Caen Attractions

Caen, situated on the river Orne 14km/9mi above its outflow into the Channel, is the chief town of Lower Normandy and the département of Calvados and the seat of a university. Although three-quarters of the town was destroyed during the Allied landings in June-July 1944, it is still, after large-scale reconstruction and with its magnificent churches which were almost entirely unscathed by the war, second only to Rouen as one of the main tourist centers of Normandy. The port to the east of the town is one of the most important in France. Caen also has iron and steel, engineering and electrical industries.

There was originally a Gallo-Roman settlement on the site. Later the town developed into the administrative center of Normandy, ranking alongside Rouen. It first became French in 1204, and was finally incorporated in France in 1450.