Ranville: Holiday apartments and holiday homes
The Pegasus Memorial in Ranville is dedicated to the men of the 6th Airborne Division who fought in the Battle of Normandy from June to September 1944. Several hundred authentic objects and documents connected with the history of this period are displayed there.
Anyone considering Ranville as a holiday destination will want to rent a holiday apartment here.
Culture and history
The Ranville War Cemetery is the final resting place of 2,564 soldiers: 2,152 British, 76 Canadian, 3 New Zealanders, 2 Australians, 5 French, 1 Pole, 1 Belgian, 322 German and 2 unidentified soldiers. After the cemetery in Bayeux, the military cemetery in Ranville is the most significant when measured by the number of graves. The churchyard in Ranville also contains the grave of Private Brotheridge, who is considered to have been the first English soldier killed on Norman soil.
The bell tower in Ranville is the last surviving evidence of a medieval church and stands on a hill. The Grange aux Dîmes also points to the older history of the municipality: until the French Revolution, it was used to store the tithe, which was levied mainly on agricultural produce and collected by the Catholic Church. At the same time, it formed part of a group of two significant farmhouses that survived over the centuries and are probably among the oldest buildings in the municipality of Ranville today.
Connected with the military history of the surrounding area is the capture of the bridge over the Orne at Ranville and the bridge over the Caen Canal at Bénouville. It is considered the airborne division’s most famous mission.
Routes and activities
In Ranville, there is a footpath connecting the Pegasus Memorial with the military cemetery. The Ranville tourist trail invites visitors to explore the municipality’s various hamlets.
The “L’écho des pierres” circular trail follows the Orne to the quarries and describes Ranville stone as limestone from the Middle Jurassic, formed around 162 million years ago. The guided activity “D-DAY: objectif Ranville” focuses on the events of 6 June 1944 and the Normandy landings.
For the overarching travel overview: Calvados.
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