Le Havre is the largest French port and modern industrial city. Due to the destruction during World War II, its center is a modernist building built from scratch. As an example of a rebuilt and reconstructed city, it was included in the UNESCO list in 2005.
The history of the city dates back to the 16th century, when it was decided to build a port here. From this period, only the Renaissance Notre-Dame Cathedral with the Gothic tower survived to our times. An earlier monument, before the city was founded, is the Romanesque Graville Abbey - Museum of Art and History from the 11th century. In the interior largely reconstructed after the war damage, you can see antique architectural elements and works of sacred art.
The port of Le Havre was strongly fortified from its beginnings. Today you can watch Fort Sainte-Adresse. In turn, the preserved 17th-century half-timbered tenement house houses the Museum of the Dubocage Bléville Residence with collections devoted to maritime trade and the history of the local port. In another of the historic houses is the House of the Shipowner showing how life of people associated with deep-sea trade looked like.
In 1945, as a result of airstrikes, Le Havre was razed to the ground. After the war, a decision was made to build the city from scratch. The great reconstruction designed by the architect Auguste Perret, called the "concrete poet" lasted until 1964. As a result, a completely new center was created, whose characteristic buildings are the Church of St. Józef with a tower of over 100 meters, market halls and the town hall. In the eighties of the twentieth century, the Wulkan art center also stood here, whose architecture refers to volcanic cones.
In addition to museums referring to the port and commercial past of Le Havre, the city also houses the well-known Museum of Modern Art MuMa André Malraux. It has one of the richest collections of impressionist works in France. Greenery also plays an important part in the city's modern design. In the center there is the picturesque Garden of St. Rocha, while the local botanical garden has the form of Hanging Gardens.
