Lion-sur-Mer

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Commune in Normandy, France

Coat of arms

Location of Lion-sur-Mer

(2024–2026) Magali Saint^[1]Area

4.75 km² (1.83 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

2,521 • Density530/km² (1,400/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

14365 /14780

Elevation0–30 m (0–98 ft)
(avg. 6 m or 20 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Lion-sur-Mer (French pronunciation: [ljɔ̃ syʁ mɛʁ] ^ⓘ, literally Lion on Sea) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.

Geography

Lion-sur-Mer is located on the edge of the English Channel, more precisely on the Côte de Nacre (Mother of Pearl Coast), about 15 km (9.3 mi) North of Caen.

The beach is made of fine sand and is bordered, to the west, by middle-sized cliffs.

The town is served by 2 bus services : line No. 1 of the Bus Verts du Calvados and line No. 62 of Twisto. A ferry of Brittany Ferries links Ouistreham (5 km from Lion-sur-Mer) to Portsmouth in England.

History

6 June 1944 : The D-Day of the Battle of Normandy during World War II. British soldiers landed on the beach of Lion-sur-Mer which was a part of the Sword Beach sector.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,613	—
1975	1,748	+1.15%
1982	1,823	+0.60%
1990	2,086	+1.70%
1999	2,401	+1.57%
2007	2,569	+0.85%
2012	2,568	−0.01%
2017	2,461	−0.85%
Source: INSEE^[3]

Sights

The beach, its promenade (La digue) and its villas from the beginning of the 20th century

To the East, the beach with the promenade (in the foreground, the SNSM look-out post)
The promenade as seen from the beach
To the West, the coast with the cliffes in the background

Saint-Pierre church (Tower from the 1st half of the 12th century)

Façade of the church

Lion-sur-Mer castle (Closed to the public)

Front view of the castle

The "le Castel Louis" or "la Villa Louis" house (listed building), ancient casino built in 1866–1868 and then transformed in the art nouveau style.

The town is crossed by the EuroVelo 4 track.

Events

"Les terrasses de l'été" ("The summer terraces") : about 40 free animations and concerts in July and August.
Flea markets several times per year.

Sport

Hermanville sporting club (8 tennis clay courts)
Municipal sailing school
Sport complex (Gymnasium, tennis courts and soccer field)

International relations

Lion-sur-Mer is twinned with:

Kiebingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 16 April 2024.
^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE