Falaise

In French, “Falaise” means “cliff”, in this case a rock outcrop overlooking a valley, and was thus a very good defensive position and has been inhabited for thousands of years. The Dukes of Normandy continued this and decided to build one of their castles there this castle on a cliff becoming the birthplace of William the Conqueror. The castle of Falaise as it is seen today is a typical example of the evolution of military architecture and warfare in the middle ages and is ironically situated close to the site of a very recent battle where the final few days of the Battle of Normandy took place in 1944.