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STLO (Saint Lo)
French
city almost totally destroyed during the Battle of Normandy
Common
clues: Normandy town; WWII battle locale; D-Day town; French town
of WWII fame; 1944 battle site; Town near Caen; Manche's capital
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
3 times a year
News:
WWII
veteran: They took me off the farm and took me to war
Video:
The
War Photography of Rodger Hamilton
Saint-Lô
is a city and commune
of France, the préfecture
(capital) of the
Manche département,
in Normandy. Population (1999): 20,090.
Originally
called Briovère (meaning "Bridge on the Vire River"
in Gaulish), the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally
it was a Gaul fortified settlement. The name "Saint-Lô",
known since the 8th century, originates from Saint Laud, bishop
of Coutances in 525–565, who had a residence here.
According to tradition, the town received a new line of walls
from Charlemagne in the early 9th century. It was sacked by the
Vikings in 890. Later it flourished under the bishop Geffroy de
Montbray, who built here a bridge and some mills.
Saint-Lô
was the third largest town in the Duchy of Normandy after Rouen
and Caen, and became part of France in 1202. In the 13th century
it was home to numerous craftsmen, and in 1234 a guild of tailors
was established in it. In 1275 it received from King Philip III
of France the right to coin, which it maintained until 1693.
During
the Hundred Years War it was sacked by the English, and in 1347
it was struck by plague. In 1378 it returned to France, but was
again under England from 1418 to 1449. Saint-Lô suffered
notably during the Wars of Religion: in 1562 it was captured by
the Huguenots and became a Protestant stronghold; in 1574 it was
besieged and partly destroyed by royal troops under Marshal de
Matignon. Two years later the seigneury of the bishops of
Coutances over the town ceased forever. In the mid-17th century
part of the walls were destroyed, and the town grew with a new
borough known as Neufborg. After the revocation of the edict of
Nantes (1685), most of its craftsmen abandoned Saint-Lô.
In
1795 it became capital of the Manche department. In 1858 it was
reached by the Paris-Cherbourg railway.
The
German army occupied the town on 17 June 1940. Being a strategic
crossroads, Saint-Lô was almost totally destroyed (95%
according to common estimates) during the Battle of Normandy in
World War II, earning the title of "The Capital of the
Ruins" from Samuel Beckett; it was even questioned whether
to rebuild it or to leave the ruins intact as a testimony to the
bombing.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Saint-Lo”.
STLO
(303) 32 Tu- >1 99 Normandy town CAEN
16
Tu >1 06 WWII battle site
16
We+ >1 07 1944 battle site CAEN
15
We >1 03 Normandy battle site
14
Mo >1 07 Town near Caen
12
We >1 08 Capital of Manche
7
We+ >1 04 Manche's capital
7
Th >1 00 Town on the Vire
6
We+ >1 04 Manche capital
5
Tu+ >1 09 Normandy invasion town
5
We+ >1 03 Normandy battle town
5
We+ >1 01 W.W. II battle site
5
Th- >1 07 1944 invasion city
5
Fr >1 06 Capital of Manche department
4
We- >1 06 D-Day invasion town
4
Th >1 03 July 1944 battle site
3
Mo+ >1 06 Historic Normandy town
3
Mo+ >1 68 Caen's neighbor
3
We- >1 97 D-Day town CAEN
3
Th- CSy 06 Normandy town nearly destroyed in 1944
3
Fr+ >1 04 City west of Caen
2
Mo >1 04 W.W. II battle town
2
Mo >1 04 WWII battleground
2
Mo NYT 95 Normandy campaign town
2
Tu- >1 97 Historic Normandy city
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