Villers-Bocage, Calvados

Villers-Bocage (French pronunciation: [vilɛʁ bɔkaʒ] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in Northern France.

Villers-Bocage
Commune
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Villers-Bocage
Villers-Bocage Show map of France Villers-Bocage Show map of Normandy
Coordinates: 49°05′N 0°40′W
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Calvados
Arrondissement	Vire
Canton	Les Monts d'Aunay
Intercommunality	Pré-Bocage Intercom
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Stéphanie Leberrurier[1]
Area 1	5.76 km2 (2.22 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	3,113
• Density	540/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	14752 /14310
Elevation	95–217 m (312–712 ft) (avg. 170 m or 560 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

Second World War

The Battle of Villers-Bocage was a significant battle between British and German forces on 13 June 1944 during the Battle of Normandy.^[3] Further fighting occurred two weeks later during Operation Epsom, during which the village was destroyed by 250 RAF heavy bombers.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 1,121 —     1800 1,010 −1.48% 1806 1,223 +3.24% 1821 1,177 −0.26% 1831 1,178 +0.01% 1836 1,178 +0.00% 1841 1,146 −0.55% 1846 1,134 −0.21% 1851 1,127 −0.12% 1856 1,105 −0.39% 1861 1,156 +0.91% 1866 1,155 −0.02% 1872 1,147 −0.12% 1876 1,139 −0.17% 1881 1,084 −0.98% 1886 1,147 +1.14% 1891 1,057 −1.62% 1896 1,104 +0.87%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 1,047 −1.05% 1906 1,073 +0.49% 1911 1,141 +1.24% 1921 1,039 −0.93% 1926 1,060 +0.40% 1931 1,093 +0.62% 1936 1,202 +1.92% 1946 743 −4.70% 1954 1,431 +8.54% 1962 1,825 +3.09% 1968 1,985 +1.41% 1975 2,317 +2.23% 1982 2,623 +1.79% 1990 2,845 +1.02% 1999 2,904 +0.23% 2007 2,894 −0.04% 2012 3,072 +1.20% 2017 3,108 +0.23%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

International relations

The commune is twinned with:

• Bampton, Devon, UK since 1974

See also

• Communes of the Calvados department