The reconstructed downtown of Le Havre

History of the city

Le Havre is a port city in the north-west of France. It is the capital of the Seine-Maritime department. Le Havre is the most populous city in Normandy. Its city center as well as its harbor attached to it has a particular history. It was King Francis I who built the city and its port around 1517. The port was a theater of war of religion and Franco-English conflicts, and it was able to take a new lease from the end of the eighteenth century through trade international. Le Havre was completely destroyed during the Second World War. The city was bombed by the German army led by General Rommel.

The tragedy of the liberation of the city by the Allied troops

The Liberation in 1944 by allied led to a wave of joy in almost all French cities after four long years of occupation. The celebration of the Liberation is an occasion to commemorate a happy memory. However, it is a city where the memory of the first days of September does not evoke good memories but rather destruction: Le Havre. This city is a martyrdom of the struggle against the Nazis. Much of the city was destroyed by Allied bombing. Jean-Baptiste Gastinne, a historian and assistant to the mayor of Le Havre, explains: "We know why 1.5 million poilus fell during the First World War.

The sacrifice of the city of Le Havre had a real military utility." As everywhere in France, the Havrais waited for this liberation at the beginning of September 1944. A hundred days earlier, they saw and heard the landing not far from their town, on other Normandy beaches. They were hoping for days, the day of liberation. While Paris is liberated in late August, Le Havre remains occupied.

The Allied offensive finally began on September 5 with a deluge of bombs on the city center. The bombing continued the following day with the dropping of thousands of tons of explosives on the city, including the great phosphorous bombs. The bombardment lasted until September 10th. 10,000 houses are destroyed, 2,000 Havrais have perished and 80,000 are left homeless. The English aviation ravaged the city without knowing the reasons. The port of Le Havre was considered by the Allies as a strategic stake. This port was in bad condition because it has been regularly bombed since the beginning of the war, it had become unusable. A German garrison of 12,000 men was based in the city of Le Havre. Located on the heights, this garrison meant to resist the attacks of the Allies. The headquarters were housed in cosy villas on the "coast", far from the city center.

For the historian Jean-Baptiste Gastinne "the bombing of the central districts during the first two days is incomprehensible, the Allies had all the information at their disposal.” The historian tries to explain that "since the D-Day, the politicians have no control over operations, the military has all power of decision." The British probably wanted to go quickly to take over the city. On September 12, the Anglo-Canadian troops entered Le Havre. Contrary to what was happening in the rest of France, the reception of these troops has nothing to do with the scenes of jubilation: it was icy. The press nicknamed these troops "liberators." According to the deputy mayor, "the lack of justification for the destruction of their city has always been difficult to understand for the Havre". The Havre habitants will have no collective memory of these tragic events. Rebuilt by Auguste Perret, the city center is classified World Heritage of Humanity and becomes a source of pride for the Havrais.

Presentation of the reconstructed downtown of Le Havre

Once it was rebuilt in 1964, the city center was transformed into a chic 150-hectare neighborhood. Its architecture is distinguished by the integration of reinforced concrete, the favorite material of Auguste Perret. Some think that cement would give a kind of coldness and impersonal impersonality to the city. Why not! Thanks to the genius of the architect who managed to arrange the whole city into a coherent whole of form that respects the regularity of the lines. It is a unique place in the world to admire the symmetry and proportionality of buildings in such a vast space. The strictly spaced posts of 6.24 m on which the buildings rest are the perfect examples. The area has been recognized as World Heritage by UNESCO since 2005.

What to visit in downtown Le Havre ?

visit of the witness apartment is to be entered in his travel diary. It is a step backwards to understand the architecture of Perret and imagine the life of the Havre during the glorious 30 (economic growth of 1946 in 1975). This apartment keeps the furniture of the year 1950 in their original state. Visitors can then follow a stroll through the heart of the city without forgetting to make a detour in the Havre's Suspended Gardens, a picturesque setting with a view of the sea. There are also plant species that dress the place.