"Perret, la poétique du béton" (Perret, the poetics of concrete) was written on a poster at the Maison du Patrimoine in Le Havre. Well, that's certainly exaggerated and I can understand the visitors who find the city dull and uninteresting. But I liked to stroll through the streets and explore the city: the wide boulevards, the spacious squares, the straight lines and plain forms. The buildings appear monotonous at first glance, but at a closer look you can see the subtle details, the ornaments and the different shades of colour.

Le Havre was almost completely destroyed in WWII and Auguste Perret was commissioned to rebuild the city. Perret was known for his preference for concrete and he used the material for all buildings. It was novel and radical - and controversial - to rebuild a historic city according to a uniform plan entirely from concrete. The result was unusual for that time but definitely an improvement in the living conditions. Even today, the city appears light, airy and spacious.

The city seems to be very proud of its World Heritage status, they were celebrating the 10th anniversary with an extensive program, many culural events and special guided tours. The Town Hall was decorated with banners with the UNESCO logo and looked exactly like on Ian's photo below from 2005, obviously they have kept the banners.

The buildings opposite the Town Hall were the first project designed by Perret's studio. You can visit a reconstructed show flat in one of these blocks (tours are on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays afternoon, starting point is the Maison du Patrimoine). We took the last tour at 5 pm, it was interesting though it was in French and I did not understand all the explanations. First, the guide talked about the history of the city, its reconstruction and Perret's ideas and principles. Then with about 25 other people, we visited the flat. It was quite spacious with windows at both sides of the building for maximal use of the natural light. The furnishing and electric devices were typical for the 1950s from today's perspective, but modern and comfortable compared to the pre-war period.

The tower of Saint Joseph is the landmark of Le Havre. The church is actually just a high octagonal tower on a square base. But it's worth to visit the interior: an open, almost unadorned hall with a central altar. The 'decoration' originates from thousands of small, coloured glass panes that produce atmospheric light effects.

We spent a half day and a night in Le Havre, which is sufficient to visit the site properly. It was the first WHS on our trip through northern France and a nice start. Certainly, the sunny weather and the blue sky helped to enjoy our visit. Unfortunately, it was cloudy the next morning when I took the photo from the viewpoint at the Escalier Lechiblier.