Flers, Orne
Encyclopedia
Flers is a commune
in the Orne
department in north-western France
.
The inhabitants are called Flériens.
Flers is bordered to the north by the communes of Saint-Georges-des-Groseillers
and Aubusson
, to the north-east by Ronfeugerai
, to the west by La Lande-Patry
and Saint-Paul, to the south-west by La Chapelle-Biche
, La Chapelle-au-Moine
and Messei
, and to the south-east by La Selle-la-Forge
.
The commune is situated in the north-west of the Orne département, about ten kilometres from the border of the Calvados
.
The commune is crossed by the river Vère which ends in the river Noireau in Pont-Erembourg (commune of Saint-Denis-de-Méré
).
to the Écouves forest, the wettest part of the Orne département, with relatively mild temperatures thanks to its proximity to the English Channel
and the effect of the sea. It benefits from an oceanic climate with mild winters and temperate summers..
toponym Hlaeri, meaning wasteland or common grazing land, while others suggest an origin in the German Fliessen, from the Dutch
vliet or the Latin
fluere latin
Fluere, indicating a waterflow, basin or marsh. Yet another etymology links Flers to the Latin flexus, meaning the bend in a road or river. Finally, the Breton
term fler or flear means bad smell, indicating the stench of stagnant water. All etymologies seem to agree however that the town is named for its topography and the water close to it.
The construction of the castle of Flers began in the 12th century as a fortified location of wood and stone surrounded by water. The chronicles of the Hundred Years War do not mention a fortified place in Flers, revealing that it didn't present a major strategic interest at the time.
, Flers formed a canton in the district of Domfront
, in the Orne département.. The countess of Flers, Jacqueline Le Goué de Richemont, wife of Pierre-François de Paule de La Motte-Ango, supported the counter-revolutionary chouan
s. The castle of Flers became the headquarters of count Louis de Frotté
, one of the leaders of the Normandic Chouannerie
.
Flers has a train station on the line Paris
- Granville
. It has a local bus system for Flers and the surrounding communities, and departmental lines connecting it with other major towns in Orne and Calvados. Flers also has a small airstrip
Maps
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Orne
Orne
Orne is a department in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne.- History :Orne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution, on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Normandy and Perche.- Geography :Orne is in the region of...
department in north-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The inhabitants are called Flériens.
Geography
Saint-Georges-des-Groseillers
Saint-Georges-des-Groseillers is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-References:*...
and Aubusson
Aubusson, Orne
Aubusson, Orne is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France....
, to the north-east by Ronfeugerai
Ronfeugerai
Ronfeugerai is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France....
, to the west by La Lande-Patry
La Lande-Patry
La Lande-Patry is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France....
and Saint-Paul, to the south-west by La Chapelle-Biche
La Chapelle-Biche
La Chapelle-Biche is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France....
, La Chapelle-au-Moine
La Chapelle-au-Moine
La Chapelle-au-Moine is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-References:*...
and Messei
Messei
Messei is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-Heraldry:...
, and to the south-east by La Selle-la-Forge
La Selle-la-Forge
La Selle-la-Forge is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-References:*...
.
The commune is situated in the north-west of the Orne département, about ten kilometres from the border of the Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
.
The commune is crossed by the river Vère which ends in the river Noireau in Pont-Erembourg (commune of Saint-Denis-de-Méré
Saint-Denis-de-Méré
Saint-Denis-de-Méré is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
).
Climate
Flers is part of the region that stretches from the BocageBocage
Bocage is a Norman word which has entered both the French and English languages. It may refer to a small forest, a decorative element of leaves, a terrain of mixed woodland and pasture, or a type of rubble-work, comparable with the English use of 'rustic' in relation to garden...
to the Écouves forest, the wettest part of the Orne département, with relatively mild temperatures thanks to its proximity to the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and the effect of the sea. It benefits from an oceanic climate with mild winters and temperate summers..
History
The first written mentions of Flers appear at the end of the twelfth century as Flers (1164–1179) or Flex (1188–1221). Some authors think that the name of the town derives from the GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
toponym Hlaeri, meaning wasteland or common grazing land, while others suggest an origin in the German Fliessen, from the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
vliet or the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
fluere latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Fluere, indicating a waterflow, basin or marsh. Yet another etymology links Flers to the Latin flexus, meaning the bend in a road or river. Finally, the Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
term fler or flear means bad smell, indicating the stench of stagnant water. All etymologies seem to agree however that the town is named for its topography and the water close to it.
Middle Ages
From the tenth century on, the de Flers family headed a barony. Tradition has it that in the 11th century, the two brothers Foulques d'Aunou and Guillaume de Gasprée married two sisters who were Ladies of Flers. Foulques d'Aunou received as his wedding gift Flers, seat of the barony.The construction of the castle of Flers began in the 12th century as a fortified location of wood and stone surrounded by water. The chronicles of the Hundred Years War do not mention a fortified place in Flers, revealing that it didn't present a major strategic interest at the time.
Construction of the castle
In 1790, in the revolutionary periodFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, Flers formed a canton in the district of Domfront
Domfront, Orne
Domfront is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.Beginning from the strategically sited castle of Domfront, the dispossessed count Henry, youngest son of William the Conqueror, rallied support among local lords and eventually ruled the Anglo-Norman dominions as Henry I of...
, in the Orne département.. The countess of Flers, Jacqueline Le Goué de Richemont, wife of Pierre-François de Paule de La Motte-Ango, supported the counter-revolutionary chouan
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
s. The castle of Flers became the headquarters of count Louis de Frotté
Louis de Frotté
Marie Pierre Louis de Frotté was a French soldier and royalist.De Frotté was born in Alençon. He joined the Royal Army in 1781, and was in command of infantry units by 1789, when the French Revolution broke out...
, one of the leaders of the Normandic Chouannerie
Chouannerie
The Chouannerie was a royalist uprising in twelve of the western departements of France, particularly in the provinces of Brittany and Maine, against the French Revolution, the First French Republic, and even, with its headquarters in London rather than France, for a time, under the Empire...
.
| Year | Owner |
| 1901 | The town buys the castle |
| 1820–1901 | Schnetz family |
| 1806–1820 | de Redern family |
| 1736–1806 | de La Motte-Ango family |
| 1547–1736 | de Pellevé family |
| 1404–1547 | de Grosparmy family |
| 1396–1404 | Guillaume de Tournebu |
| 1320–1396 | Robert III d'Harcourt House of Harcourt The House of Harcourt is a Norman family, descended from the Viking Bernard the Dane and named after its seigneurie of Harcourt in Normandy. Its mottos were "Gesta verbis praeveniant" , "Gesta verbis praevenient" , and "Le bon temps viendra ..... Robert IV d'Harcourt Robert V d'Harcourt |
| 1180–1320 | Foulques d'Aunou Thomas d'Aunou |
| 10th to 12th century | de Flers family |
Industrial Revolution
In 1901, Julien Salles, mayor of Flers, bought the castle for the community.Heraldry
Demographics
Transport
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- Granville
Granville, Manche
-Sights:The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the fifteenth century...
. It has a local bus system for Flers and the surrounding communities, and departmental lines connecting it with other major towns in Orne and Calvados. Flers also has a small airstrip
Monuments and interesting places
The castle, dating back to the 16th and 18th century, houses a museum of ancient and 19th century paintings and sculptures, applied art (furniture and decoration) and local history. Other interesting visits are the early 20th century neo-gothic Saint-Germain church and the 19th century neo-Romanesque Saint-Jean church, and the covered market hall from 19851.Notable people
- Paulette Duhalde (1921–1945), heroine of the resistance, died when deported to Ravensbrück
Born in Flers
- Jean-Pierre BrardJean-Pierre BrardJean-Pierre Brard, , is a French politician.-Biography:Initially a teacher, he entered politics and was elected was deputy mayor of Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis a post he held until 1984, when he was elected mayor of the same city. He remained mayor until March 2008. He has also been a deputy to...
, politician - Tony ChapronTony ChapronTony Chapron is a French football referee.Born in Flers, Orne, Chapron took up refereeing in 1996 in conjunction with his job as an educational advisor. He has been a full-time referee since 1998 and became an international referee in 2007...
, international football (soccer) referee - Gérard LarcherGérard LarcherGérard Larcher is a French politician who was President of the Senate of France from 2008 to 2011. A member of the center-right Union for a Popular Movement, he was a Senator for the Yvelines département from 1986 to 2004 and has been again since 2007.Larcher was born in Flers, Orne to a Catholic...
, secretary - Patrice LecornuPatrice LecornuPatrice Lecornu is a French retired professional football striker.-External links:*...
, professional football (soccer) player - Alain LemercierAlain LemercierAlain Lemercier is a retired male race walker from France, who competed in two consecutive Summer Olympics during his career.-Achievements:-References:*...
, racewalker - Guy MolletGuy MolletGuy Mollet was a French Socialist politician. He led the French Section of the Workers' International party from 1946 to 1969 and was Prime Minister in 1956–1957.-Early life and World War II:...
, politician - François MorelFrançois MorelFrançois Morel is a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and music education. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1994 and was awarded the Prix Denise-Pelletier in 1996...
, comedian, writer and singer
Twin towns
- WarminsterWarminsterWarminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, since 1973 - Poundou, Burkina FasoBurkina FasoBurkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, since 1977 - WunstorfWunstorfWunstorf is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 22 km west of Hanover. The following localities belong to the city of Wunstorf: Blumenau , Bokeloh, Grossenheidorn, Idensen , Klein Heidorn, Kolenfeld, Luthe, Mesmerode, Steinhude, Wunstorf....
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, since 1994
External links
Official local sitesMaps