​​​The city of Caen and its surroundings is filled with vry old quarries. In the district of La Maladrerie, the quarry located 15 metres underground under the ‘Pépinières Kaskoreff’ was taken over from 16 June 1944, with the agreement of the German forces.

At the beginning of July, more than 500 people found refuge there. Emergency teams took charge of straw bedding and supplies for the civillians. Some of the refugees would come just to spend the night in safety, before returning home the next day.

​On 6 June 1944, D-Day, roads around Caen turned into an exodus. It is estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 people left Caen, and some rushed towards the quarries of Carpiquet or those of the Rue des Roches in Mondeville. There, 7,000 to 8,000 refugees crammed together, lit by carbide lamps in cramped conditions.

In Fleury-sur-Orne there was vast number of mushroom farms located on the hillsides. These were used as shelters, with around fifteen two-storey galleries several hundred metres deep. The Fouquet, Pochiet or Saingt quarries, named after their owners, also welcomed several thousand civilians until the end of July 1944.

As places of refuge, over time the underground quarries proved to be uncomfortable. For everyone, children and adults, infants and the elderly, it meant weeks of daily life in precarious and difficult conditions: it was damp and there was a lack of light, fresh air and hygiene. Most quarries, especially those in Caen, benefitted from the help of the Red Cross. Additionally, the owners themselves, Equipes d’Urgence (Emergency Teams), Equipes Nationales (National Teams), and volunteers worked alongside each other there daily. In some shelters water and electricity was installed to help with living conditions. By the end of the Battle of Caen, less than 50 people had died in the quarries of Caen, Mondeville, Carpiquet and Fleury-sur-Orne.

​Since 2023, the Maladrerie quarries have been open to visitors. Guided tours are organised and supervised by the Quarries Department and the City of Caen.