Écouché-les-Vallées

Écouché-les-Vallées
Commune
The church in Écouché
The church in Écouché
Location of Écouché-les-Vallées
Map
Écouché-les-Vallées is located in France
Écouché-les-Vallées
Écouché-les-Vallées
Écouché-les-Vallées is located in Normandy
Écouché-les-Vallées
Écouché-les-Vallées
Coordinates: 48°43′05″N 0°07′30″W / 48.718°N 0.125°W / 48.718; -0.125
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentOrne
ArrondissementArgentan
CantonMagny-le-Désert
IntercommunalityTerres d'Argentan Interco
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Alain Lolivier[1]
Area
1
41.23 km2 (15.92 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
2,197
 • Density53/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
61153 /61150
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Écouché-les-Vallées (French pronunciation: [ekuʃe le vale]) is a commune in the department of Orne, northwestern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 by merger of the former communes of Batilly, La Courbe, Écouché (the seat), Loucé, Saint-Ouen-sur-Maire and Serans.[3] On 1 January 2018, the former commune of Fontenai-sur-Orne was merged into Écouché-les-Vallées.[4] It's seat, Écouché, is classed as a Petites Cités de Caractère.[5]

Geography

The commune is made up of the following collection of villages and hamlets: La Courbe, Mesnil-Glaise, Le Haut du Château, Batilly, Treize Saints, L'Être Hubert, Saint-Ouen-sur-Maire, Serans, Écouché, Méheudin, Loucé, Noiseville, Le Hamel and Fontenai-sur-Orne.

The parts of the commune that contains Batilly and La Courbe is part of the area known as Suisse Normande.[6]

Écouché-les-Vallées along with another 69 communes is part of a 20,593 hectare, Natura 2000 conservation area, called the Haute vallée de l'Orne et affluents.[7]

The Commune has 5 rivers running through it with another 6 streams. The five rivers are the Orne, Maire, Baize, Cance and Udon.[8] The 6 streams are the Chalau, Commune, Barbottiere, Vloger and Aunais.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 2,218—    
1975 2,245+0.17%
1982 2,291+0.29%
1990 2,298+0.04%
1999 2,284−0.07%
2007 2,303+0.10%
2012 2,218−0.75%
2017 2,169−0.45%
Source: INSEE[9]

Notable buildings and places

  • Parc de Sculptures de l'Atelier Balias is a 4 Hectare garden that is open to the public. It features over 55 statues today and was created in 1825.[10][11]
  • Gardens of Méheudin. is a 2 ha garden and Arboretum in Écouché.[12] The Garden was started in 1978 and features over 300 types of trees and ornamental shrubs.[13]

National heritage sites

The Commune has 5 buildings and areas listed as a Monument historique.

  • Lower grounds of la Courbe a barred spur from a Protohistory site.[14]
  • Upper Castle grounds a Protohistory site that still has remains of the ditches and embankments used for the castle.[15]
  • la Queurie Lodge a 15th century manor in La Courbe.[16]
  • Notre Dame Church a 13th century church in Ecouché.[17]
  • Loucé Church a 12th century church in Loucé.[18]

Notable People

Twin town

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Transport

The commune has a Railway station in Écouché, that was opened in 1866 and serves part of the Argentan to Granville line.[21]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Écouché-les-Vallées.
  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Arrêté préfectoral 26 October 2015 (in French)
  4. ^ Arrêté préfectoral 15 December 2017 (in French)
  5. ^ HOUDOU, Gérard (17 July 2023). "Connaissez-vous les Petites Cités de Caractère de l'Orne ?". Ouest-France.fr.
  6. ^ "Map of Suisse Normande" (PDF).
  7. ^ "INPN - FSD Natura 2000 - FR2500099 - Haute vallée de l'Orne et affluents - Description".
  8. ^ Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - L'Orne (I2--0200)".
  9. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  10. ^ "Parc de Sculptures de l'Atelier Balias à Ecouché (61)". www.jardinez.com.
  11. ^ "À 19 ans, il porte sur ses épaules l'atelier Balias". Ouest-France.fr. 26 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Les jardins vous ouvrent leurs portes". Ouest-France.fr. 31 May 2013.
  13. ^ "PARC ET JARDINS DE MÉHEUDIN - Comité des Parcs et Jardins de France". www.parcsetjardins.fr.
  14. ^ "Camp du Bas de la Courbe (éperon barré) à La Courbe - PA00110783". monumentum.fr.
  15. ^ "Camp du Haut du Château à La Courbe - PA00110784". monumentum.fr.
  16. ^ "Logis de la Queurie à La Courbe - PA00110785". monumentum.fr.
  17. ^ "Eglise Notre-Dame à Ecouché - PA00110798". monumentum.fr.
  18. ^ "Eglise à Loucé - PA00110983". monumentum.fr.
  19. ^ Nicolas Ginsburger. "ANDRÉ CHÉRADAME ET L'ÉMERGENCE D'UNE CARTOGRAPHIE GÉOPOLITIQUE DE GUERRE EN 1916" (PDF). lecfc.fr.
  20. ^ "Jumelage - Commune d'Écouché-les-Vallées - Site officiel". www.ecouchelesvallees.fr.
  21. ^ "Toutes les infos de la gare SNCF Écouché". Infos Gare.
  1. ^ "Écouché-les-Vallées · France". Écouché-les-Vallées · France.