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Le Touquet-Paris-Plage |
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Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
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Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Nord-Pas-de-Calais |
| Department | Pas-de-Calais |
| Arrondissement | Montreuil |
| Canton | Montreuil |
| Intercommunality | Mer et Terres d'Opale |
| Mayor | Daniel Fasquelle (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 0–42 m (0–138 ft) (avg. 5 m/16 ft) |
| Land area1 | 15.31 km2 (5.91 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 5,355 (2007) |
| - Density | 350 /km2 (910 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 62826/ 62520 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, commonly referred to as Le Touquet, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It has a population of 5,355.[1]
Le Touquet has a reputation as the most elegant holiday resort of northern France, the playground of rich Parisians, with many luxury hotels.
Since the mid-1990s, Le Touquet’s villas have become extremely fashionable amongst architecture lovers throughout Europe, rediscovering the “folie” of seaside architecture of both the Roaring Twenties and the Thirties. The most famous local architect is Louis Quetelart, whose style was named after him: Louis Quetelart Style.
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The resort was created in 1876 by Hippolyte de Villemessant (1812–1879), founder and owner of the Paris newspaper, Le Figaro. Then this was an area of wild sand dunes and forest - part of a hunting estate. Its name came from a Picard word meaning ‘corner’, and was originally applied to the area of coast nearby. It became known as “Paris by the sea”, and strict building regulations encouraged the most talented architects to create imaginative and innovative developments.
In 1903, an Englishman bought the land, and set out to sell properties to the rich from across the English Channel. In 1909, H. G. Wells and Amber Reeves fled to Le Touquet in an abortive elopement. The two returned to Britain after a number of weeks, though Amber later gave birth to Wells's daughter, Anna-Jane Blanco White, after the relationship ended. In the 1920s, Noël Coward and the “smart set” from England spent weekends here, and commissioned more outstanding villa designs echoing traditional and ultra-modern domestic styles. Today the town tourist office offers organised trails to see outstanding examples of 19th and 20th century domestic architecture, which are now preserved and protected. Sayaji Rao III Gaekwar of Baroda also owned a house here.
Inland from the beach, hotels, a casino and a horse racing course, a wide range of sports, particularly golf are offered. The casino provided the inspiration of the casino of Royale-les-Eaux in Casino Royale.
Every year in February, a motorbike and quad race called 'Enduro' is held where bikes race along the beach and through the dunes.
Le Touquet was the birthplace of Christian Ferras, violinist.[2]
Le Touquet participates in international town twinning; its current partners are:
Le Touquet is served by Le Touquet - Côte d'Opale Airport.