Havre De Grâce
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Le Havre is a major port city in the
Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inf ...
department in the
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
region of northern
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It is situated on the right bank of the
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
of the
river Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres p ...
on the
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...
southwest of the
Pays de Caux The Pays de Caux (, , literally ''Land of Caux'') is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French '' département'' of Seine Maritime in Normandy. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cl ...
, very close to the
Prime Meridian A prime meridian is an arbitrarily chosen meridian (geography), meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. On a spheroid, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian ...
. Le Havre is the most populous commune of Upper Normandy, although the total population of the greater Le Havre
conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...
is smaller than that of
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
. It is also the second largest
subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...
in France, after only Reims. The name ''Le Havre'' means "the harbour" or "the port". Its inhabitants are known as ''Havrais'' or ''Havraises''. The city and
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
were founded by
King Francis I Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
in 1517. Economic development in the
early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...
was hampered by
religious wars A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a War, war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the exte ...
, conflicts with the English, epidemics, and storms. It was from the end of the 18th century that Le Havre started growing and the port took off first with the slave trade then other international trade. After the 1944 bombings the firm of
Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...
began to rebuild the city in concrete. The oil, chemical, and automotive industries were dynamic during the
Trente Glorieuses ''Les Trente Glorieuses'' (; 'The Thirty Glorious (Years)') was a thirty-year period of economic growth in France between 1945 and 1975, following the end of the Second World War. The name was first used by the French demographer Jean Fourast ...
(postwar boom) but the 1970s marked the end of the golden age of
ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...
s and the beginning of the economic crisis: the population declined, unemployment increased and remains at a high level today. Changes in years 1990–2000 were numerous. The right won the municipal elections and committed the city to the path of reconversion, seeking to develop the
service sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...
and new industries (
aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design process, design, and manufacturing of air flight-capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. While the term originally referred ...
,
wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...
s). The Port 2000 project increased the container capacity to compete with ports of northern Europe, transformed the southern districts of the city, and ocean liners returned. Modern Le Havre remains deeply influenced by its employment and maritime traditions. Its port is the second largest in France, after that of
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
, for total traffic, and the largest French
container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...
port. In 2005,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
inscribed the central city of Le Havre as a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
because of its unique post-WWII reconstruction and architecture. The André Malraux Modern Art Museum is the second of France for the number of impressionist paintings. The city has been awarded two flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of Cities and Villages in Bloom.


Toponym

The name of the town was attested in 1489, even before it was founded by François I in the form ''le Hable de Grace'' then ''Ville de Grace'' in 1516, two years before its official founding.François de Beaurepaire (pref. Marianne Mulon), ''The names of Communes and former parishes of Seine-Maritime'', Paris, A. et J. Picard, 1979, 180 p., , , p. 92-93 The learned and transient name of ''Franciscopolis'' in tribute to the same king, is encountered in some documents then that of ''Havre Marat'', referring to
Jean-Paul Marat Jean-Paul Marat (, , ; born Jean-Paul Mara; 24 May 1743 – 13 July 1793) was a French political theorist, physician, and scientist. A journalist and politician during the French Revolution, he was a vigorous defender of the ''sans-culottes ...
during the French Revolution but was not imposed. However it explains why the complementary determinant ''-de-Grace'' was not restored. This qualifier undoubtedly referred to the Chapel of Notre Dame located at the site of the cathedral of the same name. The chapel faced the Chapel Notre Dame de Grace of
Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from Le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Hon ...
across the estuary. The common noun ''havre'' meaning "port" was out of use at the end of the 18th or beginning of the 19th centuries but is still preserved in the phrase '' havre de paix'' meaning "safe haven". It is generally considered a loan from
Middle Dutch Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or , there was no overarching sta ...
from the 12th century. A Germanic origin can explain the "aspiration" of the initial ''h''.
Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland, United States. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre ...
, in the United States retains the "de Grace" from colonial times. New research however focuses on the fact that the term was attested very early (12th century) and in Norman texts in the forms ''Hable'', ''hafne'', ''havene'', ''havne'', and ''haule'' makes a Dutch origin unlikely. By contrast, a Scandinavian etymology is relevant given the old Scandinavian ''höfn'' (genitive ''hafnar'') or ''hafn'' meaning "natural harbour" or "haven" and the phonetic evolution of the term '' étrave'' which is assuredly of Scandinavian origin is also attested in similar forms such as ''estable'' and probably dates back to the ancient Scandinavian ''stafn''.


History

When founded in 1517, the city was named ''Franciscopolis'' after
Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
. It was subsequently named ''Le Havre-de-Grâce'' ("Harbor of Grace"; hence
Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland, United States. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre ...
). Its construction was ordered to replace the ancient harbours of
Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from Le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Hon ...
and
Harfleur Harfleur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of northern France. It was the principal seaport in north-western Fr ...
whose utility had decreased due to silting. The history of the city is inextricably linked to its harbour. In the 18th century, as trade from the
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
was added to that of France and Europe, Le Havre began to grow. On 19 November 1793, the city changed its name to Hâvre de Marat and later Hâvre-Marat in honor of the recently deceased
Jean-Paul Marat Jean-Paul Marat (, , ; born Jean-Paul Mara; 24 May 1743 – 13 July 1793) was a French political theorist, physician, and scientist. A journalist and politician during the French Revolution, he was a vigorous defender of the ''sans-culottes ...
, who was seen as a martyr of the French Revolution. By early 1795, however, Marat's memory had become somewhat tarnished, and on 13 January 1795, Hâvre-Marat changed its name once more to simply Le Havre, its modern name. During the 19th century, it became an industrial center. At the end of World War I Le Havre played a major role as the transit port used to wind up affairs after the war. The city was devastated during the
Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the N ...
when 5,000 people were killed and 12,000 homes were totally destroyed before its capture in Operation Astonia. The center was rebuilt in a
modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
style by
Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...
.


Heraldry


Geography


Location

Le Havre is located west of
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
on the shore of the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
and at the mouth of the
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
. Numerous roads link to Le Havre with the main access roads being the
A29 autoroute The A 29 is a major toll motorway in Normandy and Picardy, northwestern and northern France. The road is also part of European route E44. From its western interchange with the A28 autoroute until its junction with the A26 autoroute, part of th ...
from
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
and the
A13 autoroute Autoroute 13, or ''L'Autoroute de Normandie'' links Paris to Caen, Calvados. The motorway starts in Paris at the Porte d'Auteuil, a former gate of the Paris walls, and ends at Mondeville's Mondeville 2 (Porte de Paris) exchange junction on t ...
from Paris linking to the
A131 autoroute A131 may refer to: * A131 road (England), a road connecting Boreham near Chelmsford and Sudbury * A131 motorway (France), a French motorway connecting the A13 and Le Havre * RFA Reliant (A131), a 1976 Royal Fleet Auxiliary helicopter support ...
. Administratively, Le Havre is a commune in the
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
region in the west of the department of
Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inf ...
. The urban area of Le Havre corresponds roughly to the territory of the Agglomeration community of Le Havre (CODAH) which includes 17 communes and 250,000 people. It occupies the south-western tip of the natural region of
Pays de Caux The Pays de Caux (, , literally ''Land of Caux'') is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French '' département'' of Seine Maritime in Normandy. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cl ...
where it is the largest city. Le Havre is sandwiched between the coast of the
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...
from south-west to north-west and the estuary of the Seine to the south.


Geology and terrain

Le Havre belongs to the
Paris Basin The Paris Basin () is one of the major geological regions of France. It developed since the Triassic over remnant uplands of the Variscan orogeny (Hercynian orogeny). The sedimentary basin, no longer a single drainage basin, is a large sag in ...
which was formed in the
Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...
period. The Paris Basin consists of
sedimentary rocks Sedimentary rocks are types of rock formed by the cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or deposited at Earth's surface. Sedim ...
. The commune of Le Havre consists of two areas separated by a natural cliff edge: one part in the lower part of the town to the south including the harbour, the city centre and the suburbs. It was built on former
marshland In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...
and
mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...
s that were drained in the 16th century.Claire Étienne-Steiner, Frédéric Saunier, ''Le Havre a port with new towns'', Paris, éditions du patrimoine, 2005, p. 21 The soil consists of several metres of
alluvium Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
or silt deposited by the
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
. The city centre was rebuilt after the Second World War using a metre of flattened rubble as a foundation.Isabelle Letélié, ''Le Havre, unusual itineraries'', Louviers, Ysec éditions, 2010, p. 14 The upper town to the north, is part of the cauchois plateau: the neighbourhood of Dollemard is its highest point (between
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
). The
plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
is covered with a layer of
flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...
y
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
and a fertile
silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension (chemistry), suspension with water. Silt usually ...
.J. Ragot, M. Ragot, ''Guide to Nature in the Pays de Caux'', 2005, p. 6 The bedrock consists of a large thickness of
chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...
measuring up to deep.P. Auger, G. Granier, ''The Guide to Pays de Caux'', 1993, p. 33 Because of the slope the coast is affected by the risk of landslides.''Information on Nature and scenery in the estuary of the Seine''
Carmen, Haute-Normandie, consulted on 19 July 2012


Climate

Due to its location on the coast of the Channel, the climate of Le Havre is
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...
oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...
. Days without wind are rare. There are maritime influences throughout the year. According to the records of the meteorological station of the Cap de la Heve (from 1961 to 1990), the temperature drops below on 24.9 days per year and it rises above on 11.3 days per year. The average annual sunshine duration is 1,785.8 hours per year. Precipitation is distributed throughout the year, with a maximum in autumn and winter. The months of June and July are marked by some thunderstorms on average 2 days per month. One of the characteristics of the region is the high variability of the temperature, even during the day.P. Auger, G. Granier, ''The Guide to Pays de Caux'', 1993, p. 42 The prevailing winds are from the southwest sector for strong winds and north-north-east for breezes, snowstorms occur in winter, especially in January and February. The absolute speed record for wind at Le Havre – Cap de la Heve was recorded on 16 October 1987 at . The main natural hazards are floods, storms, and
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
s. The lower town is subject to a rising
water table The water table is the upper surface of the phreatic zone or zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with groundwater, which may be fresh, saline, or brackish, depending on the loc ...
.''Nature and Scenic information the estuary of the Seine''
Carmen, Haute-Normandie, consulted on 19 July 2012
The lack of watercourses within the commune prevents flooding from overflows. Le Havre's beach may rarely experience flooding known as "flooding from storms". These are caused by the combination of strong winds, high waves, and a large
tidal range Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun, by Earth's rotation and by centrifugal force caused by Earth's prog ...
.


Environment

A study by ''Aphekom'' comparing ten large French cities showed that Le Havre is the least polluted urban commune of France. Le Havre is also the third best city in France with more than 100,000 inhabitants for air quality. A
Carbon accounting Carbon accounting (or greenhouse gas accounting) is a framework of methods to measure and track how much greenhouse gas (GHG) an organization emits. It can also be used to track projects or actions to reduce emissions in sectors such as forest ...
showed in 2009 that the municipality ejected some 32,500 tonnes of CO2 per year. In 2011 the average annual emissions of
sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is r ...
by industry was between three micrograms per cubic metre in the centre of Le Havre to twelve micrograms per cubic metre in the district of Caucriauville.''Results of Measurements in 2011''
, Air Normand, consulted on 20 July 2012
The municipality has set a target to reduce emissions of CO2 by 3% per year.''Fight against Changing Climate''
, Ville du Havre, consulted on 20 July 2012
To achieve this
solar panel A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...
s have been installed on several municipal buildings (city hall, hanging gardens). Since 2008, Le Havre has been part of the network of Energy Cities and, in this context, it applies the steps of
Agenda 21 Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development. It is a product of the Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It is an action ag ...
and an Environmental Approach to Urban Planning. The city has received many awards of eco-labels several times (Energy of the Future label in 2009–2011, sustainable Earth label in 2009). Since 1998, Le Havre's beach has received the Blue Flag yearly thanks to its range of facilities, which extend over 30,000m.The Beach at Le Havre has nothing new in being certified Pavillon bleu
, consulted on 20 July 2012
Le Havre has kept extensive green areas (750 hectares or 41m per inhabitant), the two largest areas are the Montgeon Forest and Rouelles Park which are both located in the upper town. The gardens of the Priory of Graville and the hanging gardens offer views of the lower city. In the city centre, Saint-Roch Square and the City Hall Gardens provide the people with urban recreation areas. Various
ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...
s are represented in the Beach Gardens and the Hauser Park (caves). Finally, the Plateau of Dollemard was classified as a "Sensitive Natural Area" of the department in 2001 to protect its landscape and ecosystems on the cliff. The streets are lined with 13,000 trees of 150 different varieties.Preservation of biodiversity, ecosystems and natural environments
, consulted on 12 March 2015


Layout


Lower city


City rebuilt after 1945

Largely destroyed by the Allies during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the city was rebuilt according to the plans of the architect
Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...
between 1945 and 1964. Only the
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
and the Church of Saint Joseph (107m-high) were personally designed by Auguste Perret. In commending the reconstruction work
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
listed the city of Le Havre on 15 July 2005 as a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
. This area of 133 hectares is one of the few inscribed contemporary sites in Europe. The architecture of the area is characterized by the use of precast concrete using a system of a modular frame of 6.24 metres and straight lines.Isabelle Letélié, ''Le Havre, unusual itineraries'', Louviers, Ysec éditions, 2010, p. 31 Another notable architectural work of the central city is that of the ''House of Culture'' built in 1982 by the Brazilian architect
Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was b ...
and nicknamed "the Volcano" because of the shape of the building.Isabelle Letélié, ''Le Havre, unusual itineraries'', Louviers, Ysec éditions, 2010, p. 32 From 2012, this place was refurbished both inside and outside with fairly significant changes approved by the architect including greater openness to the outside of the plaza. The Notre Dame and Perrey neighbourhoods are mainly residential. Les Halles is one of the commercial hubs of the city. The Saint Francis neighborhood was also rebuilt beginning in 1950 but in a radically different architectural style: the buildings are brick and have pitched
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
roofs. This is the restaurant district and the fish market.


Neighbourhoods

To the east and north of the rebuilt central city are a stretch of old neighbourhoods (Danton, Saint-Vincent, Graville, Massillon, etc.) which were spared the bombings of World War II. The buildings, usually in brick, dated to the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries. The shops are concentrated along several major roads in the Rond-Point neighbourhood. During the 1990s and 2000s, these neighborhoods have seen major redevelopments, particularly in the context of an OPAH: improvement of habitat by rehabilitation or reconstruction, creation of public facilities, and revitalization of business.''An old centre in course of renovation''
, Ville du Havre, consulted on 20 July 2012
At the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, the area around the railway station has undergone a major transformation. As the station is the gateway to the city with the main avenues intersecting here. New buildings have sprung up (
University of Le Havre Le Havre Normandy University () is a French university located in Le Havre. Along with five other schools, Le Havre Normandy University is a member of Normandy University, an association of universities and higher education institutions. Identi ...
, the conservatory, headquarters of the SPB (Provident Society Bank), and of
CMA CGM The Compagnie maritime d'affrètement - Compagnie générale maritime or CMA CGM is a French shipping and logistics company founded in 1978 by Jacques Saadé. The name is an acronym of two predecessor companies, Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètemen ...
,
Novotel Novotel is a French midscale hotel brand owned by Accor. Created in 1967 in France, the company grew into what became the Accor group in 1983, and Novotel remained a pillar brand of Accor's multi-brand strategy. Novotel manages 559 hotels in 65 ...
, Matmut, new CCI) some of which were designed by renowned architects. The bus station, certified ''NF'' since 2005, has been refurbished. North of the station, another construction project in place of the dilapidated island of Turgot-Magellan will be opened in 2013, including of office space and an eight-storey hotel, complete with shops on the ground-floor.


Southern districts

The southern districts of Le Havre are mainly used for industrial and port activities. There are buildings in brick from the 19th century, large developments (Chicago, Les Neiges), worker estates, SMEs, warehouses, dock and port facilities, and transport infrastructure. The southern districts have for some years experienced profound change due to European funding. It is revitalizing areas neglected by industrial and port activities by developing tertiary activities. Thus, the docks have been completely transformed into sports and entertainment complexes ( Dock Océane), a mall (Docks Vauban), and an exhibition hall (Docks Café). Les Bains Des Docks was designed by the architect
Jean Nouvel Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
. At the end of 2012 students from Sciences-Po Europe Asia and from INSA integrated new buildings next to the ISEL (Higher Institute of logistics studies) and the future ENSM (Ecole Nationale Supérieure Maritime).''Parks and Gardens of Le Havre''
, Sciences Po and INSA, consulted on 20 July 2012
The new medical axis around the new ''Clinic des Ormeaux'' was built in the neighbourhoods where many homes are planned with the aim of promoting social mix. The ''City of the Sea and of Sustainable Development'' (Odyssey 21) will be organized around a metal tower one hundred metres high designed by
Jean Nouvel Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
: the project was suspended in 2007 but the work should finally begin in 2013.Pierre Gras, ''The time of ports. Decline and recovery of port cities (1940–2010)'', Tallandier, 2010, 298 p. p. 238 The municipality has to attract some 300,000 visitors per year.Pierre Gras, ''The time of ports. Decline and recovery of port cities (1940–2010)'', Tallandier, 2010, 298 p. p. 239


Upper town

The upper town is composed of three parts: the "coast", the suburban districts of the plateau, and large peripheral housing estates. The neighbourhoods on the "coast" (the Dead Cliff) are residential – more prosperous in the western part (Les Ormeaux, Rue Felix Faure) and more modest to the east (St. Cecilia, Aplemont). The Jenner tunnel passes under the "coast" and connects the upper town to the lower town. It is also on the coast that there are two
fortifications A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
of the city, Forts Sainte-Adresse and Tourneville, and the main cemetery (Sainte-Marie cemetery). With the demise of the military functions of the city, the forts are gradually being converted: Fort Sainte-Adresse houses the ''Hanging Gardens'' and Fort Tourneville hosted the Tetris project in 2013 – an axis of contemporary music with concert halls and rehearsal studios.''Tourneville Fort''
, Ville du Havre, consulted on 20 July 2012
To the north of the "coast" suburban districts such as Rouelles, Sainte-Cecile, la Mare au Clerc, Sanvic, Bleville, and Dollemard were developed during the first half of the 19th century. In their extension North-west between Bleville and Octeville airport a new area is being developed: "Les Hauts de Bleville". This eco-district made up of housing units to HQE standards, a Joint Development Area (ZAC), and a school should have a total of 1,000 housing units. The peripheral suburbs of the commune grew in the postwar period. These are large
housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision (land), subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to count ...
s in Caucriauville, Bois de Bleville, Mont-Gaillard, and Mare-rouge where a disadvantaged population is concentrated. In October 2004 the National Agency for Urban Renewal (ANRU) signed with the municipality of Havre the first agreement to finance the rehabilitation of these areas. This finance agreement provides more than 340 million euros for the housing estates in the northern districts, where about 41,000 people reside. This development extends the budget for the ''Grand Projet de Ville'' (GPV). It allows the demolition and rebuilding of more than 1,700 homes.


Transport

For a long time Le Havre has exploited the strengths of its coastal location but also suffered from its relative isolation. This is why the accessibility of the city has been improved with the harbour highway A131 (E05) which links Le Havre to the
A13 autoroute Autoroute 13, or ''L'Autoroute de Normandie'' links Paris to Caen, Calvados. The motorway starts in Paris at the Porte d'Auteuil, a former gate of the Paris walls, and ends at Mondeville's Mondeville 2 (Porte de Paris) exchange junction on t ...
over Tancarville Bridge. The city is one hour from
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
and one and a half-hour from
Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
.Communication Network
, Le Havre Development, consulted on 20 July 2012
More recently the
A29 autoroute The A 29 is a major toll motorway in Normandy and Picardy, northwestern and northern France. The road is also part of European route E44. From its western interchange with the A28 autoroute until its junction with the A26 autoroute, part of th ...
(E44) has connected Le Havre to the north of France and passes over the Normandy Bridge which makes
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
(in the north-east) two hours away and
Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
(in the south-west) one hour. The TER network was modernized with the creation of the LER line in 2001 and direct services to
Fécamp Fécamp () is a commune in the northwestern French department of Seine-Maritime. Geography Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Alabaster Coast. It is around northeast of Le Havre, ...
in 2005. Thirteen Corail trains of the Paris–Le Havre line link Le Havre station with Bréauté-Beuzeville,
Yvetot Yvetot () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. It is the capital of the Caux region. History The name Yvetot comes from the Germanic ''Yvo'' and the Old Norse ''-topt''. Therefore, Yvetot mean ...
,
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
and Paris Saint-Lazare station. In addition there is a
TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
daily service to Le Havre: it has connected the city to
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
since December 2004 serving Rouen,
Mantes-la-Jolie Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, f ...
,
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
, Massy,
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
,
Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
,
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...
, and Saint Charles station in Marseille. There are also local services from Le Havre station to Rolleville and Fécamp. Le Havre-Graville station in the eastern part of the city is served by trains to Rolleville. No direct rail link connects Le Havre and
Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
yet many projects – known as the "Southwest Line" – to link Le Havre to the left bank of the Seine downstream from Rouen, near the estuary of the river, were studied in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century but none have been realized. By public transport it is necessary to go to Rouen by train or bus (using No. 20 Green Bus). There is a Gray Coach to
Étretat Étretat () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of Northwestern France. It is a Tourism, tourist and Agriculture, far ...
and
Fécamp Fécamp () is a commune in the northwestern French department of Seine-Maritime. Geography Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Alabaster Coast. It is around northeast of Le Havre, ...
and there is VTNI for destinations in the Seine valley and Rouen who provide inter-urban services on behalf of the Department of
Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inf ...
. Finally, the company AirPlus provides a shuttle service to the railway stations and airports of Paris. For air transport, there is Le Havre Octeville Airport which is located north of Le Havre at the town of
Octeville-sur-Mer Octeville-sur-Mer (, literally ''Octeville on Sea'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. It is twinned with Bourne End (Bucks) in United Kingdom since 2003 and with Furci Siculo (Sicily) in Italy since 2010. ...
and managed by CODAH. The main destination is the
Transport hub A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between mode of transport, transport modes. Public transport hubs include train station, railway stations, metro station, rapid transit stations, bus ...
of
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
. Many holiday destinations are offered each year (
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
, Balearic Islands, Portugal, Greece,
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
, etc.) through local travel agencies that charter aircraft. There is also the
Flying club A flying club or aero club is a non-profit organization, not-for-profit, member-run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft. Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and ...
Jean Maridor at the airport. The Channel maritime links with
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
in southern England with
P&O Ferries P&O Ferries is a British shipping company that operates ferry, ferries from Scotland to Northern Ireland, and from England to Continental Europe (France, Belgium and the Netherlands). The company was created in 2002 through mergers and acquisi ...
ended on 30 September 2005 to be taken over by LD Lines who had changed the configuration. Two services to Portsmouth are provided daily from the Terminal de la Citadelle until ceasing operations in 2014, the route has since been taken over by
Brittany Ferries Brittany Ferries is the trading name of the French shipping company, BAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A. founded in 1973 by Alexis Gourvennec, that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between France, England, Ireland, Spain and the ...
. The link to Ireland was moved to the port of
Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...
. Crossing times to Portsmouth vary from five hours and thirty minutes to eight hours. Popular alternative routes going to areas close to Le Havre include
Newhaven Newhaven is a port town in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England, lying at the mouth of the River Ouse. The town developed during the Middle Ages as the nearby port of Seaford began drying up, forcing a new port to be established. A ...
to
Dieppe Dieppe (; ; or Old Norse ) is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newhaven in England ...
, and
Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...
to
Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...
.


Urban transport

The city and the metropolitan area has a dense transport network. This solves the problem of a break between the lower town and the upper town and the two parts of the city are connected by long boulevards, winding roads, many stairs, a
funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...
, and finally the Jenner tunnel. The CODAH transport network is called ''Lia''''Who are we?''
CODAH, consulted on 27 July 2012
and is operated by the ''Ocean Port Transport company'' (CTPO), a subsidiary of
Veolia Transport Veolia Transport (formerly Connex and CGEA Transport) was the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia until the 2011 merger that gave rise to Veolia Transdev, later renamed Transdev. Veolia Tr ...
. The overhaul of the bus network in 2008 helped to ensure a better service for all the towns in the metropolitan area. The CTPO operates a bus network consisting of 19 regular urban routes and six evening routes called the "Midnight Bus". The Le Havre urban area is served by 165 vehicles and 41 regular bus routes with an average of 100,000 passengers per day. From January 2011 there has been a regular shuttle service specific to the Industrial Zone and Port of Le Havre, thus adding to the cross-estuary service of VTNI. Since 1890 the funicular has provided a link between the upper town and the lower town in four minutes with a cable car.''Mobility Guide 2011''
, Ville du Havre, consulted on 20 July 2012
Le Havre had a tramway system from 1894 until it closed in 1957. More recently a new tramway system, with 23 stations and of route,''The Key Numbers''
(French), accessed on 20 July 2012
was built, and opened on 12 December 2012. The first part of the line connects the beach to the station climbing to the upper town through a new tunnel near the Jenner tunnel then it splits into two: one link going to Mont-Gaillard, the other to Caucriauville. Finally, since 2001 Le Havre agglomeration has operated the LER, a TER line connecting the Le Havre station to Rolleville passing through five other
SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
railway stations of the urban area. From 2005, development work for
Segregated cycle facilities Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of huma ...
have increased including a connection to the Greenway which promises to be an important network of quality. Between 2007 and 2011, the total length of cycle paths has doubled to in total length.''Annual Report on sustainable development for the city of Le Havre 2010–2011''
, Ville du Havre, consulted on 20 July 2012
It is possible to rent bicycles through agencies of the Océane bus or from the town hall (Vel-H) which has them on hand. Finally, 140 taxis work in Le Havre and serve 25 stations.


Politics and administration

Le Havre is one of two sub-prefectures of Seine-Maritime and the second largest
subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...
in France after
Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
. It is the capital of the Arrondissement of Le Havre which includes 168 communes. It is also the largest member of the
Le Havre Seine Métropole Le Havre Seine Métropole is the ''communauté urbaine'', an Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunal structure, centred on the Communes of France, city of Le Havre. It is located in the Seine-Maritime departments of France, department, i ...
. Since 2015, the city of Le Havre is divided over six Cantons, some of which also cover neighbouring communes. For the parliamentary elections, Le Havre spans two constituencies: the seventh (former cantons I, V, VI, and VII) and the eighth (former cantons II, III, IV, VIII, IX).


Political trends and results

Several politicians have spent part of their lives in the city: Jules Lecesne (1818–1878), Jules Siegfried (1837–1922), and
Félix Faure Félix François Faure (; 30 January 1841 – 16 February 1899) was President of France from 1895 until his death in 1899. A native of Paris, he worked as a tanner in his younger years. Faure became a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Seine- ...
(1841–1899) were elected as municipal councillors and MPs. A pool, a shopping centre and a street have been named after
René Coty Gustave Jules René Coty (; 20 March 188222 November 1962) was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president of the Fourth French Republic. Early life and politics René Coty was born in Le Havre and studied at th ...
from Le Havre, who served as
President of the French Republic The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the pos ...
from 1954 to 1959.
Christine Lagarde Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde (; , ; born 1 January 1956) is a French politician and lawyer who has been the President of the European Central Bank since 2019. She previously served as the 11th Managing Director of the International Monetar ...
(born 1956) attended high schools in Le Havre before becoming Minister of the Economy and Director-General of the
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...
in 2011. Since 23 October 2010 the
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
has been Édouard Philippe ( UMP). He also holds the presidency of the CODAH and has held a seat in the National Assembly for the 7th district of Seine-Maritime since 2012.''Édouard Philippe''
, Ville du Havre, consulted on 24 July 2012
He succeeded
Antoine Rufenacht Antoine Rufenacht (; 11 May 1939 – 5 September 2020) was a French right-wing ( The Republicans) politician and former mayor of Le Havre. He took the mayoral seat from Daniel Colliard ( PCF) at the municipal election of 1995 and was reelect ...
(UMP), who was mayor of Le Havre for fifteen years before resigning, as the head of the municipality. The city of Le Havre has long been the strongest bastion of the
Communist Party of France The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a communist party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit with The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL group. The PCF was founded in 1920 by Marxist ...
, who directed it from 1956 to 1995.Pierre Gras, ''The time of Ports. Declin and recovery of Port Cities (1940–2010)'', Tallandier, 2010, 298 p. (), p. 47 Overall, the inhabitants of Le Havre in the 7th electoral district (city centre and western neighbourhoods) tend to vote for the right while those of the 8th electoral district (eastern neighbourhoods) tend to choose the candidate of the left. For example, in the presidential election of 2007, the 7th electoral district voted for Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP) by 55.05% against 44.95% for Ségolène Royal (PS) while in the 8th electoral district 55.02% voted for the Socialist candidate.''Results of Legislative Elections for 2012 Seine-Maritime 7th electoral district''
''L'Express'', consulted on 24 July 2012

''L'Express'', consulted on 24 July 2012
However, the results of the 2012 presidential elections gave the PS wins in both districts with a smaller margin in the 7th (Hollande: 51.71% / Sarkozy: 48.29%) than in the 8th (Hollande 64.21% / Sarkozy: 35.79%).


Municipal administration

The number of inhabitants in Le Havre is between 150,000 and 199,999 so the number of councillors is 59 members. The
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
, 41 aldermen and 17 deputies form the
council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
of Le Havre elected in 2008.The Municipal Council
, Ville du Havre, consulted on 24 July 2012
It meets on average once a month at the town hall. The debates are generally public except for certain proceedings. Le Havre has experienced many territorial extensions by annexing neighbouring communes: *1852: Ingouville and parts of Graville-l'Eure and Sanvic *1919: all of Graville-Sainte-Honorine *1953: Bleville *1955: all of Sanvic *1971: part of
Harfleur Harfleur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of northern France. It was the principal seaport in north-western Fr ...
(a district of Caucriauville) *1973: Rouelles (with the status of associated commune, 3,184 inhabitants in 2006)


Mayors


Public institutions and services

The Le Havre Palace of Justice is located on the Boulevard de Strasbourg. With its annex, it includes a high court, a juvenile court, and a commercial court. The city also has a Labour Court and District Court. Among the legal services offered there are legal aid services and the application of penalties. Le Havre depends on the
Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...
of Rouen. The prison, which dates from the Second Empire, was completely destroyed in 2012. The new prison for Le Havre was completed in 2010 at Saint-Aubin-Routot east of the Le Havre agglomeration. It has an area of 32,000 m2 on a site of 15 hectares and can accommodate 690 people. The ''Hospital Group of Havre'' is a public health facility managed by a supervisory board chaired by the
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of Le Havre. Its main structures are Flaubert Hospital (the oldest, located downtown), the Monod Hospital (in
Montivilliers Montivilliers ( or ) is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A large light industrial and farming town by the banks of the river Lézarde in the Pays de Caux, situated just north of ...
), the Pierre Janet Hospital (psychiatry), the house for adolescents, day hospitals, and seniors' residences. It is the largest employer in the CODAH. Built in 1987, the Jacques Monod Hospital offers a full range of care in medicine, surgery, gynecology, obstetrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, mental health follow-up care, rehabilitation, reintegration, and public health. Finally, there are several private clinics that offer complete care: the private clinic of the Estuary groups together the old clinics of ''Petit Colmoulins'' and François I. The private clinic of Ormeaux is located in the neighbourhood of Eure. During the first half of the 20th century, the 129th regiment of infantry of the line was stationed at Le Havre and left an important mark on the city so a street was named after them. The 74th Infantry Regiment of commandos was present from 1963 to 1976. Finally, Le Havre is the godmother city for BPC Mistral. The ceremony was held at the City Hall on 15 November 2009, during a stopover at the Building.


National politics

For elections to the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
, Le Havre is divided between Seine-Maritime's 7th and 8th constituency. They are currently represented by Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo and Jean-Paul Lecoq.


Twin towns and sister cities

Le Havre is twinned with: *
Dalian Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Shenyang ...
, China *
Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
, Germany *
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, Russia *
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
, England, United Kingdom *
Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, United States


Demographics

Le Havre experienced a population boom in the second half of the 19th century. Subsequently, the population drain of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
was offset by the annexation of the town of Graville (the city gained 27,215 people between 1911 and 1921). During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the population decreased significantly (a loss of 57,149 people between 1936 and 1946) because of the exodus and bombings. After the war the commune saw its population increase until 1975. Since then population has decreased again, especially between 1975 and 1982: during these years of industrial crisis the population fell by 18,494 people. The trend continued in the 1980s although at a slower pace. The current policy of the municipality is to build new housing to attract new residents with the goal of exceeding 200,000 inhabitants, a level that was reached in the 1960s. The population of the commune of Le Havre was 191,000 inhabitants in 1999 which placed the city at 12th place among the most populated cities in France and in the first place in
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
. In 2018 INSEE counted 169,733 people living in the commune of Le Havre, while the
urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
of Le Havre had 234,945 inhabitants and the
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
of Le Havre had 337,086 inhabitants.Comparateur de territoire
INSEE, consulted on 16 June 2022
Between 2012 and 2017, the
birth rate Birth rate, also known as natality, is the total number of live childbirth, human births per 1,000 population for a given period divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registr ...
was 14.3 per thousand and the
mortality rate Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular Statistical population, population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically ...
was 10.4 per thousand: even though the
Rate of natural increase In demography and population dynamics, the rate of natural increase (RNI), also known as natural population change, is defined as the birth rate minus the death rate of a particular population, over a particular time period. It is typically expre ...
is positive it does not compensate for the clearly negative
net migration rate The net migration rate is the difference between the number of immigrants (people coming into an area) and the number of emigrants (people leaving an area) per year divided by the population. When the number of immigrants is larger than the num ...
(-0.7%).Dossier complet: Commune du Havre (76351)
INSEE, 2020, consulted on 14 August 2020
In 2017 19% of Le Havre's population was under 15 years old and 39% were under 30 years old, which was above the average for metropolitan France.Evolution and Structure of the Population 2017
INSEE
24% of men and 26% of women were over 60 years old. The most populous quarters are the city centre, Sanvic, Caucriauville, Anatole France/Danton and Côte Ouest/Ormeaux.Recensement de la population: Chiffres clés 2013 - Le Havre
, AURH
In 2009 the foreign population was estimated at 8,525 persons or 4.8% of the population. 12,148 immigrants lived in Havre, or 6.8% of the urban population.Le Havre (76351 – Commune) – Immigration
INSEE, consulted on 26 July 2012
Most had North African (5060) or African (3114) origins.Le Havre (76351 – Commune) – Immigration
consulted on 26 July 2012
With the economic changes that have affected the city, the ''Professions and Socio-professional categories'' (PCS) have changed dramatically since the 1980s: between 1982 and 1999, the number of workers has declined by about a third (−10,593), their share of the active
labour force In macroeconomics, the workforce or labour force is the sum of people either working (i.e., the employed) or looking for work (i.e., the unemployed): \text = \text + \text Those neither working in the marketplace nor looking for work are out ...
was 16% in 1982 and 12.5% in 1999. The population of workers is concentrated in the southern suburbs close to the port and the industrial zone. At the same time the numbers of executives and intellectual professions increased by 24.5%, which is explained in part by the creation and development of the
University of Le Havre Le Havre Normandy University () is a French university located in Le Havre. Along with five other schools, Le Havre Normandy University is a member of Normandy University, an association of universities and higher education institutions. Identi ...
. In 2017 the city had a lower proportion of managers and intellectual occupations than the national average (14.4% against 18.1%). The proportion of workers (22.5%) was higher than the national average (19.9%). Going from 16.7% to 21.7% of the labour force, the rate of unemployment has increased between 2007 and 2017, and it remains higher than in the rest of the country (13.9%). The proportion Le Havre people in short-term employment (CDD and interim work) is higher than the national average. Finally, the proportion of Le Havre people with a degree from higher education dramatically increased from 17.3% in 2007 to 23.2% in 2017 against 29.9% for entire France.


Economy


General

Although well developed and diversified, the local economy relies heavily on industrial sites, international groups, and subcontracted SMEs. The Le Havre economy is far from decision centres which are located mainly in Paris and major European economic cities. There is therefore a low representation of head offices in the city with the exception of some local economic successes such as the Sidel Group (now a subsidiary of
Tetra Pak Tetra Pak is a Swedish multinational food packaging and processing company headquartered in Switzerland. The company offers packaging, filling machines and processing for dairy, beverages, cheese, ice cream and prepared food, including distr ...
) – a distributor of interior furniture, and the
ship-owner A shipowner, ship owner or ship-owner is the owner of a ship. They can be merchant vessels involved in the sea transport, shipping industry or non commercially owned. In the commercial sense of the term, a shipowner is someone who equips and expl ...
Delmas which was recently acquired by the CMA-CGM group.


Port

With 68.6 million tons of cargo in 2011, the port of Le Havre is the second largest French seaport in trade volume behind that of
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
and 50th largest port in the world. It represents 60% of total French container traffic with nearly 2.2 million Twenty-foot equivalent unit, EVP]s in 2011.Definitive Statistics 2011
Port du Havre, consulted on 27 December 2012
At the European level, it is eighth largest for container traffic and sixth largest for total traffic. The Port receives a large number of
oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk cargo, bulk transport of petroleum, oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quant ...
s that transported 27.5 million tonnes of crude oil and 11.7 million tonnes of refined product in 2011. Finally, 340,500 vehicles passed through the
Roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...
terminal in 2010. 75 regular shipping lines serve 500 ports around the world.The Port of Le Havre
, Le Havre développement, consulted on 30 July 2012
The largest trading partner of the port of Le Havre is the Asian continent which alone accounts for 58% of imports by container and 39.6% of exports. The rest of the traffic is distributed mainly to Europe and America. Le Havre occupies the north bank of the estuary of the
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
on the
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...
. Its location is favourable for several reasons: it is on the most frequented waterway in the world; it is the first and last port in the ''North Range'' of European ports – the largest in Europe which handles a quarter of all global maritime trade.The Port today
, Grand Port Maritime du Havre, consulted on 28 July 2012
As a
deepwater port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...
, it is accessible to all types of ships whatever their size around the clock. At the national level, Le Havre is west of the most populous and richest region in France:
Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
. Since its founding in 1517 on the orders of François I, Le Havre has continued to grow: today it measures from east to west, about from north to south with an area of . The last big project called Port 2000 increased the handling capacity for containers. The port provides 16,000 direct jobs to the Le Havre region, to which must be added indirect jobs in industry and transport. With approximately 3,000 employees in 2006, the activities of distribution and warehousing provide more jobs,Employment linked to the Maritime and Port activities in the Le Havre area (excluding industry)
, Port du Havre, consulted on 29 July 2012
followed by road transport (2,420 jobs) and handling (2,319 jobs). In 2011, 715,279 passengers passed through the port of Le Havre and there were 95 visits by
cruise ships Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on tours known as " ...
carrying 185,000 passengers.Laurence Périn, ''The Cruises in vogue'', in Océanes, No. 154, March 2012, p. 6 The port expects 110 cruise ship calls in 2012. Created in 1934, the leisure boat harbour of Le Havre is located to the west and is the largest French boat harbour in the
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...
with a capacity of 1,160 moorings. Finally, there is a small fishing port in the Saint-François district and a
Hawker centre A hawker centre (), or cooked food centre (), is an often open-air complex commonly found in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. They are intended to provide a more sanitary alternative to mobile hawker carts and contain many stall ...
.


Industry

Most industries are located in the industrial-port area north of the estuary and east of the city of Le Havre. The largest industrial employer (2,400 employees) of the Le Havre region is the Renault public company in the commune of Sandouville. The second important sector for the industrial zone is
petrochemicals Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable so ...
. The Le Havre region has more than a third of French refining capacity. It provides about 50% of the production of basic plastics and 80% of additives and oilsPetrochemical Chemistry
, Le Havre développement, consulted on 30 July 2012
with more than 3,500 researchers working in private and public laboratories. Large firms in the chemical industry are mainly in the communes of Le Havre (Millenium Chemicals Le Havre),
Montivilliers Montivilliers ( or ) is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A large light industrial and farming town by the banks of the river Lézarde in the Pays de Caux, situated just north of ...
(
TotalEnergies TotalEnergies SE is a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company founded in 1924 and is one of the seven supermajor oil companies. Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas explorati ...
,
Yara Yara may refer to: People * Yara (given name) * Yara (surname), a Japanese surname * Yara (Angolan footballer), Yara Lukenia F. da Costa Lima () * Yara (Brazilian footballer), Yara Silva (born 1964) * Yara (singer), Lebanese pop singer Carl ...
, Chevron Oronite SA,
Lanxess Lanxess AG is a German specialty chemicals company based in Cologne, Germany. It was founded in 2004 after Bayer AG spun off its chemicals division and parts of its polymers business. History The company's roots trace back to 1863, with the fou ...
, etc.) and Sandouville ( Goodyear Chemicals Europe). A total of 28 industrial establishments manufacture plastics in the Le Havre area many of which are classed as SECESO. There are several firms in the aerospace industry: SAFRAN Nacelles, a supplier to
Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...
, Boeing and other commercial air-framers, making jet engine nacelles and thrust reversers, is located in
Harfleur Harfleur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of northern France. It was the principal seaport in north-western Fr ...
and employs 1,200 people from the Le Havre area.Aeronautic
, Le Havre développement, consulted on 30 July 2012
Finally, Dresser-Rand SA manufactures equipment for the oil and gas industry and employs about 700 people.Huge contract for Dresser-Rand Le Havre
''L'usine nouvelle'', 20 July 2007, consulted on 30 July 2012
In the energy field, the ''EDF thermal power plant'' of Le Havre has an installed capacity of 1,450MW and operates using coal with 357 employees.2011 in brief
, EDF, centrale du Havre, consulted on 30 July 2012
The
AREVA Areva S.A. was a French multinational group specializing in nuclear power, active between 2001 and 2018. It was headquartered in Courbevoie, France. Before its 2016 corporate restructuring, Areva was majority-owned by the French state through t ...
group announced the opening of a factory for building
wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...
s: installed in the port of Le Havre, it should create some 1,800 jobs. The machines are designed for
Offshore wind power Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the generation of electricity through wind farms in bodies of water, usually at sea. There are higher wind speeds offshore than on land, so offshore farms generate more electricity per amount of ca ...
in Brittany, the UK, and
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
. Other industries are dispersed throughout the Le Havre agglomeration: the ''Brûlerie du Havre'', which belongs to Legal-Legoût, located in the district of Dollemard that roasts coffee, Sidel located both in the industrial area of Port of Le Havre and
Octeville-sur-Mer Octeville-sur-Mer (, literally ''Octeville on Sea'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. It is twinned with Bourne End (Bucks) in United Kingdom since 2003 and with Furci Siculo (Sicily) in Italy since 2010. ...
designs and manufactures blow moulding machines and complete filling line machines for plastic bottles.


Services sector

The two largest employers in the service sector are the ''Groupe Hospitalier du Havre'' with 4,384 staffPresentation and key data
Groupe Hospitalier du Havre, consulted on 30 July 2012
and the ''City of Le Havre'' with 3,467 permanent employees.The City recruits
, Ville du Havre, consulted on 30 July 2012
The city has long been home to many service companies whose activity is related to port operations: primarily the ship-owning companies and also the
marine insurance Marine insurance covers the physical loss or damage of ships, cargo, terminals, and any transport by which the property is transferred, acquired, or held between the points of origin and the final destination. Cargo insurance a sub-branch of mari ...
companies. The headquarters of Delmas (transport and communications, 1,200 employees) and SPB (Provident Society Banking, insurance, 500 employees) have settled recently at the entrance to the city. The head office of Groupama Transport (300 employees) is also present. The transport sector is the largest economic sector in Le Havre with 15.5% of employment. Logistics occupies a large part of the population and the ISEL trains engineers in this field. Since September 2007 the ICC has welcomed local students in their first year in the relocated Europe-Asia campus of the Institute of Political Studies of Paris. Higher Education is represented by the
University of Le Havre Le Havre Normandy University () is a French university located in Le Havre. Along with five other schools, Le Havre Normandy University is a member of Normandy University, an association of universities and higher education institutions. Identi ...
which employs 399 permanent professors and 850 lecturersUniversity of Le Havre data
, Université du Havre, consulted on 26 July 2012
as well as by engineering companies like Auxitec and SERO. There are many growth factors in the tourist industry: blue flag rating, World Heritage status from UNESCO, the label ''
French Towns and Lands of Art and History Since 1985, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication has pursued a policy of preserving and promoting France's heritage. Historic towns and districts have been designated ''Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire'' ("Towns and Lands of Art and ...
'', cruise ship development, a policy of value-creation from heritage, and the ''City of the Sea'' project. In January 2020 the city had 26 hotels with a total of 1,428 rooms. Le Havre is the seat of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Le Havre. It manages the Le Havre Octeville Airport.


Culture


Events and festivals

Le Havre's festival calendar is punctuated by a wide range of events. In spring a ''Children's Book Festival'' was recently created. In May there is the ''Fest Yves'', a Breton festival in the Saint-François district. On the beach of Le Havre and Sainte-Adresse there is a
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
festival called ''Dixie Days'' in June. In July,
detective novels Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...
are featured in the Polar room at the Beach hosted by ''The Black Anchors''. Between the latter also in the context of ''Z'Estivales'' is an event offering many shows of
street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant gr ...
throughout the summer supplemented by the festival of world music ''MoZaïques'' at the fort of Sainte-Adresse in August since 2010. In mid-August there is a Flower parade which passes through the streets of the central city. In the first weekend of September the marine element is highlighted in the ''Festival of the Sea''. This is a race between Le Havre and
Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...
in Brazil. Also every November there is a fair held in the Docks Café. The Autumn Festival in Normandy, organized by the departments of
Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inf ...
and
Eure Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, runs from September to November and offers numerous concerts throughout the region as well as theatre performances and dance. In late October, since 2009, there is rock music festival which has been at the fort of Tourneville since the moving of the ''Papa's Production'' association site there. The West Park Festival, after its inauguration in 2004, has been held in the park of the town hall of Harfleur. Since 1 June 2006 a ''Biennale of contemporary Art'' has been organized by the group ''Partouche''.


Cultural heritage and architecture

Many buildings in the city are classified as "historical monuments", but the 2000s marked the real recognition of Le Havre's architectural heritage. The city received the label "City of Art and History" in 2001, then in 2005
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
inscribed the city of Le Havre as a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
. The oldest building still standing in Le Havre is the Graville Abbey. The other medieval building in the city is the Chapel of Saint-Michel of Ingouville. Because of the bombing in 1944, heritage from the
modern era The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...
is rare: '' Le Havre Cathedral'', the ''Church of Saint Francis'', the ''Museum of the Hotel Dubocage of Bleville'', the ''House of the ship-owner'' and the old palace of justice (now the ''Natural History Museum'') are concentrated in the Notre-Dame and Saint-François areas. The buildings of the 19th century testify to the maritime and military vocations of the city: the ''Hanging Gardens'', the ''Fort of Tourneville'', ''Vauban docks'', and the ''Maritime Villa''. The heritage of the 1950s and 1960s which were the work of the
Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...
workshop forms the most coherent architecture: the ''Church of Saint Francis'' and the Town Hall are the centrepieces. The all curved architecture of the ''"Volcano"'', designed by
Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was b ...
, contrasts with that of the rebuilt centre. Finally, the reconstruction of many districts is a showcase for the architecture of the 21st century. Among the achievements by renowned architects are the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (René and Phine Weeke Dottelond), Les Bains Des Docks (
Jean Nouvel Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
). °


Churches

* Le Havre Cathedral: the first stone of the building was laid in 1536. It is the seat of the Bishop of Le Havre. * Church of Saint Joseph, one of the most recognized symbols of the city. The belltower is one of the tallest in France, rising to a height of 107 metres. It was designed by
Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...
. * Church of Saint Michel * Church of Saint Vincent * Church of Saint François * Church of St. Anne * Church of Saint Marie * Chapel of Saint Michel d'Ingouville (15th century) * Graville Abbey, a monastery dedicated to Sainte Honorine, set in grounds on the northern bank of the
Seine River The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres p ...
. *Presbyterian Reform Church (Église Réformée), 47 rue Anatole France, built in 1857, bombed in 1941, the roof and ceiling were rebuilt in 1953 by two architects from the famous
Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...
office: Jacques Lamy and Gérard Dupasquier, The only building in town offering both ancient and the new Perret school of architecture in the same building. Holy Office each Sunday morning at 10.30.


Museums

Five Museums in Le Havre have the distinction of being classified as ''Musées de France'' (Museums of France) an official label granted only to museums of a high status. The five museums are:


Museum of modern art André Malraux – MuMa

The most important of the five, Museum Malraux was built in 1955 by the
Atelier LWD Atelier LWD was an architecture studio led by Guy Lagneau, Jean Dimitrijevic and Michel Weill that was active from 1952 to 1985. It later took the name of "Atelier d'Etudes Architecturales" (ATEA) (Architectural Studies Workshop) with the addition ...
and was opened in 1961 by
André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...
. This museum houses a collection of art from the late
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
until the 20th century. The impressionist paintings collections are the second most extensive in France after those of the Orsay Museum in Paris. The museum houses some paintings of
Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...
,
Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...
,
Raoul Dufy Raoul Dufy (; 3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) was a French painter associated with the Fauvist movement. He gained recognition for his vibrant and decorative style, which became popular in various forms, such as textile designs, and public build ...
,
Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints, and drawings. Degas is e ...
.


Musée du Vieux Havre (Museum of old Le Havre)

A Museum dedicated to the history of Le Havre with many objects from the
Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...
and the 19th century: furniture, old maps, statues, and paintings.


Musée d'histoire naturelle (Museum of Natural History)

Founded in 1881 but heavily damaged during World War II, the Museum of Natural History is housed in Le Havre's former law courts, built in the mid-18th century; the façade and monumental staircase are listed as historical monuments. The museum houses mineralogy, zoology, ornithology, palaeontology and prehistory departments as well as 8,000 early 19th-century paintings from the collection of local naturalist and traveller Charles-Alexandre Lesueur (1778–1846). The museum was destroyed during Allied bombings on 5 September 1944. The library was lost, along with its collections of photographs, scientific instruments and archives. The mineral and geological collections were all destroyed, including a rare collection of local mineral specimens of
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
. The destruction of the museum was so intense, that all the catalogues, lists of donations, lists of purchases and other archives prevented even a precise inventory of all that was lost."


The Shipowner's house

From the 18th century; like the Museum of Old Havre it is dedicated to the History of Le Havre and contains many relics from the
Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...
as well as furniture, old maps, statues, and paintings.


Museum of the Priory of Graville

The Museum at the Priory of Graville displays many items of religious art including statues, madonnas, and other religious objects many of which are classified by the Ministry of Culture. It also houses the Gosselin collection of 206 model houses created by Jules Gosselin in the 19th century.


Others

Other less important museums reflect the history of Le Havre and its maritime vocation. The ''apartment-control'' (Apartement-Temoine) was a standard apartment designed by in 1947–1950 and shows a place of daily life in the 1950s. The maritime museum displays objects related to the sea and the port. Finally, there are numerous exhibitions in the city such as the ''SPOT'', a centre for
contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...
, art galleries, and ''Le Portique'' – a contemporary art space opened in 2008; the municipal library of Le Havre regularly organizes exhibitions. Other attractions include: * The former tribunal (18th century) * The Town Hall: the modern
belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...
which now contains offices * The "Volcan" cultural centre built by
Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was b ...
* Square St. Roch * Japanese Garden


Theatres, auditoriums and concerts

There are two main cultural axes in Le Havre: the central city and the Eure district. The ''Espace Oscar Niemeyer'' consists of a part of the "Great Volcano", a national theatre seating 1,093The Gallery
Le Volcan, consulted on 27 July 2012
(which houses the ''National Choreographic Centre'' of Le Havre Haute-Normandie directed by Hervé Robbe) and secondly the "Little Volcano" with a 250-seat multi-purpose hall for live performances. The whole ''Espace Oscar Niemeyer'' has been worked on since 2011: the ''little volcano'' will be transformed into a multimedia library. As for the performances at the ''Great Volcano'', they are now taking place in the old ferry terminal until the end of construction. Other cultural institutions of the city centre are being transformed: the cinema of art and a trial of ''Le Sirius'' facing the university will reopen in 2013. ''Le Tetris'' at the fort of Tourneville will, in 2013, be a place devoted to contemporary music. Other cultural venues are scattered in the city centre: the cinema ''Le Studio'', the theatre of the City Hall (700 seats), the ''Little Theatre'' (450 seats), the ''Théâtre des Bains Douches'' (94 seats), ''Akté theatre'' (60 seats), and the ''Poulailler'' (Henhouse)) (associative theatre with 50 seats) host numerous shows each year. The National Choreographic Centre of Le Havre Haute-Normandie specialises in the creation and production of dance shows. Other shows and performances are given in other places and at the Conservatory Arthur Honegger. The second cultural centre of the city is in the Eure district near the Basin Vauban. Docks Océane is a multi-purpose hall (concerts, shows, and sporting events) which can accommodate up to 4,700 spectators in .Welcome to the Docks
, Les Docks, consulted on 2 April 2008
The largest cinema in Le Havre is located on the Docks Vauban (2,430 seats). The Docks Café is an exhibition centre of used for shows, fairs, and exhibitions. The ''Magic Mirrors'' offers many concerts managed by the city and leased to private organizers. Following the closure of ''Cabaret Electric'' which was located in the ''Espace Oscar Niemeyer'' in 2011 a new auditorium, ''Le Tetris'', is under construction at the Fort of Tourneville. It was scheduled to open in September 2013 with a large festival free-of-charge. It will consist of two halls with 800 and 200 seats, exhibition space, housing for artists in residence, a restaurant etc. ''Le Tetris'' will be a venue for contemporary music as well as theatre, dance, and visual arts. An "expectation" outside the walls was held on the site of the fort during 2012 and early 2013.


Libraries and archives

The main library is located in the city centre, named after the writer
Armand Salacrou Armand Camille Salacrou (; 9 August 1899 – 23 November 1989) was a French dramatist. Biography He was born in Rouen, but spent most of his childhood at Le Havre, and moved to Paris in 1917. His first works show the influence of the Surre ...
. It has branches in all districts. A new multimedia library at the "Volcano" is being refurbished for 2014. Thousands of references are available in specialized libraries in the Higher School of Art, the Museum of André Malraux, and the Natural History Museum. Medieval manuscripts and
Incunable An incunable or incunabulum (: incunables or incunabula, respectively) is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. The specific date is essentially arbitrary, but the ...
s are conserved at the public library. The archives of the city, at the Fort of Tourneville, possesses documents from the 16th to the 20th centuries.


Representations in visual arts

The Port of Le Havre and the light on the estuary of the Seine inspired many painters: Louis-Philippe Crepin (1772–1851), Jean-Baptiste Corot (1796–1875), Eugène Isabey (1803–1886), Theodore Gudin (1802–1880), Adolphe-Felix Cals (1810–1880),
Jean-François Millet Jean-François Millet (; 4 October 1814 – 20 January 1875) was a French artist and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France. Millet is noted for his paintings of peasant farmers and can be categorized as part of the Realis ...
(1814–1875) in 1845,Alfred Sensier, ''The Life and works of J.-F Millet'', A. Quantin, 1881.
Gustave Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( ; ; ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the ...
(1819–1877) etc.. It is to
Eugène Boudin Eugène Louis Boudin (; 12 July 1824 – 8 August 1898) was one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors. Boudin was a marine painter, and expert in the rendering of all that goes upon the sea and along its shores. His pastels, ...
(1824–1898) who created many representations of Le Havre in the 19th century. The artist lived for a time in the city. Thanks to its proximity to
Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from Le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Hon ...
, Le Havre was also represented by foreign artists such as William Turner,
Johan Barthold Jongkind Johan Barthold Jongkind (; 3 June 1819 – 9 February 1891) was a Dutch painter and printmaker. He painted marine landscapes in a free manner and is regarded as a forerunner of impressionism. Biography Jongkind was born in the town of Lat ...
, Alfred Stevens, and
Richard Parkes Bonington Richard Parkes Bonington (25 October 1802 – 23 September 1828) was an English Romantic landscape painter. He moved to France at the age of 14 and can also be considered as a French artist, and an intermediary bringing aspects of English styl ...
.
Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...
(1840–1926), a resident of Le Havre from the age of five, in 1872 painted ''Impression soleil levant'' (
Impression, Sunrise ''Impression, Sunrise'' () is an 1872 painting by Claude Monet first shown at what would become known as the " Exhibition of the Impressionists" in Paris in April, 1874. The painting is credited with inspiring the name of the Impressionist movem ...
), a painting that gave its name to the
impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
movement. In 1867–1868, he painted many seascapes in the Le Havre region (''Terrasse à Sainte-Adresse'' ( Garden at Sainte-Adresse), 1867 ''Bateaux quittant le port'' (Boats Leaving the Port), 1874). The Musée Malraux houses some of his paintings : Waterlilies, London Parliament et Winter Sun at Lavacourt. Two other Impressionists,
Camille Pissarro Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( ; ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the Danish West Indies). ...
(1830–1903) and Maxime Maufra (1861–1918) also represented the port of Le Havre which also inspired
Paul Signac Paul Victor Jules Signac ( , ; 11 November 1863 – 15 August 1935) was a French Neo-Impressionist painter who, with Georges Seurat, helped develop the artistic technique Pointillism. Biography Paul-Victor-Jules Signac was born in Paris on ...
(1863–1935),
Albert Marquet Albert Marquet (; 27 March 1875 – 14 June 1947) was a French painter. He initially became one of the Fauve painters and a lifelong friend of Henri Matisse. Marquet subsequently painted in a more naturalistic style, primarily landscapes, bu ...
(1875–1947), and
Maurice de Vlaminck Maurice de Vlaminck (; 4 April 1876 - 11 October 1958) was a French painter. Along with André Derain and Henri Matisse, he is considered one of the principal figures in the Fauve movement, a group of modern artists who from 1904 to 1908 were ...
(1876–1958). Then came the school of
Fauvism Fauvism ( ) is a style of painting and an art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the style of (, ''the wild beasts''), a group of modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong col ...
in which many artists did their training at Le Havre:
Othon Friesz Achille-Émile Othon Friesz (6 February 1879 – 10 January 1949), who later called himself Othon Friesz, a native of Le Havre, was a French artist of the Fauvist movement. Biography Othon Friesz was born in Le Havre, the son of a long line of ...
(1879–1949), Henri de Saint-Delis (1876–1958),
Raoul Dufy Raoul Dufy (; 3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) was a French painter associated with the Fauvist movement. He gained recognition for his vibrant and decorative style, which became popular in various forms, such as textile designs, and public build ...
(1877–1953),
Georges Braque Georges Braque ( ; ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his alliance with ...
(1882–1963), Raymond Lecourt (1882–1946), Albert Copieux (1885–1956), who followed the course of the ''School of Fine Arts of Le Havre'' in the time of Charles Lhuillier. They left a number of paintings on the theme of the city and the port. In 1899,
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Count, ''Comte'' Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), known as Toulouse-Lautrec (), was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator whose immersion in the colour ...
(1864–1901) painted ''La serveuse anglaise du Star'' (The English waitress of Star) (Museum Toulouse-Lautrec, Albi) of a girl he met in a bar in the city. Other painters who painted Le Havre and/or its surroundings such as Sainte-Adresse can be cited in particular:
Frédéric Bazille Jean Frédéric Bazille (; December 6, 1841 – November 28, 1870) was a French Impressionist painter. Many of Bazille's major works are examples of figure painting in which he placed the subject figure within a landscape painted '' en plein ai ...
, John Gendall,
Thomas Couture Thomas Couture (; 21 December 1815 – 30 March 1879) was a French history painter and teacher. He taught many notable contemporary figures of the art world, such as Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, John La Farge, Pierre Puvis de Chava ...
, Ambroise Louis Garneray,
Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
(''Souvenir du Havre'').
Jean Dubuffet Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (; 31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French Painting, painter and sculpture, sculptor of the School of Paris, École de Paris (School of Paris). His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" a ...
studied at the School of Art in Le Havre.


Cinema

With nearly 70 films, Le Havre is one of the provincial cities most represented in the cinema.The making of films in Le Havre
Ville du Havre, consulted on 1 April 2008
Several directors have chosen the port facilities as part of their movie: *''
L'Atalante ''L'Atalante'', also released as ''Le Chaland qui passe'' ("The Passing Barge"), is a 1934 French film written and directed by Jean Vigo, and starring Jean Dasté, Dita Parlo and Michel Simon. After the difficult release of his controversial sho ...
'' by
Jean Vigo Jean Vigo (; 26 April 1905 – 5 October 1934) was a French film director who helped establish poetic realism in film in the 1930s. His work influenced French New Wave cinema of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Biography Vigo was born to Emi ...
(1934) *''
Le Quai des brumes ''Port of Shadows'' ( , "The dock of mists") is a 1938 French film directed by Marcel Carné. An example of poetic realism, it stars Jean Gabin, Michel Simon and Michèle Morgan. The screenplay was written by Jacques Prévert based on a novel by ...
'' by
Marcel Carné Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), ''Les Visiteurs du Soi ...
(1938) *''Un homme marche dans la ville'' by
Marcello Pagliero Marcello Pagliero (15 January 1907 – 18 October 1980) was an Italian film director, actor, and screenwriter. Pagliero was born in London and died in Paris. He is perhaps best known for his performance in the Roberto Rossellini film ''Rome, ...
took place in the port and the Saint-François district after the Second World War. *''Ce qu'ils imaginent'' by Anne Théron (2004) The city has also hosted the filming of several comedies such as: *'' Le Cerveau'' by
Gérard Oury Gérard Oury (; born Max-Gérard Houry Tannenbaum; 29 April 1919 – 20 July 2006) was a French film director, actor and writer. Life and career Max-Gérard Houry-Tannenbaum was the only son of Serge Tannenbaum, a violinist of Russian-Jewish or ...
(1968) *''La Beuze'' (2002) *''
Disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
'' (2008) *'' La Fée'', also presented at the
Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (, formerly ) is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as a ...
in 2011. The film by
Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau (; born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films ''La Boum'' (1980) and ''La Boum 2'' (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Act ...
, '' La Disparue de Deauville'', made in 2007, contains many scenes around the port of Le Havre, in the Coty shopping centre of Coty and in the streets of the central city. The film ''
Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...
'' by
Aki Kaurismäki Aki Olavi Kaurismäki (; born 4 April 1957) is a Finnish film director and screenwriter. He is best known for the award-winning '' Drifting Clouds'' (1996), '' The Man Without a Past'' (2002), ''Le Havre'' (2011), '' The Other Side of Hope'' (201 ...
received two prizes at the
2011 Cannes Film Festival The 64th Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition. American filmmaker Terrence Malick won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for t ...
and also the
Louis Delluc Prize The Louis Delluc Prize ( ) is a French film award presented annually since 1937. The award is bestowed to the Best Film and Best First Film of the year on the second week of each December. The jury is composed of 20 members, consisting of a group ...
.Aki Kaurismäki wins the Louis-Delluc Prize for Le Havre
Le Monde, 16 December 2011, consulted on 19 December 2011
It was nominated three times for the
37th César Awards The 37th César Awards ceremony, presented by the French Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques (Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma), was held on 24 February 2012, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The awards honoured the best films ...
.


Literature

Le Havre appears in several literary works as a point of departure to America: in the 18th century, Father Prevost embarked ''
Manon Lescaut ''The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut'' ( ) is a novel by Antoine François Prévost. It tells a tragic love story about a nobleman (known only as the Chevalier des Grieux) and a common woman (Manon Lescaut). Their decisio ...
'' and ''Des Grieux'' for
French Louisiana The term French Louisiana ( ; ) refers to two distinct regions: * First, to Louisiana (New France), historic French Louisiana, comprising the massive, middle section of North America claimed by Early Modern France, France during the 17th and 18th ...
. Fanny Loviot departed from Le Havre in 1852, as an emigrant to San Francisco and points further west, and recounted her adventures in ''Les pirates chinois'' (''A Lady's Captivity among Chinese Pirates in the Chinese Seas'', 1858). In the 19th century, Le Havre was the setting for several French novels:
Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...
described the failure of a Le Havre merchant family in '' Modeste Mignon''. Later, the Norman writer
Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, celebrated as a master of the short story, as well as a representative of the naturalist school, depicting human lives, destinies and s ...
located several of his works at Le Havre such as ''Au muséum d'histoire naturelle'' (At the Museum of Natural History) a text published in ''Le Gaulois'' on 23 March 1881 and again in '' Pierre et Jean''.
Alphonse Allais Alphonse Allais (20 October 1854 in Honfleur – 28 October 1905 in Paris) was a French writer, journalist and humorist. He was also the editor of the '' Chat Noir,'' a satirical magazine. Life From 1879, Alphonse Allais attended the ″Hydrop ...
located his intrigues at Le Havre too. (The Human Beast) by
Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...
evokes the world of the railway and runs along the
Paris–Le Havre railway The Paris–Le Havre railway is an important 228-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the northwestern port city Le Havre via Rouen. Among the first railway lines in France, the section from Paris to Rouen opened on 9 May 1843, fol ...
. Streets, buildings, and public places in Le Havre pay tribute to other famous Le Havre people from this period: the writer
Casimir Delavigne Jean-François Casimir Delavigne (; 4 April 179311 December 1843) was a French poet and dramatist. Life and career Delavigne was born at Le Havre, but was sent to Paris to be educated at the Lycée Napoleon. He read extensively. When, on 20 Ma ...
(1793–1843) has a street named after him and a statue in front of the palace of justice alongside another man of letters,
Bernardin de Saint-Pierre Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (; also called Bernardin de St. Pierre) (19 January 1737, in Le Havre – 21 January 1814, in Éragny, Val-d'Oise) was a French writer and botanist. He is best known for his 1788 novel, '' Paul et Virginie ...
(1737–1814). In the 20th century,
Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, so ...
located part of the action in Le Havre in his masterpiece ''
Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, also known as the Northern Tropic, is the Earth's northernmost circle of latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun ...
'', published in 1934. Bouville was the commune where the writer lived who wrote his diary in ''La Nausée'' (The Nausea) (1938) by
Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
who was inspired by Le Havre city where he wrote his first novel. There are also the testimonies of
Raymond Queneau Raymond Auguste Queneau (; ; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo (), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau, the only child of Auguste Que ...
(1903–1976), born in Le Havre, the city served as a framework for his novel ''Un rude hiver'' (A harsh winter) (1939). The plot of ''Une maison soufflée aux vents'' (A house blown to the winds) by Émile Danoën, winner of the Popular Novel Prize in 1951, and its sequel ''Idylle dans un quartier muré'' (Idyll in a walled neighbourhood) were located in Le Havre during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Under the name ''Port de Brume'' Le Havre is the setting for three other novels by this author: ''Cerfs-volants'' (Kites), ''L'Aventure de Noël'' (The Adventure at Christmas), and ''La Queue à la pègre'' (Queue to the underworld).
Michel Leiris Julien Michel Leiris (; 20 April 1901, Paris – 30 September 1990, Saint-Hilaire, Essonne) was a French surrealist writer and ethnographer. Part of the Surrealist group in Paris, Leiris became a key member of the College of Sociology with Geor ...
wrote ''De la littérature considérée comme une tauromachie'' (Of literature considered like a bullfight) in December 1945.
Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author and television writer. She is best known for the book series ''Outlander''. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventu ...
set the second novel in her ''Outlander'' series, ''
Dragonfly in Amber ''Dragonfly in Amber'' is the second book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century nurse Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the boo ...
'' (1992), partly in Le Havre. Two
mystery novels Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...
take place in Le Havre: ''Le Bilan Maletras'' (The Maletras Balance) by
Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 12/13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most prolific and successful authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 ...
and ''Le Crime de Rouletabille'' (Crime at the Roulette table) by
Gaston Leroux Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (; 6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (, 1909), which has been made int ...
. In ''
Rouge Brésil ''Brazil Red'' (; ) is a 2001 French historical novel by Jean-Christophe Rufin which recounts the unsuccessful French attempt to conquer Brazil in the 16th century, against a background of wars of religion and a rite-of-passage discovery of t ...
'' (Red Brazil), winner of the Goncourt Prize in 2001, Jean-Christophe Rufin describes Le Havre in the 16th century as the port of departure of French expeditions to the
New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
: the hero Villegagnon leaves of the port to conquer new lands for the French crown which become Brazil. Martine–Marie Muller tells the saga of a clan of
Stevedore A dockworker (also called a longshoreman, stevedore, docker, wharfman, lumper or wharfie) is a waterfront manual laborer who loads and unloads ships. As a result of the intermodal shipping container revolution, the required number of dockwork ...
s from Le Havre in the 1950s to the 1970s in ''Quai des Amériques'' (Quay of the Americas).
Benoît Duteurtre Benoît Duteurtre () (20 March 1960 – 16 July 2024) was a French novelist and essayist. He was also a musical critic, musician, producer and host of a radio show about music. He spent his time between Paris, New York and Normandy. Background ...
published in 2001, ''Le Voyage en France'' (Travel in France), for which he received the
Prix Médicis The Prix Médicis () is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by and .
: the main character, a young American impassioned by France, lands at Le Havre which he describes in the first part of the novel. In 2008, Benoît Duteurtre publishes ''Les pieds dans l'eau'' (Feet in the water), a highly autobiographical book in which he describes his youth spent between Le Havre and
Étretat Étretat () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of Northwestern France. It is a Tourism, tourist and Agriculture, far ...
. The city hosted writers such as Emile Danoën (1920–1999) who grew up in the district of Saint-François, Yoland Simon (born 1941), and Philippe Huet (born 1955). Canadian poet Octave Crémazie (1827–1879) died at Le Havre and was buried in Saint Marie Cemetery. The playwright
Jacques-François Ancelot Jacques-Arsène-Polycarpe-François Ancelot (9 January 1794 – 7 September 1854) was a French dramatist and litterateur. Biography Born in Le Havre, Ancelot became a clerk in the admiralty, and retained his position until the July Revolu ...
(1794–1854) was also a native of Le Havre. Two famous historians,
Gabriel Monod Gabriel Monod (7 March 1844 – 10 April 1912) was a French historian, the nephew of Adolphe Monod. Biography Born in Ingouville, Seine-Maritime, he was educated at Le Havre then went to Paris to complete his education, lodging with the de Pr ...
(1844–1912) and André Siegfried (1875–1959) were from the city. Le Havre also appears in comic books: for example, in '' L'Oreille cassée'' (The Broken Ear) (1937),
Tintin Tintin usually refers to: * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to: Material related to ''The A ...
embarks on the vessel ''City of Lyon'' sailing to South America. The meeting between Tintin and
General Alcazar This is the list of fictional characters in ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The characters are listed alphabetically, grouped by the main characters, the antagonists, and the supporting characters. ...
in ''Les Sept Boules de cristal'' (
The Seven Crystal Balls ''The Seven Crystal Balls'' () is the thirteenth volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The story was serialised daily in ', Belgium's leading francophone newspaper, from December 1943 amidst th ...
) (1948) is in Le Havre, according to notes by
Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé ( ; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian comic strip artist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of T ...
in the margins of
Le Soir ''Le Soir'' (, ) is a French-language Belgian daily newspaper. Founded in 1887 by Émile Rossel, it was intended as a politically independent source of news. Together with '' La Libre Belgique'', it is one of the most popular Francophone newsp ...
, the first publisher of this adventure. The first adventure of
Ric Hochet ''Ric Hochet'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series created by Tibet (drawings) and André-Paul Duchâteau (scripts). It first appeared on March 30, 1955, in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Tintin''. Synopsis The series features the adventur ...
(1963), the designer
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
and
André-Paul Duchâteau André-Paul Duchâteau (8 May 1925 – 26 August 2020) was a Belgian comics writer and mystery novelist. Biography He worked with Tibet on the detective comics series ''Ric Hochet'' and the more humoristic western comic ''Chick Bill''. He also w ...
, ''Traquenard au Havre'' (Trap at Le Havre) shows the seaside and the port. Similarly, in 1967, for the album ''Rapt sur le France'' (Rapt on France), the hero passes by the ocean port. Frank Le Gall, in ''Novembre toute l'année'' (November all year) (2000) embarks Theodore Poussin at Le Havre on the ''Cap Padaran''.


Music

Le Havre is the birthplace of many musicians and composers such as Henri Woollett (1864–1936),
André Caplet André Caplet (23 November 1878 – 22 April 1925) was a French composer and conductor of classical music. He was a friend of Claude Debussy and completed the orchestration of several of Debussy's compositions as well as arrangements of severa ...
(1878–1925) and
Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss-French composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. Honegger was a member of Les Six. For Halbreich, '' Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' is "more even ...
(1892–1955). There was also Victor Mustel (1815–1890) who was famous for having perfected the
harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...
. Le Havre has long been regarded as one of the cradles of French rock and
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
. In the 1980s many groups have emerged after a first dynamic development in the 1960s and 1970s. The most famous personality of Le Havre rock is ''Little Bob'' who began his career in the 1970s. The port tradition in many of the groups was repeated in the unused sheds of the port, such as Bovis hall which could hold 20,000 spectators. A blues festival, driven by Jean-François Skrobek, Blues a Gogo existed for eight years from 1995 to 2002. Several artists have been produced such as:
Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...
, Popa Chubby,
Amadou & Mariam Amadou & Mariam were a blind musical duo from Mali, composed of Bamako-born Amadou Bagayoko (guitar and vocals) (24 October 1954 – 4 April 2025) and Mariam Doumbia (vocals) (born 15 April 1958). As well as being a musical duo, they were a ma ...
, Patrick Verbeke etc. It was organized by the Coup de Bleu association whose former president was head of music Café '' L'Agora'' in the Niemeyer Centre which produced the new Le Havre scene. During these same years, the ''Festival of the Future'', the local version of the ''
Fête de l'Humanité The Fête de l'Humanité (; ''English: Festival of Humanity'') is an event organised annually by French daily newspaper ''L'Humanité'' in order to fund itself. It is the largest popular gathering in France. L'Humanité was created in 1904 by Fr ...
'' (Festival of Humanity), attracted a large audience. Currently, the musical tradition continues in the Symphony Orchestra of the city of Le Havre, the orchestra of Concerts André Caplet, the conservatory, and music schools such as the Centre for Vocal and Musical Expression (rock) or the JUPO (mainly
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
), associations or labels like Papa's Production (la Folie Ordinaire, Mob's et Travaux, Dominique Comont, Souinq, Your Happy End etc.). The organization by the association of West Park Festival since the 2000s in
Harfleur Harfleur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of northern France. It was the principal seaport in north-western Fr ...
and since 2004 at the Fort of Tourneville is a demonstration. Moreover, since 2008, the association ''I Love LH'' was started and promotes Le Havre culture and especially its music scene by organizing original cultural events as well as the free distribution of compilation music by local artists.


Board game

Main articles:
Le Havre (board game) ''Le Havre'' is a board game about the development of the town of Le Havre. It was inspired by the games '' Caylus'' and ''Agricola'' and was developed in December 2007. The game was edited by Uwe Rosenberg and Hanno Girke and the former gets ...
''Le Havre'' is a board game about the development of the town of Le Havre. It was inspired by the games ''Caylus'' and ''Agricola'' and was developed in December 2007.


Norman language

Main articles:
Norman language Norman or Norman French (, , Guernésiais: , Jèrriais: ) is a ''Langues d'oïl, langue d'oïl'' spoken in the historical region, historical and Cultural area, cultural region of Normandy. The name "Norman French" is sometimes also used to des ...
and
Cauchois dialect Cauchois (; ) is one of the eastern dialects of the Norman language that is spoken in and takes its name from the Pays de Caux region of the Seine-Maritime department. Status The Pays de Caux is one of the remaining strongholds of the Norman lan ...
. The legacy of the
Norman language Norman or Norman French (, , Guernésiais: , Jèrriais: ) is a ''Langues d'oïl, langue d'oïl'' spoken in the historical region, historical and Cultural area, cultural region of Normandy. The name "Norman French" is sometimes also used to des ...
is present in the language used by the people of Le Havre, part of which is identified as speaking cauchois. Among the Norman words most used in Le Havre there are: ''boujou'' (hello, goodbye), ''clenche'' (door handle), ''morveux (veuse)'' (child), and ''bezot (te)'' (last born).


Education


Schools

Le Havre is located in the Academy of Rouen. The city operates 55
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
s (254 classes) and 49 communal primary schools (402 classes).The Schools
, Ville du Havre, consulted on 26 July 2012
The department manages 16 colleges and the region of
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
manages 9 schools. The Jules Valles college in Caucriauville is classified as a ''sensitive institution'' and eleven colleges are in a priority education zone (ZEP). A ''boarding school of excellence'', the Claude Bernard college, opened in 2011. The first college in Le Havre dates to the 16th century, the high school François I was founded during the French Second Empire, Second Empire and is the oldest in Le Havre. The philosopher
Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
(1905–1980) and Raymond Aron (1905–1983) taught there. The writer
Armand Salacrou Armand Camille Salacrou (; 9 August 1899 – 23 November 1989) was a French dramatist. Biography He was born in Rouen, but spent most of his childhood at Le Havre, and moved to Paris in 1917. His first works show the influence of the Surre ...
(1899–1989) studied in this institution.


Public junior high schools (''collèges'')

* Collège Claude Bernard * Collège des Acacias * Collège Descartes * Collège Eugène Varlin * Collège Gérard Philipe * Collège Guy Moquet * Collège Henri Wallon * Collège Irène Joliot-Curie * Collège Jacques Monod * Collège Jean Moulin * Collège Jules Vallès * Collège Léo Lagrange * Collège Raoul Dufy * Collège Romain Rolland * Collège Théophile Gautier * Collège Marcel Pagnol


Private junior high schools

* Collège du Sacré Cœur * Collège Saint-Joseph * Collège Les Ormeaux * Collège Montesquieu


Public sixth-form colleges/senior high schools

* Lycée Claude Monet * Lycée général et technologique Porte-OcéaneLycee Porte Océane
Academy of Rouen website, consulted on 5 July 2010
* Lycée François I * Lycée général et technologique Robert SchumanRobert Schuman School
, Academy of Rouen website, consulted on 5 July 2010
* Lycée Jules SiegfriedJules Siegfried School of Le Havre
, Academy of Rouen website, consulted on 5 July 2010


Private sixth-form colleges/senior high schools

* Lycée Saint-Joseph


Public vocational high schools

* Lycée technique et professionnel Françoise de Grâce * Lycée professionnel Jules Lecesne (Hotel trades and services) * Lycée professionnel Jules Siegfried (Electronic and Mechanical trades) * Lycée professionnel Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier (Transport and Logistics – Metallic structures – automobiles) * Lycée professionnel Auguste Perret (Housing trades) * Lycée professionnel Claude Monet (Accounting – Secretarial) * Lycée professionnel Porte Océane (Accounting – Secretarial) * Lycée professionnel Robert Schuman (Industry)


Private vocational high schools

* Lycée professionnel Germaine Coty * Lycée professionnel Saint Vincent de Paul * Lycée professionnel Jeanne d'Arc


Special schools and higher education

In 2011 there were approximately 12,000 students in all disciplines in Le Havre. Opened in 1986, the
University of Le Havre Le Havre Normandy University () is a French university located in Le Havre. Along with five other schools, Le Havre Normandy University is a member of Normandy University, an association of universities and higher education institutions. Identi ...
is recent, medium-sized and well located: the largest campus is virtually in the centre of the city near railway and Tramway du Havre, tram stations.A hospitable university
, University of Le Havre, consulted on 26 July 2012
The campus includes a University Library (2006), a gym, several dining halls with student housing, a structure incorporating a theatre, an orientation service, and student associations. In 2010–2011, 6,914 students were enrolled including 5,071 undergraduates, 1,651 Masters students, and 192 postgraduate students.
Ministry of Higher Education and Research, consulted on 26 July 2012
The university also trains 317 engineering students including the Logistical Studies Higher Education Institute (ISEL). It offers 120 Diplomas of State prepared by the Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of International Affairs, and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Many courses are offered are related to the port operations, logistics, industry, and sustainable development. Twelve languages are taught and 17% of students are foreigners.International
, University of Le Havre, consulted on 26 July 2012
The University of Le Havre is also a research centre with nine laboratories. It works in partnership with other higher education institutions (INSA Rouen, Instituts d'études politiques, IEP, IUFM, and Normandy University). The University Institutes of Technology of Le Havre occupies two main sites: one in the upper town in the Caucriauville-Rouelles district which was opened in 1967 and another in the Eure district since 2011. The IUT has a total of 1,881 students divided into ten departments preparing for the DUT. There is also a branch of the teacher training institute of Rouen (IUFM) for two courses (CAPET of technology and CRPE school teacher). In addition there is a large number of specialized higher education institutions covering a wide range of different areas. Founded in 1871, the ''École Supérieure de Commerce du Havre'', one of the oldest in France, has merged with ''Sup Europe'' and ''l'IPER'' to create the ''Normandy Business School'' in 2006. This school had over 2,800 students on its five campuses (Le Havre,
Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
, Deauville, Oxford and Paris) in 2015. Since the 2007 school year, the Institute of Political Studies of Paris opened a Euro-Asia cycle in Le Havre. The ''National School of The Merchant Marine'' trains Officers of the First Class for the Merchant Marine: currently located at Sainte-Adresse, it will move to the ''Bassin Vauban'' in 2015 in a building that will house 1,000 students. The IFP School, National Higher School of Petrol and Motors (ENSPM) is a school for specialist petroleum engineers, petrochemists, and engine makers. The ITIP (National Institute for International Transportation and Ports) prepares students for careers in the multimodal transport and port business. The (Institut national des sciences appliquées, National Institute of Applied Sciences of Rouen) (INSA) opened a branch in Le Havre in 2008 with a civil engineering and sustainable construction department. The SPI (Axis of Science for the Engineer) is expected to reopen in 2012 in a new building in the Eure district. In the arts, the Conservatory of Departmental Radiance
Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss-French composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. Honegger was a member of Les Six. For Halbreich, '' Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' is "more even ...
is attended by 1,680 students (music, dance and drama). The ''Graduate School of Art of Le Havre'' (ESAH) offers several degrees and preparation for competition. Finally 800 people study in paramedical and social schools mostly in the IFSI (Institute of Training in Nursing) which has approximately 600 students.


Sports

The city of Le Havre has some of the oldest sports clubs in France: the ''Le Havre Rowing Society'' (1838), the ''Regatta Society of Le Havre'' (1838), and ''Le Havre Athletic Club'' (1872), doyen of French football and rugby clubs. The city also hosted the Sailing at the Summer Olympics, sailing events for the 1900 Summer Olympics, 1900 and 1924 Summer Olympics, respectively. Le Havre is dominated by three professional sports teams: the first is the Le Havre AC football team who were relegated from Ligue 1 after the 2008–2009 season but gained promotion back to Ligue 1 in 2023. Its training centre is well-reputed for having trained a number of international French players, including Vikash Dhorasoo, Julien Faubert, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Lassana Diarra, and Steve Mandanda. The second major sports team is STB Le Havre, Saint Thomas Basketball who represent the city in LNB Pro A. Thirdly the HAC women's team who play in the first division with many international players in its ranks. The team won their first major national title, the Coupe de France for women's handball in 2006. ''Le Havre Rugby athletic club'' plays in Fédérale 3 (equivalent to fifth division). The Hockey Club of Le Havre played at the fourth level nationally (Division 3) for the 2008–2009 season. The team is nicknamed the "Dock's du Havre". The maritime side of the city is found in many sports: for example, the tradition of sailing is old. On 29 July 1840 the first French pleasure boat regatta was held. Today, Le Havre is known as a water sports and Seaside resort. The marina can host deepwater vessels around the clock in any weather. Built in the Interwar period, it is now the largest in
Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inf ...
with about 1,300 moorings200 Key Figures and Statistics
, Le Havre Development, consulted 2 April 2008
additional moorings were installed in the Vauban basin in 2011–2012. The ''Havraise Rowing Society'' has trained many rowers to a high level as Thierry Renault. The ''Club Nautique Le Havrais'' (CNH) is the centre of mixed swimming, synchronized swimming, and men's water polo. The ''Centre Nautique Paul Vatine'' is the fifth largest club in the country for the number of sports licenses it holds; it ranks second in the Division 1 of the Championship France for Catamaran Clubs. Several major local sportsmen began their career at Le Havre: the swimmer Hugues Duboscq was an Olympic medallist several times. In judo the French team has two members from Le Havre: Dimitri Dragin and Baptiste Leroy. Jerome Le Banner is a professional Kickboxing, kick-boxer at world level who participates in the K-1 championship. Finally the navigator Paul Vatine, who was lost at sea in 1999, won the Transat Jacques Vabre several times.


Facilities

The city has 99 sports facilities including 46 gymnasiums, 23 sports fields, and 5 swimming pools. The Stade Océane (Ocean Stadium), inaugurated in July 2012, replaced the Stade Jules Deschaseaux. With 25,000 seats, it can host football matches as well as other sporting and cultural events. Basketball and Handball matches are playued in the Dock Océane hall (3600 seats) while ice hockey is played at the ice hockey rink (900 seats). Of the five swimming pools in the city, two are operated by the municipality: the CNH (which has an Olympic pool for competitions) and Les Bains Des Docks (which was designed by the architect
Jean Nouvel Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
). Le Havre has the largest free outdoor skatepark in France with approximately 7,000 m2 allocated to the urban Boardsport. The port infrastructure allows for many water activities such as sailing, fishing, canoeing, and rowing. Finally, the beach is a place for kitesurfing, windsurfing and surfing.


Events

Le Havre has been and is still the venue of major sports events: the Tour de France has passed a dozen times by the Ocean Gate, the last stage took place here in 2015. Sailing events are often held and the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic race has been held every two years since 1993 linking Le Havre to Latin America. The course of the Solitaire du Figaro was partly in Le Havre in 2010. Since 2006, weekends of freestyle board sports have been popular (skateboarding, rollerblading, funboard, kiteboarding, skydiving etc.). Every summer roller blade events are organized in the city on Friday evening every fortnight and have great success. The first International Triathlon was held in 2012. Finally, there are several opportunities for runners with ten kilometres () in Le Havre or the strides of Montgeon.


Media

Five newspapers cover the Le Havre agglomeration: the dailies ''Le Havre libre'', ''Le Havre Presse'', ''Paris Normandie'' in its Le Havre edition in collaboration with ''Le Havre Presse'' and ''Liberté-Dimanche'' (communal Sunday edition of the previous three) are part of the Hersant group which is currently in serious financial trouble and looking for a buyer. A free weekly of information, ''Le Havre Infos'' (PubliHebdo group) has been published since 2010 every Wednesday and is available in many places in the city. Several magazines provide local information: ''LH Océanes'' (Municipal magazine) and ''Terres d'Agglo'' (Agglomeration Area magazine) to which must be added several free magazines: ''Aux Arts'' (cultural information more focused on the Basse-Normandie region) ''Bazart'' (cultural events in Le Havre but now with circulation across all of Normandy), and ''HAC Magazine'' (news about Havre Athletic Club, HAC). Several newspapers are also available on the Internet: Infocéane, Le Havre on the Internet. A local televised edition on France 3, ''France 3 Baie de Seine'', is broadcast every evening then again on ''France 3 Haute Normandie''. ''Radio Albatros'' is a local station installed in the Sanvic du Havre district transmitting on FM frequency 88.2. ''Radio Vallée de la Lézarde'', based in Épouville, ''RESONANCE'' on 98.9, and ''RCF Le Havre'' are other radio stations. It was in Le Havre radio stations that the journalist and television host Laurent Ruquier, who was born in Le Havre in 1963, began his career. Several national and regional radio stations are relays for Le Havre: local information on ''France Bleu Haute Normandie'', local relay from 12 noon to 4pm on ''Virgin radio Normandie 101.8 FM'', local relay for Information from 6am to 9am and from 4pm to 8pm on ''NRJ Le Havre 92.5 FM''. Associations like ''LHnouslanuit'' and ''Only-Hit'' have tried to develop alternative and cultural local radio by featuring local community associations (Papa's Production, Ben Salad Prod, Asso6Sons, Agend'Havre, Pied Nu, I Love LH).


Religion

At the request of Monsigneur André Mulch, Archbishop of Rouen, Pope Paul VI decided on 6 July 1974 through the papal bull ''Quae Sacrosanctum'' on the creation of the diocese of Le Havre (''Portus Gratiae'' in Latin meaning "Port of Grace"). The diocese was created from part of the parishes of the Archdiocese of Rouen to the west of a line joining Norville to Sassetot-le-Mauconduit. Monseigneur Michel Saudreau, its first bishop, was ordained on 22 September 1974. The church of Notre Dame was promoted to le Havre Cathedral, Cathedral Notre Dame du Havre. Today, the commune of Le Havre is divided into eight parishesLe Havre-Sainte-Adresse
diocèse of Le Havre, consulted on 4 April 2008
and 24 places of worship (churches and chapels). The oldest chapel is Saint-Michel d'Ingouville which dates back to the 11th century. The St. Joseph's Church, Le Havre, Church of Saint Joseph du Havre, built by
Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...
, dominates the city with its spire 107m high. There are several monastic establishments (Carmel of the Transfiguration, Franciscan Monastery, Little Sisters of the Poor, etc.). The Protestant Church of Le Havre was built in the city centre in 1862. Bombed in 1941, it lost its pediment, its bell tower, and roof. Rebuilt in 1953 by the architects Jacques Lamy and Gérard Dupasquier,C. Étienne-Steiner, ''Le Havre. City, Port, and conurbation'', Rouen, édition du patrimoine, 1999, p. 114 who worked in the Auguste Perret office, is the only building in Le Havre uniting the original architecture of the 19th century with the architecture of the Perret school. Le Havre also has seven evangelical Protestant churches: ''Salvation Army'', ''Seventh Day Adventist'', ''Apostolic Church'', ''Assembly of God'', ''Baptist Church'', ''Good News Church'', et ''Church of Le Havre'' as well as several Protestant churches of African origin. The city also has seven Muslim places of worship: the socio-cultural association of Muslims in Upper Normandy, En-Nour Mosque on Rue Paul Claudel, El Fath Mosque on rue Victor Hugo, Bellevue mosque on rue Gustavus Brindeau, and three prayer rooms located on rue Audran, Boulevard Jules Durant, and rue Lodi. The synagogue, located in the rebuilt central city, was visited by President Jacques Chirac in April 2002. It is the seat of the ''association consistoriale israélite du Havre'' whose president is Victor Elgressy.


Notable people

Le Havre was the birthplace of: * Georges de Scudéry (1601–1667), novelist, Playwdramatist and poet. * Madeleine de Scudéry (1607–1701), writer. * Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (1737–1814), writer and botanist. * Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778–1846), naturalist, artist and explorer * Ivan Đaja (1884–1957), biologist, physiologist, author and philosopher *
Casimir Delavigne Jean-François Casimir Delavigne (; 4 April 179311 December 1843) was a French poet and dramatist. Life and career Delavigne was born at Le Havre, but was sent to Paris to be educated at the Lycée Napoleon. He read extensively. When, on 20 Ma ...
(1793–1843), poet and dramatist. *
Jacques-François Ancelot Jacques-Arsène-Polycarpe-François Ancelot (9 January 1794 – 7 September 1854) was a French dramatist and litterateur. Biography Born in Le Havre, Ancelot became a clerk in the admiralty, and retained his position until the July Revolu ...
(1794–1854), dramatist and litterateur. * Frédérick Lemaître (1800–1876), actor and playwright. * Léon Gautier (historian), Léon Gautier (1832–1897), literary historian. *
Gabriel Monod Gabriel Monod (7 March 1844 – 10 April 1912) was a French historian, the nephew of Adolphe Monod. Biography Born in Ingouville, Seine-Maritime, he was educated at Le Havre then went to Paris to complete his education, lodging with the de Pr ...
(1844–1912), historian. * Alfred-Louis Brunet-Debaines (1845–), artist * Juliette Heuzey (1865-1952), writer * Louis Bachelier (1870–1946), mathematician *
Raoul Dufy Raoul Dufy (; 3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) was a French painter associated with the Fauvist movement. He gained recognition for his vibrant and decorative style, which became popular in various forms, such as textile designs, and public build ...
(1877–1953), painter *
André Caplet André Caplet (23 November 1878 – 22 April 1925) was a French composer and conductor of classical music. He was a friend of Claude Debussy and completed the orchestration of several of Debussy's compositions as well as arrangements of severa ...
(1878–1925), composer and conductor *
René Coty Gustave Jules René Coty (; 20 March 188222 November 1962) was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president of the Fourth French Republic. Early life and politics René Coty was born in Le Havre and studied at th ...
(1882–1962), President of the French Republic, French president (1954–1959) * Suzanne Balguerie (1888–1973), French soprano *
Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss-French composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. Honegger was a member of Les Six. For Halbreich, '' Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' is "more even ...
(1892–1955), composer, a member of Les Six * Thomas Roberts (archbishop), Thomas Roberts (1893–1976), Roman Catholic archbishop *
Jean Dubuffet Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (; 31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French Painting, painter and sculpture, sculptor of the School of Paris, École de Paris (School of Paris). His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" a ...
(1901–1985), artist * Jean Mallon (1904–1982), palaeographer *
Raymond Queneau Raymond Auguste Queneau (; ; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo (), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau, the only child of Auguste Que ...
(1903–1976), poet and novelist * Jacques Leguerney (1906–1997), composer * Bénédicte Pesle (1927–2018), arts patron * Jacqueline Danno (1931-2021). actress and singer. * Tristan Murail (born 1947), composer * Elvire Murail (born 1958), writer for children * Laurent Ruquier (born 1963), journalist * govy, (1981-2023), artist


Sport

* Paul Frère (1917–2008), Belgian racing driver * Wilfried Nancy (born 1977), football manager * Jérôme Le Banner (born 1972), kickboxer and K-1 fighter * Vikash Dhorasoo, (born 1973), international footballer * Olivier Davidas (born 1981), footballer * Dimitri Dragin (born 1984), judoka * Julien Faubert (born 1983), footballer * Kevin Anin (born 1986), footballer * Gueïda Fofana (born 1991), footballer * Jaylen Hoard (born 1999), French-American basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C., Hapoel Tel Aviv * Dan Delaunay (born 1995), professional Association football, footballer.


Others, associated with the city

* Rex Cherryman (1896–1928), American actor, died here *
Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
(1905–1980), philosopher, taught at the Lycée François-Ier * Patrick Demarchelier (1943–2022), fashion photographer, spent his childhood in Le Havre *
Christine Lagarde Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde (; , ; born 1 January 1956) is a French politician and lawyer who has been the President of the European Central Bank since 2019. She previously served as the 11th Managing Director of the International Monetar ...
(born 1956), IMF managing director, grew up in Le Havre * René Viénet (born 1944), sinologist *Suzzane Fontaine (1894-1979), paternal grandmother of Pope Leo XIV


See also

*Pierre-Marie Poisson, Le Havre War Memorial *Jean-Marie Baumel, sculpture of several bas-reliefs in Le Havre


Notes


References

* Michel de Boüard, ''History of Normandy'', Toulouse, 2001, * Pierre Gras, ''The Time of Ports, Decline and Recovery of Port Cities (1940–2010)'', Tallandier, 2010, 298 pages, * Claire Étienne-Steiner, Le Havre. City, Port, and Agglomeration, Connaissance du patrimoine de Haute-Normandie, Rouen, 1999,


Footnotes


Further reading

French *Joseph Abram, ''Le Havre: Modern City, 2011 *Nathalie Castetz, Le Havre, Seine Estuary, Paris, Héliopoles, 2012, *Franck Godard and Olivier Bouteiller, ''Le Havre'', Déclics, 2011, *''Unusual Le Havre'', Renée Grimaud, Les beaux jours, 2012, *Jean-François Massé, ''Le Havre, attached port'', Acanthe, 2003, *Tristan Gaston-Breton, ''Le Havre 1802–2002: Two centuries of economic adventure'', Le Cherche midi, 2002, *E. Simon, A. Fiszlewicz, Le Havre: What an Estuary!, Petit à Petit, 2002, *Madeleine Brocard, Atlas of the Estuary of the Seine, Rouen, Presses de l'université de Rouen, 1996 *Emanuelle Real, ''The Industrial Landscape of Basse-Seine'', Connaissance du patrimoine en Haute-Normandie, 2009, , 264 pages *Jacques Basile and Didier Guyot, ''Another Blue City'', Editions Point de Vues, 2011, 120 pages,


External links


Le Havre Official website

Official tourism website


(Archive)
Le Havre on Lion1906

Slave streets of Le Havre; article on the slave trade here in 17th and 18th centuryLe Havre on Géoportail
Institut géographique national, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Havre Le Havre, Cities in France Communes of Seine-Maritime Olympic sailing venues Populated coastal places in France Populated places established in 1517 Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast Ports and harbours of the English Channel Subprefectures in France World Heritage Sites in France Venues of the 1900 Summer Olympics Venues of the 1924 Summer Olympics 1517 establishments in France