1903 to be use as a villa. The French architect J ...

" house (listed building), ancient casino built in 1866–1868 and then transformed in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style. The town is crossed by the

EuroVelo EuroVelo is a network of 17 long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing Europe, with 2 more in early construction across various stages of completion. When completed, the EuroVelo network's total length will be almost . more than were in place. ...

4 track.

Events

* ''"Les terrasses de l'été"'' ("The summer terraces") : about 40 free animations and concerts in July and August. * Flea markets several times per year.

Sport

* Hermanville sporting club (8 tennis clay courts) * Municipal sailing school * Sport complex (Gymnasium, tennis courts and soccer field)

International relations

Lion-sur-Mer is twinned with: * Kiebingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

References

Bibliography

* ''Villas de Lion-sur-Mer et Hermanville-sur-Mer'', Coll. Itinéraires du patrimoine, n°125

External links

Lion sur Mer...Autrefois (Blog featuring old postcards of Lion-sur-Mer)
Communes of Calvados (department) Populated coastal places in France Seaside resorts in France Calvados communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia {{Caen-geo-stub