The Port of Le Havre is a French seaport on the English Channel about 134 miles northwest of Paris.
Port History
Until 1517, Le Havre was a fishing village. King Francis I had a harbor built there that year, and Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis XIV enlarged and fortified the port during the 17th Century. Louis XVI had it enlarged to accommodate larger ships in the late 18th Century, and Napoleon III further improved the Port of Le Havre in the mid-19th Century.
The Belgian government moved to the Port of Le Havre during World War II after Germany occupied Antwerp and Ostend. Most of the town's buildings were destroyed during the Battle of Normandy. The 17th Century Church of Notre-Dame is one of the few surviving old buildings in the city. Saved from the city's old museum, paintings by Boudin and Dufy are housed in the new museum.
Port Commerce
The Port of Le Havre was rebuilt after World War II and has been growing since the early 1970s. It's the second major port in France (after Marseille) and is the seaward terminal for deep-draft vessels for Paris.
A deep water oil port was opened to the north of Le Havre at Antifer in 1976. While the existing port contains specialized facilities for dry bulks and containers, most cargo traffic imports are crude oil. The port also serves as a ship repair center and ferry service to England and Ireland.
The Port of Le Havre has a large industrial zone where oil is refined and where chemical, petrochemical, cement, automotive, and aeronautical industries are located. The industrial zone represents the major source of employment for the lower Seine Valley. The Port of Le Havre is also home to a university and growing tourist traffic.
Largest port in France for traffic, the Port of Le Havre is fifth in tonnage moved. In 2005, almost seven thousand ships used the port, transporting 23 million tons of goods. The Port of Le Havre is France's largest container port, moving 2.1 million TEUs in 2005, representing 60% of France's container traffic that year. Further, 40% of the oil that enters France comes through Le Havre. In 2005, the Port of Le Havre handled over 75 million tons of cargo. Of that total, over 45 million tons were oil products. The port handled over 21 million tons in containerized cargo.
Cruising and Travel
In 2005, UNESCO designated the rebuilt city center a World Heritage Site. Architect Auguste Perret, known in the 20th Century as a 損oet in concrete,?was primarily responsible for designing a new city after the war that covers 133 hectares with a unique, open feeling and harmonious, innovative architectural design.
The Port of Le Havre is the common port of entry for ships calling at Paris, and most cruise passengers will pass through it on their way to the world's capital of romance. Though it's a historical treasure dating back to the 1500s, its uniqueness comes from the rebuilding after the war. UNESCO recognizes it as an outstanding example of post-war urban planning and innovative use of concrete. It also boasts wonderful art galleries and cafes.
