Thursday, September 27, 2007

Le Havre - The Harbour


Le Havre was founded in 1517. Le Havre means “the harbour or the port”. In 1793 the city changed its name to Havre de Marat and later Havre-Marat in honor of the recently deceased Jean-Paul Marat, who was seen as a martyr of the French Revolution. In 1795 Havre-Marat changed its name to Le Havre, its modern name. It was during the 19th century, that Le Havre became an industrial center.

The city was devastated during the Battle of Normandy in World War II. The city of Le Havre, on the English Channel in Normandy, was severely bombed during the Second World War. The destroyed area was rebuilt according to the plan of a team headed by Auguste Perret, from 1945 to 1964.

The devastation that Le Havre sustained is evident in the this postcard. Historically, this picture is worth a thousand words, the sheer and utter devastation is just unbelievable. It is estimated that 12,000 people lost their lives during this time. For other historical views of France, stop by http://chisumtrailmercantile.ecrater.com - we'd love to have you - Dawn

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