Pont-Farcy is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Calvados

Calvados

The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...

 department in the Basse-Normandie

Basse-Normandie

Lower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...

 region

Régions of France

France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...

 in northwestern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

History

Pont Farcy has its origins in Gallo-Roman times: the town has always been an important crossing place due to its bridge over the River Vire. It was also passed through by the Norman Dukes. Before the 20th century there is little evidence to suggest the village held much more than peasants; it probably wasn't considered a particularly important spot, as Saint-Sever-Calvados

Saint-Sever-Calvados

Saint-Sever-Calvados is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

 was. During the 20th century the village became a thriving River Port and a tow path starts here and stretches as far as the Normandy landing beaches. The village originally had a railway bridge but this was blown up by the Nazis upon their retreat from the village in 1944. Pont-Farcy was liberated by the Americans

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 on 2 August 1944.

In the latter half of the 20th century the population has dropped from nearly 1,000 to about 500 (although in recent years it has picked up again). This has a lot to do with the Autoroute

Autoroutes of France

The Autoroute system in France consists largely of toll roads, except around large cities and in parts of the north. It is a network of worth of motorways. Autoroute destinations are shown in blue, while destinations reached through a combination of autoroutes are shown with an added autoroute logo...

 which passes just north of the village.

Population

In 1962 the population of the village was 801. This has dropped over the years to 487 in 1990. However in recent years this number has risen again, to 531 in 2007.
Its inhabitants are known as Farcy-Pontains.

Geography

The village is located on the D307a road, and the nearest sizable villages are Villedieu-les-Poêles

Villedieu-les-Poêles

Villedieu-les-Poêles is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.Its inhabitants are called Sourdins from the French sourd meaning deaf...

 to the southwest, Saint-Martin-des-Besaces

Saint-Martin-des-Besaces

Saint-Martin-des-Besaces is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

 to the northeast, Tessy-sur-Vire

Tessy-sur-Vire

Tessy-sur-Vire is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-Heraldry:-See also:*Communes of the Manche department...

 and Saint-Lô

Saint-Lô

Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...

 to the north, and Sainte-Marie-Outre-l'Eau

Sainte-Marie-Outre-l'Eau

Sainte-Marie-Outre-l'Eau is a French commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.The name roughly translates to Saint Mary beyond the Water.-History:...

, Beaumesnil

Beaumesnil, Calvados

Beaumesnil is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Geography:The village is centred on a staggered crossroads between the D52 which heads to Pont-Farcy to the north and Vire to the south and the D81 which leads to Le Beny-Bocage to the north...

 and Vire

Vire

Vire is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.- History :In 1123, Henri I Beauclerc, King of England and Duke of Normandy, had a redoubt constructed on a rocky hill top, which was surrounded by the Vire river...

 to the south.

Pont-Farcy is a small rural village, surrounded by many small hamlets (some of which are no more than a single farm); sizable settlements neighbouring Pont-Farcy are named above. Pont-Farcy has a petrol station, a bar

Bar (establishment)

A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

 and newsagents, a hotel

Hotel

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

 and restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

 called "Le Coq Hardi", a church with graveyard and a separate cemetery, the latter of which practices the French custom of naming the living on the tombstones (leaving the year of death blank). There is also a campsite along the banks of the River Vire, with an outdoor pursuits centre from which bikes and canoes can be hired.

Personalities

One of the village's most famous residents is the Russian-born artist Timur D'Vatz, who is currently exhibiting in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 and Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

.