Briouze

Commune in Normandy, France

(2020–2026) Jacques Fortis^[1]Area17.15 km² (6.62 sq mi)Population1,513 • Density88/km² (230/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal codeElevation197–254 m (646–833 ft)
(avg. 212 m or 696 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Briouze (French pronunciation: [bʁijuz] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the Orne department of Normandy in northwestern France. It is considered the capital of the pays d'Houlme at the western end of the Orne in the Norman bocage.^[3]

William de Braose, First Lord of Bramber (Guillaume de Briouze) was granted lands in England after the Norman conquest and used his wealth to build a priory in his home town.

The name Briouze probably comes from an older Norman form of the word "boue", or "mud".

Geography

The commune is made up of the following collection of villages and hamlets, La Bougonnière,La Grivagère, Saint-Gervais and Briouze.^[4]

The commune has 9 watercourses running through it, the rivers Rouvre and the Val du Breuil, plus 7 streams. The seven streams are known as the Maufy, the Roussieres, la Haie, the Arthan, la Prevostiere, the Lange and la Source Philippe.

Briouze also has the largest marsh in the Orne department, at 167.41 Ha, called the Grand-Hazé.^[5]

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,685	—
1975	1,703	+0.15%
1982	1,690	−0.11%
1990	1,658	−0.24%
1999	1,620	−0.26%
2009	1,599	−0.13%
2014	1,541	−0.74%
2020	1,510	−0.34%
Source: INSEE[6]

Heraldry

The arms of Briouze are blazoned : Azure, in base 2 clasped hands Or, and in chief a bird argent on waves couped sable from which issue reeds argent; all within a bordure argent semy of lozenges gules and ermine spots sable.

Transport

Briouze station has rail connections to Argentan, Paris and Granville.^[7]

Notable buildings and places

Grand-Hazé is a 500 acres of Marshland that has been under the protection of the Natura 2000 since 2002.^[8][5] The Marshland features Camargue horses and Highland cattle.^[9]

National heritage sites

• Saint-Gervais Chapel is an eleventh century chapel built between 1080 and 1093 by Guillaume de Briouze.^[10] It was listed as a Monument historique in 1975.^[11]

• 
  Chapel of Saint-Gervais
• 
  Briouze Church
• 
  Chapel of the community of the Sisters of Notre-Dame de Briouze
• 
  Briouze station

Notable People

• William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber (died 1093-1096) lord of Briouze.^[12]
• Foulques du Merle - (1239 - 1314) was Seigneur of Gacé and Bellou-en-Houlme, and Baron of Le Merlerault, Briouze and Messei.^[13]
• Alexandre Bisson - (1848 - 1912) French playwright, vaudeville creator, and novelist was born here.^[14]

Twin towns – sister cities

Briouze is twinned with:^[15]

• Beverungen, Germany

See also

• Communes of the Orne department

References