Jardin des plantes de Coutances

Coutances is a village quite far away from any big city. It is about 15 kilometers from the coast, in the lower part of Normandy, France. Its population is about 10,000 inhabitants, and is known for its huge cathedral and Jazz Festival "Jazz sous les pommiers" (Jazz under the apple). The village is on a hill. At the top is the cathedral, with great views from the tower since just below the hill flows a river. In World War II Coutances was destroyed and some 300 civilians died (in the attack where napalm was used). Reconstruction (directed by the same architect who built Saint-Malo) was based on the old village, the only modern concessions to facilitate the lives of their inhabitants.