The following is a timeline of the

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

of the city 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 ...

, France.

Prior to 19th century

* 912 – Caen becomes western capital 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 ...

. * 1060 –

Château de Caen The Château de Caen is a castle in the Norman city of Caen in the Calvados ''département'' (Normandy). It has been officially classed as a ''Monument historique'' since 1997. History The castle was built by William the Conqueror (William of ...

(castle) built by

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 ...

(approximate date). * 1063 -

Abbey of Saint-Étienne, Caen The Abbey of Saint-Étienne, also known as Abbaye aux Hommes (, "Men's Abbey") by contrast with the Abbaye aux Dames ("Ladies' Abbey"), is a former Benedictine monastery in the French city of Caen, Normandy, dedicated to Saint Stephen. It was fo ...

founded by

. * 1077 – consecrated. * 1087 – Burial of

. * 1314 – Public clock installed. * 1346 –

Battle of Caen (1346) The Battle of Caen was an assault conducted on 26 July 1346 by forces from the Kingdom of England, led by King Edward III, on the French-held town of Caen and Normandy as a part of the Hundred Years' War. The assault was part of the Chev ...

. * 1417 –

Siege of Caen (1417) A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

by English forces. * 1432 –

University of Caen Normandy The University of Caen Normandy (French: ''Université de Caen Normandie''), also known as Unicaen, is a public university in Caen, France. History The institution was founded in 1432 by John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, the first rector ...

founded by

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 ...

. * 1450 –

Siege of Caen (1450) The siege of Caen took place in 1450 during the Hundred Years War when French forces laid siege to Caen in the English-controlled Normandy following their decisive victory at the Battle of Formigny. After Formigny, the remnants of the English ...

; French in power. * 1460s – (residence) construction begins. * 1480 –

Printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in whi ...

in operation. * 1527 – (mansion) built (approximate date). * 1540 – (mansion) built. * 1652 –

Académie des Sciences, Arts et Belles-Lettres de Caen The Académie des Sciences, Arts et Belles-Lettres de Caen was founded in Caen (Normandy) by Jacques Moisant de Brieux in 1652. The Académie de Caen was the first academy of literature to be founded in France, after the French Academy. It also w ...

founded. * 1710 – (mansion) construction begins (approximate date). * 1736 – Jardin des plantes de Caen (garden) established. * 1790 – Caen becomes part of the

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

souveraineté. * 1793 ** Agitation by the

Girondins The Girondins (, ), also called Girondists, were a political group during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnards, they initiall ...

. ** Population: 34,805. * 1796 – established.

19th century

* 1809 –

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen is a fine arts museum in the French city of Caen, founded at the start of the 19th century and rebuilt in 1971 within the château de Caen, ducal château. History Opening On September 1, 1801, the Minister o ...

and open. * 1820 – Société de médecine de Caen (medical society) founded. * 1821 – established. * 1823 – (learned society) founded. * 1824 – (historical society) founded. * 1828 – ''Journal de Caen et de la Normandie'' newspaper begins publication.^{( fr)} * 1843 – Paris-Caen railway begins operating. * 1855 - (art society) founded. * 1857 **

Caen Canal Canal de Caen à la Mer (; , also called the "Caen Canal") is a short canal in the department (préfecture) of Calvados, France, connecting the Port of Caen, in the city of Caen, downstream to the town of Ouistreham and the English Channel. R ...

opens. **

Gare de Caen Caen, ''Gare de l'Ouest'' or ''Gare Calvados'', is the main and now only station serving the city of Caen, Normandy, France. The station stands on the main line from Paris to Cherbourg and although it mainly is an intercity station many regional ...

opens **

Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway The railway from Mantes-la-Jolie to Cherbourg is an important French 228-kilometre long railway line, that connects Mantes-la-Jolie, a western suburb of Paris, with the northwestern port city Cherbourg via Caen. At Mantes-la-Jolie, the railway l ...

begins operating. * 1860 – built. * 1875 ** Compagnie du chemin de fer de Caen à la mer railway begins operating. ** Gare de Caen Saint-Martin (rail station) opens. * 1886 – Population: 43,809.

20th century

* 1901 –

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 ...

begins operating. * 1911 – Population: 46,934. * 1913 –

Stade Malherbe Caen Stade Malherbe Caen (; commonly known as SM Caen, Malherbe, or simply Caen) is a Football in France, French professional football team, based in the city of Caen in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, that competes in the Championnat Na ...

association football club formed. * 1925 –

Stade de Venoix Stade de Venoix was a multi-use stadium in Caen, France. It was initially used as the stadium of SM Caen matches. It was replaced by the current Stade Michel d'Ornano Stade Michel d'Ornano is a multi-use stadium in Caen, France. It is curre ...

(stadium) opens. * 1934 –

(railway station) rebuilt. * 1939 – Military established. * 1940 –

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

begins. * 1944 ** June–August:

Battle for Caen The Battle for Caen (June to August 1944) was a military engagement between the British Second Army and the German in the Second World War for control of the city of Caen and its vicinity during the Battle of Normandy. Caen is about inland f ...

fought, during 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 ...

. ** 19 July: German forces ousted from city. * 1945 – begins. ** Yves Guillou becomes mayor * 1954 – Population: 67,851. * 1959 –

Jean-Marie Louvel Jean-Marie Louvel (; 1 July 1900 – 13 June 1970) was a French engineer and politician. He was born in La Ferté-Macé and died in Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the ...

becomes mayor. * 1961 –

Lycée Malherbe The Lycée Malherbe is a secondary school in Caen, France. History Since its foundation, Caen has always been an important cultural centre. The University of Caen was founded in 1432. Early 19th century, the Abbaye-aux-Hommes became the seat of ...

built. * 1962 ** (

Lycée In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

) opens in neighborhood. ** Caen twinned with

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

, Germany. * 1965 – Hôtel de Ville moves into the Abbey of Saint-Étienne building. * 1967 – Civilian

Caen – Carpiquet Airport Caen (; ; ) is a commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Jean-Marie Girault becomes mayor. * 1973 –

Canton of Caen-1 The canton of Caen-1 is an administrative division of the Calvados department, northwestern France. Its borders were modified at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Caen. Composition It consist ...

, 2, 3, 4, 5, and created. * 1982 – Orchestre Régional de Basse-Normandie established in nearby Mondeville. * 1986 – opens. * 1987 – Caen twinned with

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 ...

, United Kingdom. * 1988 –

Mémorial de Caen The Mémorial de Caen is a museum and war memorial in Caen, Normandy, France commemorating World War II and the Battle for Caen. More generally, the museum is dedicated to the history of the twentieth century, mainly focused on the fragility of ...

opens. * 1991 – Caen twinned with

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

and

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, USA. * 1992 – Caen twinned with

Thiès Thiès (; ; Noon language, Noon: ''Chess'') is the third largest city in Senegal with a population of 391,253 in 2023. It lies east of Dakar on the N2 road (Senegal), N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and Saint-Louis, ...

, Senegal. * 1993 –

Stade Michel d'Ornano Stade Michel d'Ornano is a multi-use stadium in Caen, France. It is currently used mostly for Association football, football matches and is the home stadium of Stade Malherbe Caen. It is named after the French politician Michel d'Ornano (1924– ...

(stadium) opens. * 1999 – Population: 113,987.

21st century

* 2001 – Brigitte Le Brethon becomes

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 ...

* 2002 –

Caen Guided Light Transit The Caen guided light transit or Caen ''TVR'', locally known as "the Tram", was an electrically powered guided bus system in Caen, France, which used Bombardier Guided Light Transit (''TVR'' in French) technology. After a construction time last ...

(

TVR TVR Electric Vehicles Limited is a British manufacturer of sports cars. The company manufactures lightweight sports cars with powerful engines and was, at one time, the third-largest specialised sports car manufacturer in the world, offering ...

) begins operating. * 2008 –

Philippe Duron Philippe Duron (born 19 June 1947) is a French politician. He was the mayor of Caen between 2008 and 2014 and deputy for Calvados's 1st constituency. Philippe Duron received a degree in history in 1975 and was a teacher in Lisieux and the ...

becomes mayor * 2012 – Population: 108,365. * 2014 –

Joël Bruneau Joël Bruneau (born 7 September 1963) is a French politician, List of mayors of Caen, mayor of Caen between 2014 and 2024. He was reelected in 2020 Caen municipal election, 2020. He is a Deputy (France), Deputy for the Calvados's 1st constituen ...

becomes mayor. * 2015 – December: held. * 2016 – Caen becomes part of

. * 2017 – Caen Guided Light Transit ends operating. * 2019 –

Caen tramway The Caen tramway () is a tram in the city of Caen, France. The tram opened on 27 July 2019 and replaced the Caen Guided Light Transit (TVR) that closed in December 2017. The tramway uses the same route as the TVR, with a short new branch to Pre ...

begins operating. * 2024 –

Aristide Olivier Aristide Olivier (born 26 September 1981) is a French politician serving as mayor of Caen since 2024. He has been a member of the Regional Council of Normandy The Regional Council of Normandy () is the executive body for the French Region of ...

becomes mayor

References

''This article incorporates information from the

French Wikipedia The French Wikipedia () is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has :fr:Special:Statistics, encyclopedia artic ...

.''

Bibliography

in English

* * * * * * *

in French

* * * * * * * * * * *

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). {{France year nav *

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 ...