The result of combining the two communes on either side of the River Orne in 1965, Putanges Pont-Ecrepin today charms the visitor with picturesque old houses growing out of the rock and its celebrated clock tower dominating the river.

They originally prospered thanks to the forge in Putanges (1548 to 1786) and leather works in Pont-Ecrepin.

In 1786 the Forge became a mill, and in 1900 was transformed into an electricity generating works, the two communes thus becoming the first in the department to benefit from the “electric fairy”.

Pont-Ecrepin was a busy commercial centre during the Middle Ages with hat and cloth making and a tanning industry which flourished until the 18th Century. Its name (Pont Es Crepins or Crispin’s Bridge), celebrates St Crispin, the patron saint of shoemakers.