A walk in Le Havre

The city of Le Havre was completely destroyed by the Allied bombings in September 1944. During the post-war reconstruction, it was decided not to rebuild the city identically but to build a new city turned towards the future. The architect Auguste Perret was called upon to build a rectilinear city with a checkerboard plan, with reinforced concrete being used for the majority of the buildings. This singular architecture has caused a lot of ink to flow, but in 2005 UNESCO recognized the exceptional character of the city of Le Havre by including it in its list of world heritage sites.

Did this classification make more visitors come to Le Havre? It is allowed to doubt it. Le Havre still suffers from the comparison with the magnificent Norman cities located a few kilometers away (Étretat, Deauville, Honfleur...).

Le Havre is worth a visit if you are in Normandy, but half a day is more than enough to visit the city center.