Dieppe, the birth of THE seaside resort in France

When it comes to French seaside resorts, we almost automatically  thinks of the French Riviera and Atlantic coast destinations. In other words, Biarritz, La Ciotat, Saint-Tropez, La Grande-Motte and Biscarrosse. However, as surprising as it may seem, it was in Normandy, closer to the cool waters of the English Channel, that the idea of the seaside resort was first developed. If records are anything to go by, it was here in Dieppe that the concept of the seaside resort originated. Although the legend claiming that King Henry III was the very first known bather in France, who visited Dieppe in June 1578 under medical advice, has never been attested, it is still widely anchored in common belief. Towards the middle of the twentieth century, our beloved Normandy town was already attracting English and French high society, who had come to breathe the iodised air just 3 hours’ drive from Paris. These included glamorous ladies such as Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland and daughter of the French Empress Josephine, who took several family swim breaks with her children, including the future Napoleon III. A perfect publicity stunt that put Dieppe in the spotlight and encouraged the town to open the first bathing establishment in France, on its beach, in 1822. What may seem like the birth of the “seaside resort” phenomenon was nothing compared to what followed. From 1824 onwards, Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Siciles, Duchess of Berry and daughter-in-law of King Charles X, became the ambassador for regular year-round sea bathing. This sultry, surprising, cheerful and slightly rebellious young woman saw Dieppe as her new playground. Her bath on August 3rd 1824, heralded by the sound of cannon fire, during which the Duchess appeared before the waves of the English Channel, escorted by two bathing masters in front of a captivated crowd, was a real media event. The Dieppe seaside resort was launched, thus becoming the pioneer for all others to be created in Normandy and the rest of the country. The growing trend for seaside bathing reached its height at the end of the 19th century, during the Belle Époque, when bathers began to abandon their corsets and long hair in favour of more elegant sportswear that revealed their tanned bodies. Although the Dieppe beach now offers a whole new range of activities, the freshness of the seawater has remained unchanged. However, once you’ve got over the risk of spasms and suffocation, diving into this water, at an average temperature of 13°C, has all the therapeutic and medicinal benefits you could hope for.