Bayeux grew from
an old Viking settlement a few miles inland between Cherbourg
and Le Havre. It was the first town
to be liberated during the D-Day Invasion. While in Baueux, a visitor must
visit the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux,
where the famous Bayeux Tapestry is housed. The tapestry depicts the 58 scenes
concerning the invasion and conquest of England
by William the Conqueror. It is thought to have been made by English
embroiderers in Kent
between 1066 and 1077. Among the scenes shown are the coronation of Harold as
the Saxon king of England,
Harold's return from Normandy,
Willam dressed for war and Harold's death. Another museum in Bayeux
is the Musée Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie, dedicated to the campaign to
liberate Normany between July 6th,
1944 and August 22nd,
1944. There are numerous exhibits depicting both the military and
human drama of the campaign. Visitors can view film displays, as well as see
several different tanks, which are located outside the museum. Among these are
a M10 Tank Destroyer, and a Crocodile Flamethrower Tank. The museum is designed
in the style of a bunker, and also features wax soldiers dressed in uniform.
The British Commonwealth War Graves Cemetary is located across from the museum.
Also worth a visit is the Notre-Dame de Bayeux church, a fine Norman Romanesque
cathedral, rich in sculpture. It also boasts several different architectural
styles. Rising on the western side of the cathedral are Romanesque towers, and
the nave is desgined in Norman Romanesque. The choir, built in the 13th
century, features Norman Gothic style and Renaissance stalls. Also of interest
here is the crypt. It was built in the 11th century, and then sealed, so its
existence was not discovered again until 1412.