Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the English Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very close to the Prime Meridian. Le Havre is the busiest port on the northern French Coast and largest container port in France. it is the second largest city in the Normandy region of France with total population of the greater Le Havre conurbation being smaller than that of Rouen. It is also the second largest subprefecture in France, after only Reims. The name means 'the harbour' or 'the port'. Its inhabitants are known as (masculine) or (feminine).
The city and port were founded by King Francis I in 1517. Economic development in the early modern period was hampered by religious wars, conflicts with the English, epidemics, and storms. It was from the end of the 18th century that Le Havre started growing and the port took off first with the slave trade then other international trade. After the 1944 bombings the firm of Auguste Perret began to rebuild the city in concrete. The oil, chemical, and automotive industries were dynamic during the (postwar boom) but the 1970s marked the end of the golden age of ocean liners and the beginning of the economic crisis: the population declined, unemployment increased and remains at a high level today.
Changes in years 1990–2000 were numerous. The right won the municipal elections and committed the city to the path of reconversion, seeking to develop the service sector and new industries (aeronautics, wind turbines). The Port 2000 project increased the container capacity to compete with ports of northern Europe, transformed the southern districts of the city, and ocean liners returned. Modern Le Havre remains deeply influenced by its employment and maritime traditions. Its port is the second largest in France, after that of Marseille, for total traffic, and the largest French container port.
In 2005, UNESCO inscribed the central city of Le Havre as a World Heritage Site because of its unique post-WWII reconstruction and architecture. The André Malraux Modern Art Museum is the second of France for the number of impressionist paintings. The city has been awarded two flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of Cities and Villages in Bloom.
Toponym The name of the town was attested in 1489, even before it was founded by François I in the form then in 1516, two years before its official founding.François de Beaurepaire (pref. Marianne Mulon), The names of Communes and former parishes of Seine-Maritime, Paris, A. et J. Picard, 1979, 180 p., , , p. 92-93 The learned and transient name of in tribute to the same king, is encountered in some documents then that of , referring to Jean-Paul Marat during the French Revolution but was not imposed. However it explains why the complementary determinant was not restored. This qualifier undoubtedly referred to the Chapel of Notre Dame located at the site of the cathedral of the same name. The chapel faced the Chapel Notre Dame de Grace of Honfleur across the estuary. The common noun meaning 'port' was out of use at the end of the 18th or beginning of the 19th centuries but is still preserved in the phrase meaning 'safe haven'. It is generally considered a loan from Middle Dutch from the 12th century.Lexicographic definitions and etymologies of , TLFi, on the CNRTL website A Germanic origin can explain the "aspiration" of the initial h. Havre de Grace, Maryland, in the United States retains the from colonial times.
New research however focuses on the fact that the term was attested very early (12th century) and in Norman texts in the forms , , , , and makes a Dutch origin unlikely. By contrast, a Scandinavian etymology is relevant given the old Scandinavian (genitive ) or meaning 'natural harbour' or 'haven' and the phonetic evolution of the term which is assuredly of Scandinavian origin is also attested in similar forms such as and probably dates back to the ancient Scandinavian .Elisabeth Ridel, The Vikings and the words: The contribution of old Scandinavian to the French language, éditions errance, Paris, 2009, p. 203, 226, 227, 228.
History
When founded in 1517, the city was named Franciscopolis after Francis I of France. It was subsequently named Le Havre-de-Grâce ("Harbor of Grace"; hence Havre de Grace, Maryland). Its construction was ordered to replace the ancient harbours of Honfleur and Harfleur whose utility had decreased due to silting.
The history of the city is inextricably linked to its harbour. In the 18th century, as trade from the West Indies was added to that of France and Europe, Le Havre began to grow. On 19 November 1793, the city changed its name to Hâvre de Marat and later Hâvre-Marat in honor of the recently deceased Jean-Paul Marat, who was seen as a martyr of the French Revolution. By early 1795, however, Marat's memory had become somewhat tarnished, and on 13 January 1795, Hâvre-Marat changed its name once more to simply Le Havre, its modern name.
During the 19th century, Le Havre became an industrial center. In the early 19th century it was the most important port for cotton, supplying France, Switzerland, and Germany with cotton imports. Jules Siegfried was member of a Le Havre cotton printers family. Jules Lecesne was a renowned Le Havre cotton importer. At the end of World War I Le Havre had a major role as the transit port used to wind up affairs after the war.
The city was devastated during the Battle of Normandy when 5,000 people were killed and 12,000 homes were totally destroyed before its capture in Operation Astonia.Pierre Gras, The Time of Ports. Decline and recovery in Port Cities (1940–2010), Tallandier, 2010, 298 p. (), p. 24 Between 1945 and the 1960s, the center was extensively rebuilt to designs of a modernist style by Auguste Perret.
Heraldry Current arms of Le Havre. The salamander is the badge of Francis I; the lion is from the Belgian coat of arms; it replaced a fleur-de-lis in 1926 to remember the Belgian government in exile in Le Havre during the First World War).Gules, a salamander Argent crowned and enflamed Or, a chief Azure charged with three fleurs-de-lis Or, a canton Sable charged with a lion Or armed and langued Gules.Arms of Le Havre under the First French EmpireGules, a salamander Argent crowned and enflamed Or, a chief Azure with three mullets Or; a quarter Azure with a letter N surmounted by a mullet Or.
Geography
Location
Le Havre is located west of Rouen on the shore of the English Channel and at the mouth of the Seine. Numerous roads link to Le Havre with the main access roads being the A29 autoroute from Amiens and the A13 autoroute from Paris linking to the A131 autoroute.
Administratively, Le Havre is a commune in the Normandy region in the west of the department of Seine-Maritime. The urban area of Le Havre corresponds roughly to the territory of the Agglomeration community of Le Havre (CODAH)Rezoning of Urban areas: seeking urban expansion , Assemblée des Communautés de France, consulted on 19 July 2012 which includes 17 communes and 250,000 people.Editorial, CODAH, consulted on 19 July 2012 It occupies the south-western tip of the natural region of Pays de Caux where it is the largest city. Le Havre is sandwiched between the coast of the Channel from south-west to north-west and the estuary of the Seine to the south.
Geology and terrain
Le Havre belongs to the Paris Basin which was formed in the Mesozoic period. The Paris Basin consists of sedimentary rocks. The commune of Le Havre consists of two areas separated by a natural cliff edge: one part in the lower part of the town to the south including the harbour, the city centre and the suburbs. It was built on former marshland and mudflats that were drained in the 16th century.Claire Étienne-Steiner, Frédéric Saunier, Le Havre a port with new towns, Paris, éditions du patrimoine, 2005, p. 21 The soil consists of several metres of alluvium or silt deposited by the Seine. The city centre was rebuilt after the Second World War using a metre of flattened rubble as a foundation.C. Étienne-Steiner, Le Havre. City, Port, and agglomeration, Rouen, édition du patrimoine, 1999, p. 15 Isabelle Letélié, Le Havre, unusual itineraries, Louviers, Ysec éditions, 2010, p. 14
The upper town to the north, is part of the cauchois plateau: the neighbourhood of Dollemard is its highest point (between above sea level). The plateau is covered with a layer of flinty clay and a fertile silt.J. Ragot, M. Ragot, Guide to Nature in the Pays de Caux, 2005, p. 6 The bedrock consists of a large thickness of chalk measuring up to deep.P. Auger, G. Granier, The Guide to Pays de Caux, 1993, p. 33 Because of the slope the coast is affected by the risk of landslides.Information on Nature and scenery in the estuary of the Seine, Carmen, Haute-Normandie, consulted on 19 July 2012
Climate
Due to its location on the coast of the Channel, the climate of Le Havre is temperate oceanic. Days without wind are rare. There are maritime influences throughout the year. According to the records of the meteorological station of the Cap de la Heve (from 1961 to 1990), the temperature drops below on 24.9 days per year and it rises above on 11.3 days per year. The average annual sunshine duration is 1,785.8 hours per year.
Precipitation is distributed throughout the year, with a maximum in autumn and winter. The months of June and July are marked by some thunderstorms on average 2 days per month. One of the characteristics of the region is the high variability of the temperature, even during the day.P. Auger, G. Granier, The Guide to Pays de Caux, 1993, p. 42 The prevailing winds are from the southwest sector for strong winds and north-north-east for breezes,Currents, flows, and tides: The movements of water , Pierre Le Hir, Ricardo Silva Jacinto, Ifremer, 2001, consulted on 31 July 2012 snowstorms occur in winter, especially in January and February.
The absolute speed record for wind at Le Havre – Cap de la Heve was recorded on 16 October 1987 at .
The main natural hazards are floods, storms, and storm surges. The lower town is subject to a rising water table.Nature and Scenic information the estuary of the Seine, Carmen, Haute-Normandie, consulted on 19 July 2012 The lack of watercourses within the commune prevents flooding from overflows. Le Havre's beach may rarely experience flooding known as "flooding from storms". These are caused by the combination of strong winds, high waves, and a large tidal range.
Environment
A study by Aphekom comparing ten large French cities showed that Le Havre is the least polluted urban commune of France.It is difficult to mobilise politician on air pollution problems, Gaëlle Dupont, consulted on 20 July 2012 Le Havre is also the third best city in France with more than 100,000 inhabitants for air quality.Laurence Perrin, The hour of reckoning for carbon, Océanes Le Havre, No. 152, December 2011 – January 2012, p. 31 A Carbon accounting showed in 2009 that the municipality ejected some 32,500 tonnes of CO2 per year. In 2011 the average annual emissions of sulfur dioxide by industry was between three micrograms per cubic metre in the centre of Le Havre to twelve micrograms per cubic metre in the district of Caucriauville.Results of Measurements in 2011 , Air Normand, consulted on 20 July 2012