Airan

Airan
Chateau of Coupigny
Airan
Location within Lower Normandy region  Airan
Coordinates: 49°06′07″N 0°09′02″W / 49.1019°N 0.1506°WCoordinates: 49°06′07″N 0°09′02″W / 49.1019°N 0.1506°W
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Calvados
Arrondissement	Caen
Canton	Bouguébus
Intercommunality	Val ès dunes
Government
• Mayor (2008–2020)	Patrice Martin
Area^1	13.5 km^2 (5.2 sq mi)
Population (2010)^2	686
• Density	51/km^2 (130/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	14005 / 14370
Elevation	22–64 m (72–210 ft) (avg. 30 m or 98 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Airan is a French commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of northwestern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Airannais or Airannaises^[1]

Geography

Airan is located some 17 km south-east of Caen and 25 km east by south-east of Lisieux. It can be accessed from the D40 from Vimont in the north-west, passing through the south of the commune and continuing south-east to Vieux-Fumé. The D613 (Route de Paris) also from Vimont passes through the north of the commune and continues east to Crèvecœur-en-Auge. Neither road passes the village which can be accessed by the D47 road from Moult in the west which passes through the village then the heart of the commune before continuing south-east to Cesny-aux-Vignes. There is also the D43 road coming from the north through the village and continuing south to Fierville-Bray. The railway from Caen to Mézidon-Canon passes through the commune from west to east but there is no station in the commune. The nearest station is Bonafini to the west. The commune is quite large in extent and consists almost entirely of farmland with a few small patches of forest. Apart from the village there are also the hamlets of Le Haute-des-Pedouzes, Le Ruel, Valmeray, and Coupigny.^[2]

The Muance river forms part of the western border of the commune before it flows west then north to join the Dives river through a network of canals near Bures-sur-Dives. The Douet also rises in the north of the commune and forms part of the northern border before continuing north to join the Dives near Hernetot.^[2]

Neighbouring communes and villages^[2]

Toponymy

The name is of Continental Germanic origin in an area where such origins are rare (Heidram from the 9th century), possibly a personal name taken from Heidrammus or alternatively the name -ham preceded by an appellative or an unidentified person's name.

History

Archaeological excavations have uncovered the remains of a Merovingian necropolis. There is a legend of the famous Treasure of Airan.

In 1942, the resistance caused two derailments in the commune - on the night of 15 to 16 April and also on 30 April to 1 May. These two derailments left a total of forty dead and fifty wounded German soldiers who were on leave in these trains. Following this Nazi repression was brutal for many hostages: some were shot, others deported.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Airan^[3]

From	To	Name	Party	Position
1850	1862	M. Borgarelli d'Ison		Colonel of Infantry E.R.
1862	1869	Jules Alfred Le Tourneur du Coudray		First Secretary for the Minister of Finance
1869	1903	Stanislas Le Tourneur d'Ison		Attached to the Taxation Administration of France
?	?	Yves le Tourneur d'Ison		Doctor of Juridical Science
1966	1989	Maurice Lecoq		Market gardener
1989	2008	Michel Deuzet	SE	Farmer
2008	2020	Patrice Martin	SE	Bank Officer

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2010 the commune had 686 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.^{[Note 1]}

Population Change (See database)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
574	341	603	548	631	633	631	632	603

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
622	620	586	564	580	539	524	476	458

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
454	471	462	426	451	435	433	423	400

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2010	-
404	358	437	662	740	692	594	686	-

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

• A Water Mill (1682) is typical of the Caen region.^[4]
• The Chateau of Coupigny (18th century)^[5]
• The Chateau of Coupigny Park (18th century)^[6]

Other sites of interest

• Valmeray Tower and its surroundings are classified by DREAL Lower Normandy as an historical monument.^[7] The ruined tower is located in a hamlet near Airan. An old legend tells of a secret passage connecting the tower to the church at Airan. The legend also says that the old bell in gold from the church is hidden in the secret passage. Many people have tried to find it but without success.
• The Alley of Lime Trees along the D43 is also registered with DREAL.^[8]

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Church of Saint Germain (12th century)^[9] has a Romanesque facade.

Picture Gallery

• 

  Valmeray Tower

• 

  The Church of Saint-Germain

• 

  Coupigny Castle

• 

  The Watermill

• 

  The Lavoir (Public laundry) on the Muance river

• 

  Gargoyle on the Church

See also

• Communes of the Calvados department
• Cantons of the Calvados department
• Arrondissements of the Calvados department

External links

• Airan on Lion1906
• Airan on Google Maps
• Airan on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (French)
• Airan on the 1750 Cassini Map
• Airan on the INSEE website (French)
• INSEE (French)

Notes and references

Notes

1. At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 , the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" which allow, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For municipalities with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these municipalities is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

1. Inhabitants of Calvados (French)
2. Google Maps
3. List of Mayors of Airan
4. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00111009 Water Mill (French)
5. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00111007 Chateau of Coupigny (French)
6. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA14003357 Chateau of Coupigny Park (French)
7. DREAL Basse-Normandie (French)
8. DREAL Basse-Normandie (French)
9. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00111008 Church of Saint Germain (French)