Located at the heart of the hilly Pays d'Auge, well known for its landscape of pastures, Chambois is the ideal place to discover all Normandy, as it is very central. The village is at the same distance from the D-Day beaches than from the "Norman Swiss".

     The keep which dominates the house and the church was built in the XIIth century. Around Chambois, several other buildings and villages show the importance of History in this part of Normandy. In Exmes (6 miles/ 8 km) you still can admire the old fortress which once protected the country. Falaise (14 miles/18 km) is William the Conqueror's birthplace. William moved later to Caen, then conquered England in 1066.
     Closer to our time, during the Second World War, Chambois was the theatre of a fierce battle, the epilogue of the Battle of Falaise. After having successfully landed on Normand beaches during D-Day, 6th june 1944, 50 miles away, the Allied forces forced the German back to Falaise and Chambois, and almost surrounded them : on the hills surrounding Chambois were posted the British, Canadian, and Polish division. The only escape for the Wehrmacht vehicles was the bridge of the la Dive, which appeared to be... a footbridge ! the whole German Corp then tried to escape the trap through a narrow country road where Allied bombers destroyed it on the "Corridor of Death", were 50000 german soldiers died on a single week. Today, it's hard to imagine such a battle on this peaceful Norman road.

Camembert: :

     Camember is a lovely little village perched on a hill in the fertile Auge area, overlooking the Viette river. It consists in half-timbered houses gathered around the church. The village’s origin date back to the Carolingian times, and it appears in Church archives in the 16th century under the name of “Campo Mauberti”. The further generations of inhabitants changed this name into “Camembert”. A woman from the village, Marie Harel received the “secret” of the cheese making from a priest during the French Revolution, and turned it into the most popular cheese of the country !

The "haras (Stud) du Pin" : The Versailles of the horses

     Created in the 18th century at the initiative of Louis XIV, the haras du Pin is probably the most beautiful national Stud in France. Perched on a hill at the heart of the Argentan country, the building and its 1200 ha domain are listed in France historical monument. Once there, you can admire the famous wrought iron gate decorated with a spectacular golden horse head and a ensemble of stables forming a horseshoe, as requested by Colbert, then the King’s Minister.

Caen memorial:

     Caen memorial is a permanent exhibition of the last century encompassing the end of the last century. After WWII, the visitor continues its journey throughout the Cold War, the end of the Colonial Era, Communist China, the building of Europe. The memorial also displays an analysis on the mechanism of Peace and ends up as an observatory of the Planet. The memorial invites every visitor to become a “world discoverer”, to think about Peace issues and be an actor of his century.

Montormel memorial:

     Overlooking an exceptional site, it commemorates the fierce battles of the Falaise-Chambois pocket last combats, which put an end to the Battle of Normandy on August 21, 1944