French seaside town once the ‘Pearl of the Atlantic' that now looks more like Brazil

Scottish Sun

04-05-2025

Plus, other pretty French towns to visit
BON VOYAGE French seaside town once the 'Pearl of the Atlantic' that now looks more like Brazil
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ONCE known as the 'Pearl of the Atlantic', a town in France has been compared to Brazil since being rebuilt.
Unfortunately, during World War Two, Royan was almost completely destroyed.
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During World War Two, much of Royan was destroyed including villas from the 1930s - like the above
Credit: Alamy
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After the war ended, architects redeveloped the town with a Brazilian-style
Credit: Alamy
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The villas that were then built in the 1950s appeared less Gothic and predominantly feature white concrete
Credit: Alamy
However, this gave architects the chance to completely redesigned the town as only a few villas survived.
Today, the town is full of white concrete low-rise buildings.
Only a select few of the original villas remained, some of which are on the seafront.
Charlotte de Charette, a history expert from the area, told The Connexion: "It was a deliberate choice to be low rise, to fit into the surrounding countryside.
"The main architects and urban developers were influenced by Brazilian architecture, which is why white concrete curves predominate, instead of the grey used in places like Le Havre."
The more modern look meant that the former style of the town has disappeared but in its place, Brazilian-inspired concrete roofs appeared.
Many of the villas built by architects after the war are now worth a fortune.
One villa, located about five minutes from the beach but without sea views, recently went on the market for €1.1million (£942,199).
It features four bedrooms, a large garden with a pool and a bright, sunny living room.
In comparison, one of the remaining villas from the 1930, located only 600 metres from the beach, with two bedrooms, is worth €440,000 (£376,879).
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But the emergence of the new villas in the 1950s were not greeted with open arms by local residents.
Charlotte explained that for a long time the villas did not have the same value in the eyes of the locals as the 1930s villas.
However, that has now changed and some of the 1950s are sold within days of being put on the market.
Rules in the area have been introduced to protect the villas, meaning that it is forbidden to put external insulation on walls and solar panels are only allowed if they cannot be seen from the road.
The rules also protect original doors and fittings, may of which are unique having been made by artisans using wood, glass and metal.
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This postcard from the 1950s shows the Brazilian-style villas with terracotta roofs, that emerged following the war
Credit: Getty
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The town now has a mix of 1930s and 1950s villas
Credit: Alamy
"It is an effort but almost everyone agrees that it is worth trying to keep the vision alive of the people who rebuilt the town," Charlotte added.
Royan's history dates back to the 19th century, when it developed as a holiday resort.
Rich families from Bordeaux would take boast down the estuary, and visitors from Cognac and Libourne would flock to the region.
A railway then arrived in 1875, allowing more visitors to travel to the town and build holiday villas.
This result in holiday villas with grand towers - all in Gothic style.
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Many of the 1950s villas are now protected and fetch a lot of money when on the open market
Credit: Alamy
One holiday village - Le Parc - stretched from the beach to the hill behind it and was full of ornate buildings.
Names like the Prince of Wales and Picasso stayed in the town and helped it to gain the nickname 'The Pearl of the Atlantic'.
When the German navy put huge guns and bunkers along the estuary mouth and buried mines across the town during World War Two, Royan completely changed.
As a result, Royan eventually ended up flattened by bombing raids and was one of the last towns to be liberated.
It wasn't until the 1950s when the town redeveloped.