Caen

As home to one of France’s oldest universities, the poet François de Malherbe and the resting place of William the Conqueror, Caen is a Norman city with strong, fascinating roots. Its location relative to Paris and to many of the must-see sights in this part of Normandy makes it a great base for visitors. Seeing Caen’s historical buildings and churches, some dating back to the 14th century, makes their destruction in the 1944 Allied bombings all the more tragic. At the same time, however, it highlights the incredible sense of integration and continuity that ruled the reconstruction of Caen after the conclusion of WWII.