La Bazoque, Calvados

La Bazoque is a French commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region of north-western France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Bazocains or Bazocaines.

Geography

La Bazoque is located some 13 km east by north-east of Saint-Lô and 20 km south-west of Bayeux. The southern tip of the commune is the departmental border with Manche. Access to the commune is by the D229 from Litteau in the west which passes through the commune and the village and continues west to join the D28 south of Balleroy. The D122B from Litteau passes through the south of the commune and goes east then south towards Montrabot. The D122 road forms the whole western border of the commune. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of La Nellerie, Le Mesnil, La Londe, and Promenant. The commune is entirely farmland.

The Drôme river forms the eastern border of the commune as it flows north to join the Aure just north of Maisons. Several streams, including the Ruisseau de la Bindoure, flow through the commune and join the Drome.

La Bazoque

La Bazoque may refer to:

Calvados

Calvados (French pronunciation: ​[kal.va.dos]) is an apple brandy from the French region of Lower Normandy (Basse-Normandie).

History

In France

Cider is a pan-European beverage that appears outside of the endemic region suitable for the cultivation of grapes. The production of cider is noted by Roman occupiers, and the tradition maintained in the band of western Celtic territories. Records indicate that Charlemagne was instrumental in fostering a culture of orchards and production during his reign - although its status as a key economic driver was not established until the Norman period. By the fifteenth century, cider consumption paralleled that of wine, and the introduction of new apple varietals and processes from Spain further entrenched cider production in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. In the 17th century, the traditional cider farms expanded, but taxation and prohibition of cider brandies were enforced elsewhere than Brittany, Maine, and Normandy. The area known as "Calvados" was created after the French Revolution, but eau de vie de cidre was already called calvados in common usage. In the 19th century, output increased with industrial distillation and the working class fashion for café-calva. When a phylloxera outbreak in the last quarter of the 19th century devastated the vineyards of France and Europe, calvados experienced a "golden age". During World War I, cider brandy was requisitioned for use in armaments due to its alcohol content. The appellation contrôlée regulations officially gave calvados a protected name in 1942. After the war, many cider houses and distilleries were reconstructed, mainly in the Pays d'Auge. Many of the traditional farmhouse structures were replaced by modern agriculture with high output. The Calvados appellation system was revised in 1984 and 1996. Pommeau got its recognition in 1991; in 1997, an appellation for Domfront with 30% pears was created.

Calvados (department)

Calvados (French pronunciation: ​[kal.va.dos]; English /ˈkælvədoʊs/) is a department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast.

History

Calvados is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from a part of the former province of Normandy. The name "Orne inférieure" was originally proposed for the department, but it was ultimately decided to call the area Calvados after a group of rocks off its coast.

One popular legend ascribes its etymology to the Salvador, a ship from the Spanish Armada that sank by the rocks near Arromanches-les-bains in 1588. It is more likely, however, that the name Calvados was derived from calva dorsa, meaning bare backs, in reference to two sparsely vegetated rocks off its shore.

After the allied victory at Waterloo the department was occupied by Prussian troops between June 1815 and November 1818.

On 6 June 1944, the Allied forces landed on the beaches of the Bay of the Seine in what became known as the Battle of Normandy.