Liz Taylor, Charlie Chaplin or even Salvador Dali have trodden on the mosaic of small tiles in his waiting room. The Titanic, the France and the Queen Mary have moored along the iconic cranes of its piers. The uprooted of old Europe also crowded there to try the adventure of the new world. World War II, then the air travel boom a few decades later, almost surpassed the purity of its Art Deco lines. But the Cherbourg-en-Cotentin transatlantic naval station is still there, like a proud cathedral and now a guardian of the tumultuous history of the 20th century. Powerful and majestic. And on September 14, it was named the favorite monument of the French by France 3 viewers. Today he is visiting…
Since its complete restoration twenty years ago for the opening of the Cité de la mer, which also includes a visit to the former nuclear attack submarine Le Redoutable or even to the giant aquarium, the former Gare Maritime, already listed in the inventory. The historical monuments of 1989 have already delighted more than 4.6 million tourists. One must realize that the building is exceptional and offers the promise of a long-distance journey just by looking at it. As the ship blares its foghorns in the distance, you might even imagine passing the silhouette of Gabin or Humphrey Bogart disappearing into the Norman rain.
Designed by the famous Art Deco architect René Levasseur and opened in 1933, the Gare Maritime Transatlantique de Cherbourg, of which only the camp destroyed by the Germans in 1944 was not rebuilt, is more than 280 meters long and 42 meters wide. Today, its great hall houses exploration and ocean exploration vehicles, while the former Hall of Lost Stairs, a former gallery with Cuban mahogany shops, has been restored on the same site. Titanic’s cabins have also been reconstructed with period objects. As for the submarine Le Redoutable, the first French nuclear launch device, christened in 1967 by General de Gaulle, 128 meters long and 10.8 wide, it was placed in a pit in front of the Gare Maritime and fully visited. Chills and scuba diving are guaranteed.
At the launch of this Cité de la Mer project, Bernard Covin, who has been its president for 20 years since it opened, happily explains to visitors that “ the ocean is the key to the future of people and humanity, provided we know how to preserve it “. Welcoming many school visits, this sea city, particularly with its giant aquarium, where hundreds of species of fish thrive, including sharks, really offers visitors to dive into the abyss of humanity with many educational trails, but also fun for children. And invites us to contemplate the fragility of the nourishing sea.
Practical notebook
WHERE?
sea city, transatlantic ferry terminal. 50100 Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. Adult price: 19 euros. Children from 5 to 17 years: 14 euros. Children up to 5 years old are free. Such. 02 33 20 26 69
MORE INFORMATION
Cotentin Tourist Office, www.encotentin.fr, 14 quai Alexandre III, 50100 Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. Such. 02 33 93 52 02
GO
By train
Paris Gare Saint-Lazare – Cherbourg, several direct trains a day. Count 3:30.
By car
Paris-Cherbourg, 356 km. Count 3 h 50.
Source: Le Figaro
