THE THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION.
Not So Ancient
Le Havre does not have much ancient history. There are signs of people in the area back to 400,000 B.C., but not in Le Havre.
Until the 1500s, it is a swamp at the mouth of the River Seine.
King Francis I drains the area and establishes a port for warships circa 1517. With a port, a town soon follows, Franciscopolis. They thought long and hard for that name.
The port has conflicts with the British and storms, both coming off the English Channel. Rats arriving on ships and mosquitos from the nearby wetlands bring numerous health epidemics.
During the Religious Wars, circa 1562, the reformers attack Le Havre. They loot the city and expel many Catholics. The French retaliate and, by the next year, have control of the town.
The Protestant Reformation experiences more success in Northern France, and by 1600, they build a Protestant church in Le Havre. The church will last for 85 years until Louis XIV takes the throne, and the Catholics fight back.
It will be 100 years until Le Havre has another Protestant place of worship.
It Begins to Grow
During this time, Cardinal Richelieu, then governor of the city, fortifies Le Havre. He strengthens the walls and builds a fortress and arsenal. By the middle of the 1600s, Jean-Baptiste Colbert will develop the port even more.
By the late 1600s, the port is importing exotic products from the New World, including sugar, tobacco, cotton, and coffee. And they are exporting African slaves to French Haiti (Saint-Domingue) and Louisiana.
The French will send almost 800,000 Africans to Haiti. This amount is nearly double the number of slaves the British will import to the colonies (later the United States.)
A Royal Escape
Circa 1749, Louis XV, and his mistress, Madame de Pompadour, visit the city as she wishes to see the sea. Their lengthy and extravagant visit almost bankrupts the city’s finances.
A Tobacco Factory opens to process the raw leaf from the colonies. The shipyards continue to expand, and the city builds a new arsenal and a commodity exchange.
Circa 1786, king Louis XVI approves plans to almost quadruple the size of the city. Soon Le Havre becomes the second largest port in France. Then “stuff” hits the fan.
Le Havre, 1789 – 1815.
Le Havre remains a critical port to France during the French Revolution. It supplies Paris and Northern France and acts as a front line against any British aggression.
During the Reign of Terror (circa 1792,) they ban Catholicism and transform the catholic churches into Temples of Reason. This government-sponsored atheistical religion was to replace Christianity with ideals of reason, virtue, and liberty.
By 1804, the new republic of the Revolution falls, and the First French Empire, under Napoleon, begins.
A country, already reeling from the war between the throne and people, now finds itself at war against Europe.
The Napoleonic Wars will go on until 1814 and again for 100 days in 1815.
As a vital supply link, Le Havre does better than most of France.
The rest of the 1800s.
Le Havre quickly outgrew its walls, and the older neighborhoods became slums. They were ripe for epidemics of cholera, typhoid fever, and other contagious diseases that would sweep through the crowded wards.
Maritime prosperity keeps the metropolitan part of the city growing. It is also pulling more people from less affluent areas looking for work. As a port, it is drawing the jobless of other countries.
The Industrial Revolution has enormous effects on the town and port.
By 1848, railroads allow Le Havre to deliver their imports to the rest of the country quickly. New docks and warehouses to accommodate the rail traffic go up.
Le Havre The Roaring 1900s.
By the turn of the century, Le Havre becomes the seaside resort for wealthy Parisians and nearby Rouen. Seeking the benefits of minerals in the seawater, they began building marine baths, similar to a pool, along the beach. The rich would require beach huts overlooking the baths.
The First World War.
The front is much further north and east, so Le Havre does not see too much action or destruction.
The Belgium government, fleeing the Nazi occupation, sets up its headquarters in Le Havre.
The post-war period in Le Havre causes more destruction than the war. Small businesses cannot recover. Factories and the port are about the only employers able to stay open. But they are doing so by a shoestring.
Other ports of northern Europe give Le Havre serious competition. The port stops growing. It replaces some of its lost revenue when oil refineries east of Le Havre begin exporting oil.
Le Havre in World War II.
Le Havre suffers greatly. In the spring of 1940, German forces occupy the town and port. Many locals flee their homes.
They start preparing the harbor for the naval invasion of the United Kingdom, Operation Sealion.
They build the Festung Le Havre, a line of pillboxes, bunkers, and batteries extending towards the Atlantic Wall.
Daily life in Le Havre becomes unbearable with shortages, censorship, and the German anti-Semitism. On top of this, British bombers are attacking as this is a German target, not a French town. The Le Havre resistance will play a significant role in supplying the British with intelligence and sabotage against the Germans.
By the end of the war, bombings by the Allies will number 132. Tremendous destruction occurs in September 1944 when the British Royal Air Force flattens most of the commercial area. At the same time, British and Canadian forces approach by land. The idea is to seize the port from the Nazis as one of four major supply ports for the Allies.
As they pull out, the Nazis destroy the port infrastructure and sink ships, making navigation impossible.
We Can Rebuild It.
UNESCO gives the new city World Heritage status.
Should-see in Le Havre.
If nothing remains since WWII, why go to Le Havre at all?
Yes, many pre-1942 buildings are missing, but not all.
Using much of the rubble as a landfill, they begin with a blank slate.
Using classicism to influence style, they build the new town of concrete on a grid.
The UNESCO site: Le Havre from the City Hall, Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret, validates their success. The new city is a triangle with the Boulevard François 1er, Avenue Foch, and Rue de Paris as its borders.
The Triangle.
Along Avenue Foch, you will notice the buildings are not identical. Although from the same style, they are of different heights, lengths, and shapes to avoid the cookie-cutter look.
Square Saint-Roch – will be on your left a few blocks up. Part of the new city design was green space. At the time of construction, Le Havre became one of the greenest cities in France.
City Hall of Le Havre – sits approximately on the site of the previous city hall. It consists of two parts, including a tower holding the administrative offices. The lower, wider section hosts receptions and other public events.
Do not mention the 1987 addition on the north side to a local. They disapprove of the different architectural styles.
And We are Walking South on Rue de Paris.
Le Volcan and Bibliothèque Oscar Niemeyer – are an arts center and public library by architect Oscar Niemeyer. The original buildings date from the 1970s.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame – is a block south of the natural history museum fronting on Rue de Paris. Previously a parish church dating from the 16th century, it is the oldest building in central Le Havre. The belltower dates from circa 1520, and the church organs date to 1637. They are a gift from the town governor at that time, Cardinal de Richelieu.
Le Havre Port Area.
Esplanade Nelson Mandela – is at the end of Rue de Paris. Here, a large grassy area takes up the place where 1831 Fort Montlus once stood. From here, you can see across to the Terminal Croisière (cruise terminal.)
Museum of Modern Art André Malraux (MUMA) – The collection, dating from 1845, lost most of its statuary in the bombing. Thanks to hiding the paintings off property, more than 1500 pieces survive. This move is essential as the museum has the second most important collection of French Impressionist paintings in France. Le Havre is where Claude Monet grows up from age five. His portrayal of the Le Havre harbor at sunrise, Impression, Sunrise, gives the name of the new artistic style, Impressionism.
Walking North on Boulevard François 1er.
Église Saint-Joseph – with its cement spire reaching 350 feet in the air, is the beacon of the new city. It is also a memorial to the more than 5000 civilians lost in the war. They hand-blow the stained glass for the windows.
North of the Triangle
Quartier Saint-Vincent.
Another area heavily hit during the bombings, but this is not part of the cement city. Many of the facades are of red brick, but there is little symmetry. The area is a culinary destination, as there is a wide range of restaurants throughout the neighborhood.
Villa Maritime – is one of the few beach “cottages” surviving from circa 1890. The structure will become a museum and later a restaurant. Unfortunately, it has been sitting empty since 2016. The address is 66 Boulevard Albert 1er, across from the beach.
East of the Triangle.
Abbey Museum Graville – sits on the ground of an original 9th-century abbey. (Pre-Le Havre.) The present-day buildings date to the 11th and 13th centuries, hence the Gothic style. The museum includes documents from the abbey’s history and an impressive collection of religious art. There are also scale models showing life in the area over hundreds of years.
Harfleur.
Eglise Saint-Martin – is a catholic church in the flamboyant Gothic style with architecture from the 13th to 16th centuries. The spire towers over the neighborhood, and the stained-glass windows are contemporary.
Across the River, Seine is the charming Norman village of Honfleur.
Read more about Le Havre.
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“See the World” Continued on Page T3. “Taste the World” Continued on T11.
Another wonderful history lesson, and tour of a city in France I was not familiar with! I clicked on the orange link to read more about Le Havre, and enjoyed the expanded history and additional pictures of the area. I would definitely need to check out the Bibliothèque. Merci!
I wish I had read this before my last trip in that region. I had written Le Havre off and focused on towns like Honfleur (which is amazing). Now I wish I had spent a bit my time exploring Le Havre.