La Baule-Escoublac
Encyclopedia
La Baule-Escoublac, commonly referred to as La Baule, is a commune
in the Loire-Atlantique
department in western France
.
A century-old seaside resort
at the gateway to Britany with beautiful villas, casino, luxury hotels and an original mix of old Breton
and exclusive seaside culture boasting a 12 kilometer-long sand beach
(the longest in Europe), La Baule has long been home to French high society's seaside residences.
s were occupied only by customs officers, who gave them the name of Bôle, a term indicating an easily flooded maritime meadow.
-Croisic
railroad was conceived by Parisian industrialist Jules-Joseph Hennecart that the tourist potential of the coast was recognised.
Just before the inauguration of the line, Hennecart bought 40 ha of dunes for the Society of Escoublac Dunesachète (Société des dunes d'Escoublac) and commissioned local architect Georges Lafont to design the new town. Lafont designed a long sand promenade named Avenue de la Gare (today Avenue du Général-de-Gaulle) and a chapel (see picture). After the railroad opened Lafont built more than 250 villas, taking the lead in the development of the seaside resort
.
) set up the redesigning of the La Baule resort based on the Deauville
model by combining casinos, luxury hotels and sports facilities all on one site.
In the 1920s
, Parisian businessman Louis Lajarrige designed the very successful Bois d'Amour district at La Baule-les-Pins and formed an agreement with the railroad company to move the rails away from the seaside to ensure a direct access to the beach. On July 27, 1927 the new stations of La Baule-les-Pins and La Baule-Escoublac (see picture) were inaugurated while the old station was torn down to create a flower garden square. By that time, La Baule has become a very fashionable seaside resort.
La Baule formed part of the protective stretch of coast leading to the nearby harbour city of Saint-Nazaire
, home of one of the biggest U-Boat stations the Germans ever built. It not only serviced the German submarine fleet, but was also the only dry dock on the Atlantic capable of housing the German battleship Tirpitz
, one of two Bismarck-class ships built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.
La Baule and the surrounding areas were heavily occupied by the Germans throughout World War II. During the occupation a large number of Jewish residents and resistance members were deported to the concentration camps; in La Baule itself 32 Jewish men, women and children - the youngest of whom was 3 years old - were deported (with the assistance of the local French police) to Auschwitz where they all perished. Although there is a memorial in the Parc de la Victoire in La Baule to 40 named war victims, there is no mention there or on any other memorial of the 32 Jewish deportees.
Such was the importance attached the the area by the Germans that their troops kept fighting in La Baule and Saint-Nazaire
for nine months longer than in the rest of the department, eventually surrendering on May 11, 1945 (3 days after the Armistice was signed), making this one of the last liberated parts of France. This episode is called Poche de Saint-Nazaire from the French expression poche de resistance.
. Today the resort mixes wealthy family villas, luxury hotels and less prestigious seaside apartment buildings, creating an original and unique atmosphere of social diversity. The nearby region has long been an area of contact and conflict between Breton culture and that of the neighbouring Loire valley, and consequently is rich with historic places, castles (Nantes castle
), walled cities (Guerande
), not to mention 19th century seaside resorts, such as Quiberon
, and many typical Breton fishing villages (Pornichet
).
event held here during the 1930s. Today, the Grand Prix de la Ville de La Baule is a prestigious equestrian show jumping competition that is part of the international Equestrian Nations Cup series.
The bay is regarded as "the most beautiful in Europe". Furthermore, La Baule is near La côte d'amour, which features beautiful cliffs and amazing views of the Atlantic ocean.
The commune of Escoublac has achieved a new vitality with the restoration of its civic center and the installation of many attractions.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...
department in western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
A century-old seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
at the gateway to Britany with beautiful villas, casino, luxury hotels and an original mix of old Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
and exclusive seaside culture boasting a 12 kilometer-long sand beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
(the longest in Europe), La Baule has long been home to French high society's seaside residences.
History
In 1779, a violent storm buried the village under sand. La Baule-Escoublac was rebuilt further inland. At that time, the very unstable duneDune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s were occupied only by customs officers, who gave them the name of Bôle, a term indicating an easily flooded maritime meadow.
The birth of a seaside resort
It was only in 1879, when the Saint-NazaireSaint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
-Croisic
Le Croisic
Le Croisic is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-References:...
railroad was conceived by Parisian industrialist Jules-Joseph Hennecart that the tourist potential of the coast was recognised.
Just before the inauguration of the line, Hennecart bought 40 ha of dunes for the Society of Escoublac Dunesachète (Société des dunes d'Escoublac) and commissioned local architect Georges Lafont to design the new town. Lafont designed a long sand promenade named Avenue de la Gare (today Avenue du Général-de-Gaulle) and a chapel (see picture). After the railroad opened Lafont built more than 250 villas, taking the lead in the development of the seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
.
The rise of a seaside resort
In 1918, casino business magnate François André (see Groupe Lucien BarrièreGroupe Lucien Barrière
Groupe Lucien Barrière is the casino market leader in France and in Switzerland as well as a major player on the European market. The Group is also a benchmark in the French luxury hotel industry and is highly reputed in the catering and leisure industries....
) set up the redesigning of the La Baule resort based on the Deauville
Deauville
Deauville is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.With its racecourse, harbour, international film festival, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino and sumptuous hotels, Deauville is regarded as the "queen of the Norman beaches" and...
model by combining casinos, luxury hotels and sports facilities all on one site.
In the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
, Parisian businessman Louis Lajarrige designed the very successful Bois d'Amour district at La Baule-les-Pins and formed an agreement with the railroad company to move the rails away from the seaside to ensure a direct access to the beach. On July 27, 1927 the new stations of La Baule-les-Pins and La Baule-Escoublac (see picture) were inaugurated while the old station was torn down to create a flower garden square. By that time, La Baule has become a very fashionable seaside resort.
The Poche de Saint-Nazaire
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
La Baule formed part of the protective stretch of coast leading to the nearby harbour city of Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
, home of one of the biggest U-Boat stations the Germans ever built. It not only serviced the German submarine fleet, but was also the only dry dock on the Atlantic capable of housing the German battleship Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
, one of two Bismarck-class ships built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.
La Baule and the surrounding areas were heavily occupied by the Germans throughout World War II. During the occupation a large number of Jewish residents and resistance members were deported to the concentration camps; in La Baule itself 32 Jewish men, women and children - the youngest of whom was 3 years old - were deported (with the assistance of the local French police) to Auschwitz where they all perished. Although there is a memorial in the Parc de la Victoire in La Baule to 40 named war victims, there is no mention there or on any other memorial of the 32 Jewish deportees.
Such was the importance attached the the area by the Germans that their troops kept fighting in La Baule and Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
for nine months longer than in the rest of the department, eventually surrendering on May 11, 1945 (3 days after the Armistice was signed), making this one of the last liberated parts of France. This episode is called Poche de Saint-Nazaire from the French expression poche de resistance.
Tourism
One of France's most exclusive seaside resorts during the first half of the 20th century, La Baule has become much more democratized since the 1960s1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. Today the resort mixes wealthy family villas, luxury hotels and less prestigious seaside apartment buildings, creating an original and unique atmosphere of social diversity. The nearby region has long been an area of contact and conflict between Breton culture and that of the neighbouring Loire valley, and consequently is rich with historic places, castles (Nantes castle
Château des ducs de Bretagne
The Château des ducs de Bretagne is a large fortified château located in the city of Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique département of France; it served as the centre of the historical province of Brittany until its separation in 1941. It is located on the right bank of the Loire, which formerly fed...
), walled cities (Guerande
Guérande
The medieval town of Guérande is located in the département of Loire-Atlantique in western France.The inhabitants are so called Guérandais, for men, and Guérandaise, for women....
), not to mention 19th century seaside resorts, such as Quiberon
Quiberon
Quiberon is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.It is situated on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon...
, and many typical Breton fishing villages (Pornichet
Pornichet
Pornichet is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.- Location :Pornichet is a coastal town of the Côte d'Amour, located a tens of kilometers west of Saint-Nazaire.The adjacent towns are Saint-Nazaire and La Baule-Escoublac....
).
Culture
The Grand Prix de la Baule was a Grand Prix motor racingGrand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
event held here during the 1930s. Today, the Grand Prix de la Ville de La Baule is a prestigious equestrian show jumping competition that is part of the international Equestrian Nations Cup series.
The bay is regarded as "the most beautiful in Europe". Furthermore, La Baule is near La côte d'amour, which features beautiful cliffs and amazing views of the Atlantic ocean.
The commune of Escoublac has achieved a new vitality with the restoration of its civic center and the installation of many attractions.
Sights
- Cimetière militaire britannique d'Escoublac-La Baule
- The "Avenue de Gaulle", with shops and restaurants
- The architecture of some villas
- The beach, which is part of the Bay from Le PouliguenLe PouliguenLe Pouliguen is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-See also:*La Baule – Presqu’île de Guérande*Communes of the Loire-Atlantique departmentIt is twinned with a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales called Llantwit Major....
to PornichetPornichetPornichet is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.- Location :Pornichet is a coastal town of the Côte d'Amour, located a tens of kilometers west of Saint-Nazaire.The adjacent towns are Saint-Nazaire and La Baule-Escoublac.... - The nightlife with the casino and the clubs
See also
- Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department
- La Baule - Guérande Peninsula
- Parc naturel régional de Brière
External links
- News, Events Tourism... - RSS
- La Baule and the Love Coast (in English)
- Official La Baule Tourist Office (in English)
- City council website (in French)
- Many pictures of La Baule
- Directory La Baule
- The website to party at La Baule