Villedieu-les-Poêles
| Villedieu-les-Poêles | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Villedieu-les-Poêles
|
|
|
Location within Normandy region
Villedieu-les-Poêles
|
|
| Coordinates: 48°50′N 1°13′W / 48.84°N 1.22°WCoordinates: 48°50′N 1°13′W / 48.84°N 1.22°W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Manche |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Lô |
| Canton | Villedieu-les-Poêles |
| Intercommunality | Villedieu Intercom |
| Area1 | 8.05 km2 (3.11 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)2 | 3,920 |
| • Density | 490/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 50639 / 50800 |
|
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.
Villedieu-les-Poêles is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny.
Its inhabitants are called Sourdins from the French sourd meaning deaf. Most of the people involved in the manufacturing of copper pans, which involved repeated hammering, became deaf.
Pont-Farcy lies to the east, Saint-Lô to the north, Vire to the South-East and Granville to the west.
It is traditionally a centre of metal-work, especially the brass and copper pans and basins from which the poêles in its name derives. It is also famous for its artisanal manufacture of large church bells, which was started by immigrants from Lorraine around 1780.
In addition to metal-work, current industries are a slaughterhouse and a cheese factory. Tourism now plays a large part in the local economy. Villedieu also provides services for the surrounding countryside, such as a hospital and a retirement home.
Villedieu owes its name to the religious order Knights Hospitaller, that later became the Knights of Malta. Henry I, King of England and Duke of Normandy, granted Villedieu to this order in the 12th century. Low taxes and good administration attracted people to Villedieu. Advanced coppersmithing technology was presumably imported from the Middle East by the Knights. By the early 14th century, the Corporation of the Coppersmiths of Villedieu was officially recognized by the Kings of France.
...
Wikipedia