La Baule-Escoublac
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name = La Baule-Escoublac
|native name = {{native name|mis|paren=no|Écoubiâ}} (Gallo)
{{native name|br|Ar Baol-Skoubleg}}
|commune status = Commune
|image = LaBaule(cropped).jpg
|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr La Baule-Escoublac (Loire-Atlantique).svg
|arrondissement = Saint-Nazaire
|canton = La Baule-Escoublac
|INSEE = 44055
|postal code = 44500
|mayor = Franck Louvrier{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}
|term = 2020–2026
|intercommunality = CA Presqu'île de Guérande Atlantique
|coordinates = {{coord|47.2867|-2.3908|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m = 6
|elevation min m = 1
|elevation max m = 55
|area km2 = 22.19
|population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}
La Baule-Escoublac ({{IPA|fr|la bol ɛskublak}}; Gallo: Écoubiâ, {{langx|br|Ar Baol-Skoubleg}}, {{IPA|br|ar ˈbawl ˈskuːbleːk|}}), commonly referred to as La Baule, is a commune in Loire-Atlantique, a department in Pays de la Loire, western France.
History
=Seaside resort=
In 1879, when the Saint-Nazaire-Croisic railroad was conceived by Parisian industrialist Jules-Joseph Hennecart that the tourist potential of the coast was recognised.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
Just before the inauguration of the line, Hennecart bought 40 ha of dunes for the Society of Escoublac Dunes (Société des dunes d'Escoublac) and commissioned local architect Georges Lafont to design the new town. Lafont designed a long sand promenade named Avenue de la Gare (today Avenue du Général-de-Gaulle) and a chapel (see picture).The chapel has been known since 1981 as Sainte-Anne chapel After the railroad opened Lafont built more than 250 villas, taking the lead in the development of the seaside resort.
=Rise of a seaside resort=
In 1918, casino business magnate François André (see Groupe Lucien Barrière) set up the redesigning of the La Baule resort based on the Deauville model by combining casinos, luxury hotels and sports facilities all on one site.
In the 1920s, Parisian businessman Louis Lajarrige designed the Bois d'Amour district at La Baule-les-Pins and formed an agreement with the railroad company to move the rails away from the seaside to ensure a direct access to the beach. On 27 July 1927 the new stations of La Baule-les-Pins and La Baule-Escoublac were inaugurated while the old station was torn down to create a flower garden square. By that time, La Baule had become a fashionable seaside resort.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
=Poche de Saint-Nazaire=
During World War II, La Baule formed part of the protective stretch of coast leading to the nearby harbour city of Saint-Nazaire, home of one of the biggest U-boat stations that the Germans built. It not only serviced the German submarine fleet, but was also the only dry dock on the Atlantic capable of housing the German battleship Tirpitz, one of two Bismarck-class ships built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.
La Baule and the surrounding areas were heavily occupied by the Germans throughout World War II. During the occupation, a large number of Jewish residents and resistance members were deported to the concentration camps; in La Baule itself 32 Jewish men, women and children - the youngest of whom was 3 years old - were deported (with the assistance of the local French police) to Auschwitz where they all perished.Vichy France and the Jews by Michael Robert Marrus, Robert O. Paxton, {{ISBN|0-8047-2499-7}}
In 2011, a small group of local residents formed a group to create a permanent memorial, in the form of Stolperstein, to the 32 Jewish deportees. There was a memorial in La Baule to 40 named war victims, with no mention there or on any other memorial of the 32 Jewish deportees. The Mayor refused to allow a request for the Stolpersteines to be installed, saying that to do so might infringe the French constitutional principles of secularism ("laïcité") and freedom of opinion ("liberté d'opinion") and that the Mairie would therefore need to consult the Conseil d'État, France's constitutional court.{{cn|date=May 2025}}
Germans troops fought in La Baule and Saint-Nazaire for nine months longer than in the rest of the department, surrendering on 11 May 1945 (3 days after the German unconditional surrender).{{cn|date=May 2025}}
Chapelle Sainte-Anne de La Baule 02.jpg|Chapelle Saint-Anne
La Baule-Escoublac gare 1.jpg|La Baule-Escoublac railroad station
Hôtel Castel Marie-Louise La Baule.JPG|Hôtel Castel Marie-Louise
Hôtel Hermitage La Baule 2.JPG|Hôtel Hermitage
Hôtel Royal La Baule.jpg|Hôtel Royal
MajesticLaBaule.jpg|Hôtel Majestic
Population
{{Historical populations
|align = none
|cols = 2
|percentages = pagr
|source = EHESS{{Cassini-Ehess|12956|La Baule-Escoublac}} and INSEE (1968-2017)[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-44055#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
|graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |1600
|1800 |796
|1806 |1113
|1821 |933
|1831 |1238
|1841 |1190
|1846 |1179
|1851 |1217
|1856 |1180
|1861 |1157
|1866 |1200
|1872 |1172
|1876 |1223
|1881 |1415
|1886 |1535
|1891 |1648
|1896 |1912
|1901 |1777
|1906 |2167
|1911 |2727
|1921 |3395
|1926 |5051
|1931 |6126
|1936 |6115
|1946 |15205
|1954 |13166
|1962 |13004
|1968 |13336
|1975 |15006
|1982 |14553
|1990 |14845
|1999 |15831
|2007 |16719
|2012 |15474
|2017 |16132
}}
Culture
=La Baule Professional Tennis Championships=
There were several pro tennis tournaments held at La Baule on red clay courts.La Baule Professional Championships. https://www.tennisarchives.com/tournament/?t=2920&n=La%20Baule%20Professionals
=Grand Prix de la Baule (automobiles)=
The Grand Prix de la Baule{{cite web|url=http://en.labaule.com/directory/france-grand-prix-longines-la-baule-37-52-1-52.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621134059/http://en.labaule.com/directory/france-grand-prix-longines-la-baule-37-52-1-52.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 June 2008|title=La Baule - Grand prix longines : la baule|date=21 June 2008|access-date=5 March 2019}} was a Grand Prix motor racing event held there during the 1930s.
=Grand Prix de la Baule (equestrian)=
The Grand Prix de la Ville de La Baule{{cite web|url=http://en.labaule.com/directory/france-grand-prix-longines-la-baule-37-52-1-52.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621134059/http://en.labaule.com/directory/france-grand-prix-longines-la-baule-37-52-1-52.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 June 2008|title=La Baule - Grand prix longines : la baule|date=21 June 2008|access-date=5 March 2019}} is an equestrian jumping competition{{cite web|url=http://en.labaule.com/directory/france-international-show-jumping-of-france-0-95-1-52.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618214915/http://en.labaule.com/directory/france-international-show-jumping-of-france-0-95-1-52.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 June 2008|title=La Baule - International Show Jumping of France|date=18 June 2008|access-date=5 March 2019}} part of the international Equestrian Nations Cup{{cite web|url=http://en.labaule.com/directory/france-samsung-super-league-la-baule-36-95-1-52.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521041830/http://en.labaule.com/directory/france-samsung-super-league-la-baule-36-95-1-52.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 May 2008|title=La Baule - Samsung super league : la baule|date=21 May 2008|access-date=5 March 2019}} series.
=Tourism=
The Musée Aéronautique Presqu'île Côte d'Amour (MAPICA), located at the airport, maintains a collection of restored historical French aircraft in flying condition.{{cite web|url=http://www.mapica.org/|title=Restauration et conservation du patrimoine aéronautique - MAPICA|website=www.mapica.org|access-date=5 March 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aviationmuseum.eu/World/Europe/France/La_Baule-Escoublac/Musee_Aeronautique_Presquile_Cote_dAmour.htm|title=Musee Aeronautique Presqu'ile Cote d'Amour - la Baule-Escoublac - France|website=www.aviationmuseum.eu|access-date=5 March 2019}}
People linked to the commune
- Lluís Companys i Jover (1882-1940)
- William Grover-Williams (1903-1945)
- Henri Anger (1907–1989), novelist
- Gérard Lecointe (1912-2009)
- Olivier Guichard (1920–2004)
- Lucien Barrière (1923-1991)
- Édouard Luntz
- Dominique Desseigne (1944)
- Marc Pajot, (1953)
- Bruno Peyron, (1955)
- Lolo Ferrari (1963-2000)
- Charlotte Di Calypso
International relations
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}
La Baule-Escoublac is twinned with:
- {{flagicon|POL}} Nowy Sącz in Poland{{cite web|url=http://www.nowysacz.pl/miasta_partnerskie|title=Miasta partnerskie i zaprzyjaźnione Nowego Sącza|access-date = 2013-08-01|work=Urząd Miasta Nowego Sącza|language=pl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523172036/http://www.nowysacz.pl/miasta_partnerskie|archive-date=2013-05-23}}
- {{flagicon|SCO}} Inverness, Scotland{{cite web|url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns|title=British towns twinned with French towns [via WaybackMachine.com]|access-date=2013-07-20|archive-date=5 July 2013|work=Archant Community Media Ltd}}
- {{flagicon|GER}} Homburg, Saarland, Germany, since 1984
- {{flagicon|GRE}} Corfu, Greece
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Wikivoyage|La Baule|La Baule-Escoublac}}
{{Commons category|La Baule-Escoublac}}
- [http://www.labaule.com News, Events Tourism...] - [https://web.archive.org/web/20061026003035/http://www.labaule.com/rss/labaule.rss RSS]
- [http://www.tourisme-labaule.com/english/index.php La Baule and the Love Coast] (in English)
- [http://www.labaule.fr/en Official La Baule Tourist Office] (in English)
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120905051807/http://www.mairie-labaule.fr/ City council website] (in French)
{{Loire-Atlantique communes}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauleescoublac}}