Lonrai

Commune in Normandy, France

Location of Lonrai

(2020–2026) Sylvain Launay^[1]Area

6.14 km² (2.37 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

1,105 • Density180/km² (470/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

61234 /61250

Elevation141–167 m (463–548 ft)
(avg. 160 m or 520 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Lonrai (French pronunciation: [lɔ̃ʁɛ] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.

World War II

After the liberation of the area by Allied Forces in August 1944, engineers of the Ninth Air Force IX Engineering Command began construction of a combat Advanced Landing Ground outside of the town. Declared operational on 3 September, the airfield was designated as "A-45", it was used by several combat units until November when the units moved into Central France. Afterward, the airfield was closed.^[3]^[4]

Points of interest

National heritage sites

Domaine de Lonrai, the estate was created in the seventeenth century, it was registered as a Monument historique in 1999.^[5] The stud farm was built in 1863 by Armand Donon.^[5] The grounds also cover the neighbouring commune of Colombiers^[6]

Notable People

Jacques II de Goyon - (1525-1598) a governor and Marshal of France was born here. ^[7]

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
^ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
^ ^a ^b "Domaine de Lonrai (également sur commune de Colombiers) à Lonrai - PA61000020". monumentum.fr.
^ "Domaine de Lonrai à Colombiers - PA61000019". monumentum.fr.
^ "Jacques II de Goyon, comte de Matignon – Traces Écrites : lettres autographes, manuscrits anciens et archives du moyen-âge à nos jours".