Royan - a resort town.

Destruction and growth in a seaside town

Nature made Royan a natural resort. On the wild west coast of France it created a rocky promontory surrounded by four beaches ranging from the vast to the chic and intimate. When the concept of leisure began to infiltrate beyond the aristocracy in the 19th Century any small maritime and agricultural settlement on the site was soon swamped by the first wave of tourism. First they came by boat from Bordeaux and then by train from Paris and beyond. Royan became one of the most fashionable resorts vying with Deauville and even the south of France for the attention of the rich and fashionable. They came to its two casinos, its grand hotels and its seaside villas.

A 20th century siege.

In Poitou Charente it seems almost impossible to avoid reference to wars of long ago. In Royan the war that cannot be overlooked is the war of 1939 to 1945 and the emphasis has to be on the second date. As the conflict ground towards its end many of the German forces based in the south west of France gathered here to defend their dreams against the looming defeat. In the early morning of January 5 a huge Allied bombing raid did little to breach the defences but flattened most of the town killing hundreds of civilians. Eventually it was recaptured by French troops in April - just three weeks before the end of the war. That tale needs telling if only to explain the townscape of the modern town. To British eyes it may not have the hallmarks of quick post-war reconstructions. It's concrete buildings are not featureless and uniform. For that one must thank the City Fathers and their foresight in employing the Brazilian architects Costa and Niemeyer who built curving avenues and wide boulevards among pre-cast buildings that nevertheless pay homage to variety and a human scale.

A walk among the fashionable villas.

The Church of Notre Dame (it has the dimensions of a cathedral but it is not so designated) was by another architect Guillaume Gillet. It's ship-like outline acknowledges its seaside location as it rears defiantly above the town. It's concrete too - but with a plastic skin to protect it from the elements. Within the town there is one area where you can still savour the atmosphere of 19th century Royan. Take a walk along the Boulevard Frédéric-Garnier to find some of the grand villas that survived the onslaught of war. It was only the Pontaillac area that did so. We have dwelt a little on modern history in these notes as this seems central to understanding the nature of the town. One must say against that it is a natural resort and property hunters will find all that they might expect in such a place. Seaside apartments, flats and town houses not to mention modern suburban villas not too far from the beach.