Panorama over Falaise seen from the castle tower. by Ron Poot

About "Panorama over Falaise seen from the castle tower."

by Ron Poot

About the artwork

Falaise is the birthplace of William the Conqueror. It houses the castle where the Duke of Normandy was born in 1027 and one can also find the fortified walls with gates and towers.
Falaise is a town in Calvados, in the Normandy region, 36 km southeast of Caen.
The Ante, a tributary of the Dives, crosses the city. Its territory lies on the border of the plain of Caen to the north, the Pays d'Auge to the north-east and Normandy Switzerland.
The town developed around its castle built in the tenth century on a rock overlooking the river and on the site of Guibray, to the east, where a sanctuary has been located since the Merovingian era.
Falaise became the capital of the Duchy of Normandy at the beginning of the second millennium and its status was strengthened under the reign of William the Conqueror who was born there in 1027.
After Normandy was annexed to the kingdom of France in 1204, the city retained a rank of choice and until the 14th century, sessions of the treasury (whose functions were those of a court of law and a court of accounts) continued to be held there.
Conquered by Henry IV during the Wars of Religion, the town was badly affected in 1944 during bombings linked to the D-Day landings and when the Allies fought a German counter-offensive there in August (Battle of the Pocket of Falaise).
From this rich past, and despite industrial development, Falaise has retained an exceptional heritage. With about 8,500 inhabitants it is an excellent tourist destination