.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (December 2008) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the French article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at [[:fr:Villers-sur-Mer]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template ((Translated|fr|Villers-sur-Mer)) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Villers-sur-Mer
Casino
Casino
Coat of arms of Villers-sur-Mer
Location of Villers-sur-Mer
Map
Villers-sur-Mer is located in France
Villers-sur-Mer
Villers-sur-Mer
Villers-sur-Mer is located in Normandy
Villers-sur-Mer
Villers-sur-Mer
Coordinates: 49°19′17″N 0°00′18″W / 49.3214°N 0.005°W / 49.3214; -0.005
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentCalvados
ArrondissementLisieux
CantonPont-l'Évêque
IntercommunalityCœur Côte Fleurie
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Thierry Granturco[1]
Area
1
8.99 km2 (3.47 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
2,469
 • Density270/km2 (710/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
14754 /14640
Elevation3–136 m (9.8–446.2 ft)
(avg. 38 m or 125 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Villers-sur-Mer (French pronunciation: [vilɛʁ syʁ mɛʁ] ) is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy, northwestern France, with a population of 2,644 as of 2017.[3]

Geography

The commune is located on the French coast of the English Channel, on the Côte Fleurie, between Deauville and Houlgate, approximately 200 km from Paris.

It is the northernmost French commune through which falls the Prime meridian. The latter is represented on the seafront promenade with a blue mark on the ground and on the parapet. This mark is positioned 32 metres west of the actual meridian in use today, the IERS Reference Meridian.

History

It seems that Villers-sur-Mer (then known as Villers) was more akin to a group of hamlets[4] during the early 19th century. According to the Cassini map (drawn in the 18th century), Villers at that time is made up of a church, two farms (La Motte and Fontaine), and a castle.[5]

Population

The town had a population of 2,644 in 2017, posting a growth of just under 50 residents between then and 2007.[3]

Sights

Railway station
Topiary dinosaurs address the sea

Villers-sur-Mer is known for the large topiary dinosaurs facing the sea from the garden of the office of tourism. In certain years, a baby dinosaur is added to the garden. It is the starting point of the Vaches Noires cliffs – a site where many fossils have been discovered. There is a small museum in the enclosure of the office of tourism, which has an outline of the resources and discoveries. It is a place widely known by specialists in the ammonites and other fossils.

Curiosity

On the beach of Villers-sur-Mer (last stretch of rue Alfred Feine), the famous last scene of the first film by François Truffaut was shot: Les Quatre Cent Coups ends with a freeze frame of its boy hero running towards the sea.

Transportation

Villers-sur-Mer station is on the line from Deauville to Dives-sur-Mer. The station building is no longer open but train services operate year-round on weekends, and also on weekdays during the summer.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  4. ^ "Le Villare Espace associatif et Culturel | Les lettres de Villers". www.levillare-villerssurmer.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Géoportail". www.geoportail.gouv.fr.ignipq.local.oshimae.rie.agri. Retrieved 12 February 2019.