Ver-sur-Mer | |
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Coordinates: 49°19′55″N 0°31′42″W / 49.3319°N 0.5283°WCoordinates: 49°19′55″N 0°31′42″W / 49.3319°N 0.5283°W | |
Country | France |
Region | Normandy |
Department | Calvados |
Arrondissement | Bayeux |
Canton | Courseulles-sur-Mer |
Intercommunality | Bessin, Seulles et Mer |
Government | |
• Mayor (2014–2020) | Philippe Onillon |
Area1 | 9.01 km2 (3.48 sq mi) |
Population (2014)2 | 1,589 |
• Density | 180/km2 (460/sq mi) |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
INSEE/Postal code | 14739 /14114 |
Elevation | 0–56 m (0–184 ft) (avg. 42 m or 138 ft) |
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. |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Ver-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department and Normandy region of north-western France. It is situated at the eastern end of Gold Beach between Arromanches and Courseulles. The town lies 20 km north-west of Caen and 14 km north-east of Bayeux.
As well as its beach, the village has a bakery, pony club, sailing club, shrimp fishery, small supermarket, tennis court, and youth hostel. It is also home to the America Gold Beach Museum.
Ver-sur-Mer lighthouse, still active today, was built in 1908 on the heights above the beach. During World War II, Canadian troops swiftly seized the lighthouse; however, it was badly damaged and had to be restored after the end of the war. Ver-sur-Mer's church, which was constructed between the 10th and 12th centuries, is dedicated to Saint Martin.
On 1 July 1927, Commander Richard Evelyn Byrd was forced to crash land his plane, America, in the sea off Ver-sur-Mer after his attempt at the first mail-carrying flight across the Atlantic failed.
On 6 June 1944, D-Day, the British 50th Infantry Division landed at Ver-sur-Mer as part of the Normandy Landings invasion, Operation Overlord.