Pontorson

Pontorson is situated about 10 kilometres from the Mont Saint-Michel, to which it is connected by highway and a walking path along the river Couesnon. The river also gives its name to the town's main street. Climate Pontorson has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Pontorson is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Pontorson was on 5 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 11 February 2012. {{Weather box ==History==

The town was founded in the 12th century after a vow by William the Conqueror. It was home to a fortress, which was razed to the ground in 1623 by order of King Louis XIII. During World War II, after the liberation of the area by Allied Forces in 1944, engineers of the Ninth Air Force IX Engineering Command began construction of a combat Advanced Landing Ground outside of the town. Declared operational on 10 August, the airfield was designated as "A-28", it was used by the 368th Fighter Group which flew P-47 Thunderbolts until early September when the unit moved into Central France. Afterward, the airfield was closed. Frantz Fanon practiced psychiatry in Pontorson in the early 1950s. In 1973 Pontorson absorbed seven former communes: Ardevon, Beauvoir (re-established in 1989), Boucey, Cormeray, Curey, Les Pas and Moidrey. On 1 January 2016, the former communes of Macey and Vessey were merged into Pontorson. In 1990, Pontorson twinned with the town of Highworth in England. ==Population==

Population data refer to the area corresponding with the commune as of January 2025. ==Main sights==

• Notre-Dame church, built between 1050 and 1150, with additions in the 15th century. It is in Romanesque-transition Gothic style; it has a massive appearance with a central portal, flanked by two towers. • Old Protestant Temple (16th century) • Guischard de la Ménardière house (also known as "Roman House", 11th-12th centuries) • Residence of the counts of Montgomery ==Transportation ==

Pontorson is home to the nearest SNCF railway station to France's second most popular tourist attraction, Mont-Saint-Michel. Despite the town's role as a tourist gateway, train services are relatively rare, about three or four per day. ==See also==