Along the water

This work bestows an astonishing grace and lightness onto the heavy containers. It forms a symbolic gateway between the city and the port, with its monumental scale matching the grandeur of its surroundings.

Inaugurated in 1961, MuMa houses the second largest French collection of Impressionist and Fauvist works, with artists such as Boudin, Degas, Manet, Monet or Renoir. Of glass and metal, this building's innovative structure was designed by architects Lagneau, Prouvé, Weill, Dimitrijevic and Audigier.

A formation of hybrid minerals emerges from the seawall. This band of stone, adorned with gold as if it were a precious heritage, creates the illusion of giant, dazzling gold nuggets—a nod to the utopian vision of a maritime El Dorado.

Inspired by Auguste Perret's architecture, this telephone cabin is both familiar and strange. Voice recordings from fictional inhabitants can be heard through the receiver, reminiscing about a city that never existed, yet bears a resemblance to Le Havre.

Two figures contemplate the sea at the entrance to the harbour, from which ships come and go. The sculpture looks out across to New York and evokes memories of past departures to this destination, symbolising the bond and love between a father and his daughter.

Le Havre-Etretat Tourist Office is open every day from 9.30 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6.30 pm to help you make the most of your stay. Come and enjoy personalised advice, suggestions for things to see and do, and a selection of lovely souvenirs to take home.

A blue-toned design, which is both abstract and figurative, blends seamlessly with the distinctive roof of this shelter, which was previously known as the ‘coquillage’ (the shell). It alludes to the movements which characterise this landscape, such as sea currents, gusts of wind and bird migrations.

This piece, viewed from Avenue Foch, appears to be framed by the Porte Océane, and stands silhouetted against the coastal horizon. The work rises from the pebbles and reproduces the skeleton of a building from Perret's city, detaching itself from land as if to approach the sea. The angles of Up #3 endlessly complement one another in Le Havre's changing light.

Épi No. 8 was the last wooden groyne still in use on the beach at Le Havre. Sculpted by the passing years and by the sea spray, it was a reminder of the constant battle which man wages against nature to maintain the coast line. Now reproduced at full size using an artificial rockwork technique, it has been turned into a sculpture which bears witness to the past.