Le Havre celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2017 with a host of different events. Most people just zip through from the ferry en route elsewhere in France, but it’s worth stopping for its incredible Unesco-listed, mid-century architecture designed by concrete pioneer Auguste Perret.
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A weekend in Le Havre
It’s hard to believe that a 100-metre concrete edifice could feel remotely spiritual, but as I sit in Le Havre’s mighty St Joseph’s church staring up into the tower – a kaleidoscope of 12,000 panes of coloured glass – I can’t help but feel moved. It’s usually the grand cathedrals of France – with their ornate sculptures and soaring arches, dripping in gilt and crucifixions – that inspire such existential pondering, but this unusual city at the mouth of the River Seine merits its own contemplative pause, rather than the usual dash for the ferry.
Built in the 1950s, the strikingly geometric St Joseph’s rose from the rubble of a city destroyed by carpet bombing at the end of World War II. Like the rest of the city’s Unesco-listed architecture, the church’s giant concrete pillars, beams and mesmerising tower, were the work of Auguste Perret, a pioneer of building with concrete, and mentor to Swiss modernist architect Le Corbusier.
Perret’s task was to rebuild the city and rehouse 40,000 people after the entire city centre was destroyed in just a few days in September 1944. Back then Perret’s project was an architectural revolution and the result is still impressive: 150 uniform blocks stand in leafy avenues that run down to a pleasant shingle beach, the sky-scraping church standing out in the skyline in a place that looks as if it has been built in grey and beige Lego, and inspired by Fritz Lang’s seminal film Metropolis.
While the city is known for its post-war architecture, the original city isn’t that old by French standards. This year it celebrates its 500th anniversary, when King François I established it as a port, using its strategic position at the mouth of the River Seine to fend off protestants during the Wars of Religion. Dozens of events are planned, including a street parade by the Royal de Luxe giant marionettes (which came to London in 2006, and Liverpool in 2012), regattas in the harbour, along with art exhibitions and in the city’s fortifications and Japanese gardens. There will be quirky street art installations, which could have no better canvas than the wide cobbled streets that cry out for a bit of colour. A wander through the city is a curious experience, like a glimpse into a post-apocalyptic world, albeit with a sixties vibe. The flats perch above rigid lines of arcades, with shops set back from the streets. So uniform are their large windows, it’s hard to recognise the individual stores’ branding.
Just as I’m getting used to the other-worldly feel of the place, I come across Le Volcan, ‘the volcano’ arts centre which jolts me out of my reverie; its enormous sweeping form rises like a wave in the centre of a Lego-sided square, while a second, lower tower looks like a UFO, with narrow oval windows. Designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Neimeyer, Le Volcan opened in 1982 and is a contrast to the geometric design of the city, yet it compliments it perfectly. Inside, there’s a stylishly retro auditorium and bar, and a library where a glorious curved staircase rises up against a concrete backdrop.
If Le Volcan gives me an appetite for retro design, then it’s entirely satisfied by a visit to the Perret apartment. The city has decked out one of the flats in 1950s style to show how the residents of the newly built city lived, and so I join a guided tour to glimpse inside. As soon as I step through the door, my heart swoons at a scene that wouldn’t look too out of place in a magazine today, such is the current trend for mid-century style. In the bright, airy apartment, there are two mid-century chairs set out for cocktail hour, a cheese plant, and an Atomic Sputnik wire coat-stand. At the time, Perret’s design was revolutionary, offering indoor toilets and an open-plan style that aimed to bring families together. “People always like it,” says Lise Legendre, my guide who explains how the project inspired a new era for furniture production: “Perret anticipated the need for furniture for all the flats, and so it was the first time it was mass-produced. René Gabriel was the designer and his nickname was ‘createur du pauvre’, ‘the interior designer for the poor’.” The precursor to today’s Ikea, then. Meanwhile, mod cons such as fridges, hoovers, washing machines and central heating show just how revolutionary the flats were at the time. The most striking thing is the light: as you enter from the dark corridor, it’s a surprise to discover how bright it is.
But this is Le Havre, and its light is what put it on the map. One of the main events for the 500th anniversary is the return (on loan) of Claude Monet’s painting Impression, Soleil Levant (Impression, Sunrise) from Paris’ Musée d’Orsay. Monet painted his dreamy depiction of Le Havre’s port in 1872 and it heralded the start of the Impressionist art movement, which Monet and his cohort continued in many other locations along this stretch of Normandy coast, including Etretat, Honfleur and Trouville.
The painting will be on display in the André Malraux Modern Art Museum (known as MuMa) in September, alongside the permanent collection of Impressionist art by artists including Jean-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley. All the artworks are beautifully displayed in this steel and glass gallery, a bright white space that features walkways reminiscent of a cruise ship. Inside, I bask in the glorious light that pours in through the windows and gaze out to sea. Against a long gallery wall, a collection of small, gilt-framed works by Normandy-born Impressionist artist Eugène Boudin is set out in a beautiful composition, each giving a glimpse into a world of blue skies and rocky coastlines. The delicate paintings are a contrast to the robust architecture of Le Havre, which has its own beauty. You’ve just got to stand back, breathe deep and admire what an incredible undertaking it was.
The luxury hotel
The four-star Hotel Vent d’Ouest offers 35 rooms decorated along seaside and sea-faring themes and is close to St Joseph’s church. It has a spa with and treatments using Spa Nuxe products. Doubles from €120, breakfast €15 per person (00 33 2 35 42 50 69, ventdouest.fr).
The budget hotel
The cheap and cheerful Hotel Oscar has 14 rooms and is next to Le Volcan. Decorated in 1950s style, it offers a generous breakfast and a friendly welcome. The rooms at the back of the hotel are quieter than those at the front. Doubles from €57, breakfast €9 (00 33 2 35 42 39 77, hotel-oscar.fr).
Getting there
Brittany Ferries operates daytime and overnight crossings from Portsmouth for £213 return for a car plus 2 – including an en suite cabin on the outward overnight trip (0330 159 4500, brittanyferries.com). Alternatively, fly to Deauville with Ryanair (Ryanair.com). More information at lehavretourisme.com and normandy-tourism.org
Where to eat
Jean-Luc Tartarin: Two Michelin-star restaurant with great views towards the beach (jeanluc-tartarin.com)
Le Grignot: Popular brasserie serving seafood and fish, as well as meat dishes (legrignot.fr).
Other stories to read on the area:
* Ferry breaks in France
* Other stories featuring Normandy