Isigny-sur-Mer
Encyclopedia
Isigny-sur-Mer is a commune
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 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...

 department in the Basse-Normandie
Basse-Normandie
Lower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...

 region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...

 in northwestern 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...

.

Geography

Positioned at the bottom of the baie des Veys, Isigny is an important milk production area, known for its AOC
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...

 butter and cream, as well as its cheeses (Mimolette
Mimolette
Mimolette is a cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France. In France, it is also known as Boule de Lille after its city of origin, or vieux Hollande for being made after the tradition of Edam cheese from the Dutch province of Holland...

, Pont-l'Évêque
Pont-l'Évêque (cheese)
Pont-l'Évêque is a French cheese, originally manufactured in the area around the commune of Pont-l'Évêque, between Deauville and Lisieux in the Calvados département of Basse-Normandie...

, Camembert
Camembert (cheese)
Camembert is a soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Normandy in northern France.-Production:...

, Trésor d'Isigny, etc.) made by the Isigny Sainte Mère co-operative. Since the second half of the 20th century, oysters have been extensively cultivated nearby in the baie des Veys. A river, the Vire
Vire River
The Vire is a river in Normandy, France whose 128 km course crosses the départements of Calvados and Manche, flowing through the towns of Vire, Saint-Lô and Isigny-sur-Mer, finally flowing out into the English Channel....

, passes through the commune.

History

The town is well positioned and owes its significance to its industrial history. The industrialisation of milk processing began at the start of the 19th century: many factories were built, especially by the Dupont d'Isigny family, which then diversified and created the famous Isigny caramels. More recently, the co-operative Isigny dairy has dominated. Meanwhile, the agricultural fairs and markets have also contributed to Isigny's reputation.

The port, often overlooked, was important in facilitating inshore navigation, allowing commercial and industrial activity to be developed and maintained (import of wood from the North; export coal from the mine at Littry
Le Molay-Littry
Le Molay-Littry is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-History:On January 23, 1969, Le Molay amalgamated with the old commune of Littry to form into Le Molay-Littry, and uses the old Littry INSEE code 14330.Le Molay-Littry is a small Normandy...

 and butter). Fishing was important until the end of the 1970s (mussel fishing and small vessels crewed by fishermen from the Hogues quarter). The famous "Caïeu d'Isigny" is a hymn to Isigny's sailors and fishermen, created in 1869 by Alfred Rossel.

Isigny was more than 60% destroyed by two bombardments on 8 June 1944 and has since been almost entirely rebuilt. Isigny played its part in the D-Day landings: twenty small Dutch coasters, Schuyts, were employed by the Americans to bring stores and equipment inland from the larger cargo ships that were moored off-shore. Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....

 paid its inhabitants visits on 14 June 1944 and 16 June 1946.

The Disney
Disney family
This page describes the family of Elias Disney , the father of Walter Elias "Walt" Disney.The family name, originally d'Isigny , is of Norman French derivation, coming from the canton of Isigny-sur-Mer. The Disneys, among others, descended from Normans who settled in Normandy around the 11th century...

 surname derives from the canton of Isigny. The earliest known ancestor of Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...

, with a similar name, was Jean-Christophe d'Isigny ("of Isigny"). "d'Isigny" was, over the generations, transformed into "Disney".

Population

Administration

Isigny-sur-Mer is the seat of the canton of Isigny-sur-Mer
Canton of Isigny-sur-Mer
The canton of Isigny-sur-Mer is a canton of the Calvados département in northwestern France. Its chief town is Isigny-sur-Mer. Population : 9,455.The canton is made up of 24 communes:* Asnières-en-Bessin* La Cambe* Canchy* Cardonville...

, which includes 24 communes and has a population of 9,935 inhabitants.

The communauté de communes
Communauté de communes
A communauté de communes is a federation of municipalities in France. It forms a framework within which local tasks are carried out together...

 Isigny Grandcamp Intercom includes 21 communes (9,023 inhabitants) of the canton. Asnières-en-Bessin
Asnières-en-Bessin
Asnières-en-Bessin is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

, La Folie
La Folie
La Folie is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

 and Sainte-Marguerite-d'Elle
Sainte-Marguerite-d'Elle
Sainte-Marguerite-d'Elle is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

do not form part of it.
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