{"id":219544,"date":"2021-01-01T14:45:38","date_gmt":"2021-01-01T13:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/non-classifiee\/coutances\/"},"modified":"2021-01-01T14:45:38","modified_gmt":"2021-01-01T13:45:38","slug":"coutances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/news\/coutances\/","title":{"rendered":"Coutances"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Less than 50 km from <a href=\"\/\">Utah Beach campsite<\/a> lies a must-see town in Normandy: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coutances.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Coutances<\/a>. A Celtic stronghold and a garrison town during World War II, Coutances boasts architectural heritage dating back several centuries and an enchanting park. Treat yourself to a journey through time, just a 50-minute drive from the campsite.  <\/p>\n<h2><b><\/b>History of Coutances<\/h2>\n<p>The capital of the former Cotentin at the end of the Roman Empire, Coutances is known for having been one of the Celtic capitals. Its influence gradually declined, with destruction by the Vikings followed by reconstruction from the 13th century onward. Today, the town still preserves the remains of its Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, which survived the Huguenot looting during the Wars of Religion as well as the bombings of World War II.  <\/p>\n<p>Among the major events hosted by Coutances was the Saint Michael\u2019s Fair, held there for several centuries during the Middle Ages. Coutances also played a major role during World War II, becoming a garrison town that took in more than 1,600 wounded soldiers. Today, Coutances and its surroundings are designated a Land of Art and History.  <\/p>\n<h2>The public garden<\/h2>\n<p>Beyond its architectural heritage, Coutances is home to a green haven with a very particular history: the town\u2019s current public garden once belonged to Jean-Jacques Quesniel-Morini\u00e8re, the king\u2019s constable and the wealthiest figure in Coutances. In 1850, he bequeathed the park and the Poupinel mansion to the town, on the condition that both serve the public. The mansion now houses the town museum. As for the park, it was turned into a Jardin des Plantes cultivated according to the principles of mosaiculture. Medicinal plants are maintained in this space, and the entire garden is open to the public. Summer events also make it possible to visit the Jardin des Plantes at night, with light and music entertainment.     <\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wY-A-4JCN4w\" width=\"100%\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"><\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Jazz sous les pommiers<\/h2>\n<p>Coutances is also home to a must-see event for all jazz and electro fans: the Jazz sous les pommiers festival. This annual event, created in 1982, takes place from Monday to Saturday during Ascension week and fills the town with festivities: 4 ticketed stages and nearly a dozen other stages mixing free shows with performances by local bands. On average, 1,000 concerts take place at each edition. Many activities also take place in the streets, creating a festive, cosmopolitan atmosphere where big stars and enthusiasts meet their audience. On average, 500,000 spectators attend.    <\/p>\n<h2><b><\/b>Coutances Cathedral<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Notre-Dame Cathedral of Coutances was built during the town\u2019s reconstruction in the 13th century, following the Viking invasion. It is unique in that it actually combines two constructions: the Romanesque structure and the Gothic facing, which includes the nave and the towers. With a total height of 90 meters, the building is nicknamed the &#8220;cathedral of pride&#8221; by locals, in reference to the poet Louis Beuve, a native of the town and the originator of the expression. The cathedral features a lantern tower and two Romanesque towers. Guided tours are organized, allowing visitors to explore the rooms inside the towers for a sweeping view over the nave.    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Less than 50 km from Utah Beach campsite lies a must-see town in Normandy: Coutances. A Celtic stronghold and a garrison town during World War II, Coutances boasts architectural heritage dating back several centuries and an enchanting park. Treat yourself to a journey through time, just a 50-minute drive from the campsite. History of Coutances [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Coutances tourism: History, events and things to do in Coutances","_seopress_titles_desc":"Want to discover Coutances in Normandy? Explore the history, events and must-see visits in this charming town. ","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"gt_fse_maillage_image":"","gt_fse_maillage_titre":"Coutances","gt_fse_maillage_alt":"Coutances","gt_fse_maillage_resume":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-219544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219544\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.camping-utahbeach.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}