Thury-Harcourt
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 Thury-Harcourt
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Location within Normandy region
Thury-Harcourt
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| Coordinates: 48°59′02″N 0°28′23″W / 48.984°N 0.4730°WCoordinates: 48°59′02″N 0°28′23″W / 48.984°N 0.4730°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Normandy | |
| Department | Calvados | |
| Arrondissement | Caen | |
| Canton | Thury-Harcourt | |
| Intercommunality | Suisse Normande | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014-2020) | Paul Chandelier | |
| Area1 | 4.90 km2 (1.89 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 1,914 | |
| • Density | 390/km2 (1,000/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 14689 / 14220 | |
| Elevation | 18–156 m (59–512 ft) (avg. 100 m or 330 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Thury-Harcourt is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Le Hom. The town is 24 kilometres (15 mi) south of Caen, in the Orne valley. It is part of Norman Switzerland, which attracts visitors for various sports and outdoor activities with its hilly terrain.
The original name is Thury, but the Marquis of Thury received a benefice from Henry d'Harcourt under the name of the Duke of Harcourt in 1709, requiring a change of name. 75% of the town was destroyed in the Battle of Normandy, in July 1944.
At the local elections of March 2014, the mayor Paul Chandelier was re-elected. The municipal council consists of 19 members, including the mayor and 5 deputy mayors.
In the battles of the Second World War, after the Normandy landings the town was bombed for the first time on 30 June 1944; the château escaped damage. It was during fierce fighting against the British 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division on 13–4 August 1944 that the German forces retreated from the town and set fire to the chateau, which had suffered little damage up to that point. The fire destroyed many public archives, a library of nearly 15,000 volumes, and hundreds of family records.
Thury-Harcourt railway station was destroyed by air strikes in 1944 and reconstructed in the 1950s. The passenger line opened in 1873 and was closed in 1971. Freight service stopped in 1983. A tourist train from Louvigny (close to Caen) to Clécy operated from 1991 to 1994.
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