Vire 5.36

Vire is a town and a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Vire-Normandie.GeographyThe town is located on the river Vire.HistoryIn 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. The redoubt was stoned square at the bottom to assure the defense of the Duchy of Normandy against any attacks from Brittany or Maine. This stone work would be later, At the beginning of the 13th century, Saint Louis ordered that the existing stonework be supplemented with exterior ramparts. However this second precinct was only finished at the beginning of the 14th century.In the old community of Neuville, north of the territory, the castle of Tracy is the seat of an important manor, Arcisse de Caumont.