Vieux, Calvados

Vieux
Commune
Roman ruins
Location of Vieux
Vieux Show map of France Vieux Show map of Normandy
Coordinates: 49°06′30″N 0°25′57″W / 49.1083°N 0.4325°W / 49.1083; -0.4325
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Calvados
Arrondissement	Caen
Canton	Évrecy
Intercommunality	Vallées de l'Orne et de l'Odon
Government
• Mayor (2024–2026)	Elodie Pasquet[1]
Area ^1	5.50 km^2 (2.12 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	710
• Density	130/km^2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	14747 /14930
Elevation	25–112 m (82–367 ft) (avg. 93 m or 305 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Vieux (French pronunciation: [vjø] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.

Geography

La Guigne river is the only watercourse to flow through the commune.^[3]

History

The town contains numerous Roman era ruins, as Vieux was a settlement called Aregenua, and appears on the Roman map, Tabula Peutingeriana. Vieux was the Roman capital of the Viducasses Gallic tribe.^[5]

During the Battle of Normandy in 1944, Vieux was designated as Hill 112 position, a strategic point for the Battle of Caen, the area of rue d'Esquay and the Bas de Vieux were badly affected by the allied bombardment of July 6, 1944. The portion of these streets, destroyed at this time are now dated for its name.

Points of interest

• Hill 112 Memorial site - is built in recognition of the 10,000 men who lost their lives in the 10 week battle for this strategically important hill as part of Operation Epsom and Operation Jupiter (1944).^[6][7] The memorial is shared across 3 communes whose borders all meet near the top of the hill, so in addition to Vieux, there is Esquay-Notre-Dame and Fontaine-Étoupefour.^[8][9][10] The memorial features a restored A22 Churchill Mk VII tank a 25-pounder Gun and 112 trees planted to form a cross.^[11]

Museums

• Vieux-la-Romaine is a museum dedicated to showcasing the life in Aregenua and how it evolved over from a Roman capital to a Medieval village.^[12] The Museum contains a Roman Garden, 2 roman houses and a forum.^[12]

National Heritage Sites

The commune has three sites listed as a Monument historique.^[13]

• Archaeological remains The houses of the Vieux-la-Romaine museum were listed as monuments in 1988.^[14]
• Gallo-Roman theater within the Vieux-la-Romaine museum listed as a monument in 1980.^[15]
• Chapelle Saint-Jean-Baptiste-du-Clos thirteenth centaury chapel that was listed as a monument in 1994.^[16]

• 
  Le chemin Haussé.
• 
  Lavoir de la place Saint-Martin
• 
  L'église Saint-Laurent.
• 
  Lavoir prés de church of Saint-Laurent.
• 
  Le lavoir romain des Mareaux.

Population

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 529 —     1800 543 +0.37% 1806 558 +0.46% 1821 546 −0.14% 1831 575 +0.52% 1836 570 −0.17% 1841 580 +0.35% 1846 570 −0.35% 1851 555 −0.53% 1856 538 −0.62% 1861 506 −1.22% 1866 476 −1.21% 1872 477 +0.03% 1876 456 −1.12% 1881 456 +0.00% 1886 410 −2.10% 1891 386 −1.20% 1896 368 −0.95%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 381 +0.70% 1906 400 +0.98% 1911 358 −2.19% 1921 361 +0.08% 1926 362 +0.06% 1931 347 −0.84% 1936 314 −1.98% 1946 283 −1.03% 1954 341 +2.36% 1962 360 +0.68% 1968 398 +1.69% 1975 411 +0.46% 1982 509 +3.10% 1990 671 +3.51% 1999 585 −1.51% 2007 578 −0.15% 2012 715 +4.35% 2017 686 −0.82%
Source: EHESS[17] and INSEE (1968-2017)[18]

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Vieux is twinned with:^[19][20]

• Otterton, England. Since 1976

See also

• Communes of the Calvados department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 12 March 2025.
2. "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
3. Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - La Guigne (I2549000)".
4. "Google Maps". Google Maps.
5. "What is there to see ?". Vieux-la-Romaine. Département du Calvados. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
6. "The Hill 112 Memorial Foundation". www.thehill112.com.
7. "Hill 112 - Vieux - TracesOfWar.com". www.tracesofwar.com.
8. "Preserved Tanks .Com | Locations". preservedtanks.com.
9. "La Cote 112 in VIEUX in Calvados, Normandy".
10. "COMMEMORATION OF THE BATTLE OF HILL 112, 10 TO 12 JULY, NORMANDY - Early Day Motions - UK Parliament". edm.parliament.uk.
11. "THE HILL 112 MEMORIAL FOUNDATION - Charity 1181345". prd-ds-register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk.
12. "Vieux-la-Romaine, musée et sites archéologiques in VIEUX in Calvados, Normandy".
13. "Les Monuments Historiques en Calvados - 14 - Monumentum". monumentum.fr.
14. "Vestiges archéologiques à Vieux - PA00111802". Monumentum.
15. "Théâtre gallo-romain à Vieux - PA00111801". Monumentum.
16. "Chapelle Saint-Jean-Baptiste-du-Clos à Vieux - PA00132686". Monumentum.
17. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Vieux, EHESS (in French).
18. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
19. Ouest-France (20 June 2016). "Vieux. Le jumelage anglais a fêté son 40e anniversaire". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 27 October 2025.
20. "BBC - Devon - Discovering Devon - Home Town - Otterton contd". www.bbc.co.uk.

External links

• Site of the archaeological museum of Vieux-la-Romaine