Trouville-sur-Mer and the Impressionists
Trouville-sur-Mer is located on the north bank of the Touques estuary, along the Côte Fleurie. Just two hours from Paris via the A13-A132 motorway, it is a popular weekend getaway for Parisians. The Deauville-Trouville train station, which serves both resorts, makes access even easier.
Until 1925, Trouville-sur-Mer was a modest fishing port renowned for its oyster farming. Its origins date back to the 10th century, when Thorulfr the Viking was given the port and surrounding lands during the creation of the Duchy of Normandy.
Trouville-sur-Mer gained international fame when landscape painters, led by Charles Mozin and Paul Huet, travelled to Normandy to capture the beauty of its dunes and its unique light. Their paintings, exhibited at the Louvre Museum, brought the little port to the attention of the general public. Later, the painters Eugène Boudin, Jean-Baptiste Corot, and Claude Monet, as well as the writers Gustave Flaubert and Alexandre Dumas, drew their inspiration from the ethereal beauty of this small coastal village.
Plage de Trouville-sur-mer – The ‘Queen Beach’
The fashion for sea bathing began in the 1820s and gained momentum during the Second Empire.
Between 1860 and 1880, the Parisian aristocracy and bourgeoisie indeed flocked to Trouville-sur-Mer, eager to display their social status by building lavish seaside residences, ranging from Swiss chalets, Moorish palaces and traditional, colourful half-timbered houses. Most of these are still standing today and many are listed historical monuments.
A casino and numerous luxury hotels were also built along the seafront, allowing visitors to enjoy the 1200-meter-long fine sandy beach, aptly named the Reine des Plages – Queen of Beaches, and the Promenade Savignac, which runs along the central part of the beach. The first of its kind built on the Normandy coast in 1867, this promenade is named after the renowned poster artist Raymond Savignac, who retired to Deauville in 1979.
Deauville’s landmarks
Unlike Deauville, Trouville-sur-Mer’s coastline has remained unchanged since the 19th century, thus preserving the original character of the seaside resort.
Many Second Empire buildings are now listed as historical monuments. The Hôtel des Roches Noires, built in 1866, hosted personalities such as Marcel Proust and Marguerite Duras, and was immortalised by Claude Monet in one of his paintings. The Villa Montebello, an imposing residence built in 1865, now houses the Trouville-sur-Mer City Museum, and the 17th-century Château d’Aguesseau was restored in the mid-19th century.
Trouville has also preserved its charming fishing port, and La Poissonnerie, the covered fish market built in 1935, which is a “must-see”, as well as the marina, the casino, numerous listed buildings, and the Palais des Congrès.
The architectural heritage and charm of Trouville-sur-Mer thus make it a favourite destination for personalities and artists, many of whom participate in the Festival de Courts Métrages – Short Film Festival, created in 2000.
Department of Calvados
Coordinates: Lat 49.366289 – Long 0.082808
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Header and sandy beach by Barnay Domaine public – Casino by W. Bulach CC BY-SA 4.0 – Port and fish market by Alainauzas CC BY-SA 3.0
