Sainte-Adresse


Sainte-Adresse is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.

Geography

A coastal suburb situated some northwest of Le Havre city centre, at the junction of the D147 and the D940. The English Channel forms the western border of the commune.

Heraldry

Population

History

The oldest known name of the commune was "Caput Caleti" mentioned in 1240. Later known as Saint-Denis-Chef-de-Caux, named after an ancient place of worship and its position on the cape. In 1415, Henry V landed with his fleet, to claim the throne of France.
Starting in 1905, Georges Dufayel, a Parisian businessman, created a residential seaside resort known as Nice havrais, at Sainte Adresse. The local architect Ernest Daniel directed operations. The Avenue de Regatta on the waterfront is designed in the image of the promenade des Anglais in Nice.
During World War I, Sainte-Adresse was the administrative capital of Belgium. The Belgian government in exile was installed from October 1914 to November 1918 in the Dufayel building, named after the businessman who had built it in 1911. It had at its disposal a post office using Belgian postage stamps.
During World War II, the Germans built several fortifications here for the Atlantic Wall, to defend the port of Le Havre.

Places of interest