Caen

Caen, city in north France, capital of the Calvados Department in Normandy, on the Orne estuary, and linked by canal with the English Channel. It is a seaport, agricultural centre, and a manufacturing city; products include iron and steel, textiles, lace, electronic equipment, and processed food. Much iron ore is mined nearby, and Caen stone (a hard limestone) is extensively quarried in the region.

The city retains several historic buildings despite suffering heavy damage in World War II. Especially noteworthy are two examples of 11th-century Norman Romanesque architecture—the Abbaye-aux-Hommes (Men's Abbey), founded by William the Conqueror, and the Abbaye-aux-Dames (Women's Abbey), founded by William's wife, Matilda. Both have been restored. Other landmarks in Caen include the Church of St Pierre, a chiefly Gothic structure with Renaissance decoration; an 11th-century castle, and a 16th-century château. Also here is the University of Caen, founded in 1432 by the English King Henry VI.

Caen became important in the early 10th century with the founding of the duchy of Normandy. It was a favourite city of William the Conqueror, who was born nearby. Caen was captured and held for a time in 1346 by troops under the English King Edward III, claimant to the French crown. Seized by Henry V in 1417, the city remained under English rule until 1450 when it was retaken by the French. Caen was a Protestant stronghold during the Reformation, and it declined after the revocation in 1685 of the Edict of Nantes, which had assured French Protestants of their rights. During the French Revolution the city was a centre of the Girondin faction, and was the home of the assassin Charlotte Corday. In World War II the Germans resisted the capture of Caen for a considerable time following the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, and much of the city was destroyed in the heavy fighting. Population 109,200 (2005 estimate).