Thury-Harcourt Travel Guide

Thury-Harcourt is an old community but was destroyed in WWII. The nearby park contains the ruins of the Chateau of the Dukes of Harcourt, devastated in the war. we did not go there, but did drive in the countryside and see the winding little river Hom. Amazingly the church in town retains its early Gothic (13C) style. I could not find out whether there had bee repairs to the West facade but here it is with slightly rounded arches and windows and a small rose above. It was not open and so we did not see the interior.

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This small city (pop. 3K) not far from Thury-Harcourt in the Bocage was totally devastated during WWII. It is famous for having been rapidly reconstructed between 1947-50. A quick drive through shows a totally modern middle-class community unlike the usual French town. The church from the outside is a giant modern version of a Romanesque cathedral, but is only the parish church.