Caen and Dinan
Both are medieval walled cities, but WWII treated the fate of each city very differently. Dinan was largely spared the violence and destruction of WWII and as such, many of its half-timbered buildings, some dating from the 13th Century, remain intact. Caen suffered a much different fate. The taking of Caen by Allied forces was critical to the success of Operation Overlord and being so viciously contested in battle, Caen’s buildings and it’s civilian population would suffer mightily. By the time Caen was in Allied hands in August 1944, much of the city’s old buildings were destroyed. Thus the two cities appear very different, owing only to their differing strategic value during WWII.
