Norman Switzerland () is a part of Normandy, France, in the border region of the departments Calvados and Orne. Its name comes from its rugged and verdant relief resembling the Swiss Alps, with gorges carved by the river Orne and its tributaries, and by erosion in the Armorican Massif between Putanges-Pont-Écrepin and Thury-Harcourt. The river has created a rugged landscape.
Churches, houses and farm buildings have a style closer to what is found across the English Channel in the United Kingdom (i.e., stone buildings with slate roofs), rather than the timber structures of the Pays d'Auge.
There are many outdoor tourist activities: canoeing, horse riding, rock climbing, hang gliding, kayaking, paragliding and mountain biking.
Geography
Suisse Normande is Located at the end of the Armorican Massif. In the hills, small steep fields are often bordered by thick hedges or granite dry stone walls and have dense vegetation. Mont Pinçon, at in elevation, is the highest point in Norman Switzerland.
The main water course ways through the area are the river Orne and three of its tributaries, Noireau, Rouvre and the Baize. In addition two more rivers run through the area and merge with the Noireau, the Vere and the Druance. From Putanges-Pont-Écrepin part of the Orne has been made into an artificial 6 km long lake covering 240 acres called Rabodanges Lake.
Towns and Communes
The main towns are Athis-de-l'Orne, Clécy, Condé-sur-Noireau, Pont-d'Ouilly, Putanges-Pont-Écrepin and Thury-Harcourt.
A total of 75 communes from six different Communauté de communes make up Suisse Normand as shown below;
Communauté de communes Cingal-Suisse Normande
Cauville
Cesny-les-Sources
Clécy
Combray
Cossesseville
Croisilles
Culey-le-Patry
Donnay
Espins
Esson
Grimbosq
La Pommeraye
Le Bô
Le Vey
Les Moutiers-en-Cinglais
Martainville
Meslay, Calvados
Montillières-sur-Orne
Mutrécy
Ouffières
Saint-Lambert
Saint-Laurent-de-Condel
Saint-Omer
Saint-Rémy
Thury-Harcourt-le-Hom
Communauté de communes Intercom de la Vire au Noireau
Condé-en-Normandie
La Villette, Calvados
Périgny
Pontécoulant
Saint-Denis-de-Méré
Terres de Druance
Communauté d'agglomération Flers Agglo
Athis-Val de Rouvre
Aubusson
Berjou
Cahan
Caligny
Cerisy-Belle-Étoile
Durcet
La Bazoque
La Lande-Saint-Siméon
Ménil-Hubert-sur-Orne
Montilly-sur-Noireau
Sainte-Honorine-la-Chardonne
Sainte-Opportune
Saint-Philbert-sur-Orne
Saint-Pierre-du-Regard
Communauté de communes du Pays de Falaise
Bonnœil
Cordey
Fourneaux-le-Val
Le Détroit
Le Mesnil-Villement
Les Isles-Bardel
Les Loges-Saulces
Leffard
Martigny-sur-l'Ante
Noron-l'Abbaye
Pierrefitte-en-Cinglais
Pierrepont
Pont-d'Ouilly
Rapilly
Saint-Germain-Langot
Saint-Martin-de-Mieux
Tréprel
Communauté de communes du Val d'Orne
Bazoches-au-Houlme
Champcerie
Craménil
Giel-Courteilles
Ménil-Gondouin
Ménil-Hermei
Ménil-Vin
Neuvy-au-Houlme
Putanges-le-Lac
Saint-André-de-Briouze
Sainte-Honorine-la-Guillaume
Communauté de communes d'Argentan Intercom
Écouché-les-Vallées
History
The area was first described in 1828 as being like Switzerland in appearance when local historian, Jean-Frédéric Galeron (1794-1838), describes the area of Saint-Clair, Clécy and Athis and Pont-d'Ouilly as 'It's a little Switzerland for the inhabitants of Falaise'.
The term “Norman Switzerland” was popularized in particular by the railway companies which made the sites of the area accessible to a greater number and use it for promotional purposes. A State Railways poster, from the 1900s, promotes "travel at reduced prices" and shows, under the title "La Suisse normande", a view of the Orne valley in Clecy. In these same years, postcards began to fix the name, and hoteliers also took advantage of thiese flattering images, for example in the 1900s, Clécy had a “hotel of little Switzerland” and a “hotel of the Norman Alps”.