Deauville facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Deauville
Commune
Seaside casino
Coat of arms
Deauville Location in France Show map of France Deauville Location in Normandy Show map of Normandy
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Calvados
Arrondissement	Lisieux
Canton	Honfleur-Deauville
Intercommunality	Cœur Côte Fleurie
Area 1	3.57 km2 (1.38 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	3,565
• Density	998.6/km2 (2,586/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	14220 /14800
Elevation	0–83 m (0–272 ft) (avg. 5 m or 16 ft)
Website	www.deauville.org.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Deauville (French pronunciation: [dovil]) is a charming town located in the Calvados area of Normandy, northwestern France. It's famous for being a top seaside resort and a popular holiday spot. People love Deauville for its beautiful harbor, exciting race course, fancy marinas, and grand Casino.

Deauville is the closest seaside town to Paris. Because of this, it has long been a favorite place for wealthy French families to have their holiday homes. It's often called the Parisian Riviera because it's so stylish and popular. The first Deauville Asian Film Festival was held here in 1999, adding to its fame.

History of Deauville

The story of Deauville goes back to the year 1060. Back then, the land was known as Auevilla. A local lord named Hubert du Mont-Canisy was in charge. In 1066, he left to join William the Conqueror on his journey to England.

Bathing Time at Deauville, painted by Eugène Boudin in 1865.

For many years, Deauville was a quiet place. It was known for horse farming and growing a plant called sainfoin. But in 1860, everything began to change. Duc Charles Auguste Louis Joseph de Morny, who was the half-brother of Emperor Napoleon III, decided to turn Deauville into a popular resort. He did this at the request of his wife, Sofia Sergeyevna Trubetskaya.

Building a Resort Town

Before the Duc de Morny passed away in 1865, he made some big changes. These changes helped make Deauville what it is today.

• A railway line was built from Paris to Deauville. This made it much easier for people to visit.
• The Deauville hippodrome (horse race track) was built.
• A small casino was opened.
• Many beautiful villas (large houses) were built.
• The Grand Hotel was finished, offering lots of rooms for visitors.
• A church and a school were also built in 1863.
• A long boardwalk, called "La Terrasse," was created along the seaside. It was 1,800 meters long!

The famous 5-star Hôtel Normandy Barrière and its lovely gardens by the sea.

After the Duc's death, Deauville continued to grow. In the early 1900s, Désiré le Hoc and Eugene Cornuché helped the town develop even more.

• The famous Normandy Barrière and Royal hotels opened in 1911 and 1913.
• The hippodrome was made bigger and better.
• Telephone lines were set up.
• Luxury shops, including Coco Chanel's first store, opened in Deauville. Many stores from Paris saw how popular Deauville was becoming and decided to open branches there.

Deauville During the Wars

During World War I, Deauville's hotels and casino were used to care for wounded soldiers. The war also made it hard for businesses in Deauville, as many products were needed for the war effort.

The beautiful beach in Deauville.

In 1923, the Promenade des Planches was completed. This is the famous wooden boardwalk that runs along the beach.

• In 1929, the Hotel du Golf was built, and the golf course was greatly improved.
• In 1931, the Deauville – Saint-Gatien Airport opened. This was a big deal for tourism, as it meant London was only a 2-hour trip away!

Deauville faced tough times during the national financial crisis and World War II. The German Army occupied Deauville during the war. Villas, hotels, and the casino were used by the German forces. After the D-Day invasion by Allied forces, the German troops were pushed out of Normandy.

Modern Deauville

After the war, Deauville became popular again. It regained its status as a place for high society and celebrities. Movies were filmed here, like Claude Lelouch's "un Homme et une Femme," which won awards. This helped Deauville become known as an important resort town in Europe once more.

Today, Deauville is easy to reach from Paris thanks to improved highways. In May 2011, Deauville even hosted the 37th G8 summit, a meeting of leaders from the world's major economies.

Early Beginnings

The first mention of Deauville was in 1060. It was a small fishing village called A Enilla. This name comes from a Germanic word meaning wet meadow. The village was originally on a hill, with a few houses near the St. Laurent chapel. It had a small harbor on the Touques River.

Duc de Morny's Vision

Deauville became much more important because of the Duc de Morny. He saw the quiet village and wanted to transform it. He bought a large area of marsh and sand dunes with a banker named Armand Donon. They worked to turn this land into a place where people could build homes.

Growth and Development

In 1858, a doctor named Oliffe, who had a house in Trouville, decided to create a "town of pleasure" on the sand dunes. In 1862, the first stone of modern Deauville was laid. When Emperor Napoleon III visited the coast of Normandy in the 1860s, it made the area very fashionable. Soon, people started building the things needed for the Imperial court and wealthy Parisians to visit. The railway arrived in Trouville-sur-Mer in 1863. This meant people could travel from Paris to Deauville in about six hours. The Duc de Morny helped convince important people that staying on the coast would be good for their health. Land was bought, and large villas and hotels were built. A casino soon followed, and many rich tourists came to visit.

The locked harbor was dug out in 1866. Deauville was mostly unharmed during World War I. However, during World War II and the German Occupation, many of Deauville's holiday properties were taken over by the German forces.

Deauville American Film Festival

Sharon Stone during a photo shoot in Deauville in 1991.

To make the summer season last longer, Lucien Barriere and Michel d'Ornano decided to support the idea of a film festival. This festival would focus on American films, including both big movies and independent ones.

The festival started in 1975. The first film shown was The Reincarnation of Peter Proud. Since then, the festival has continued to show American movies and bring American and European stars to Normandy. The festival began giving out awards in 1995. In 2014, the Deauville American Film Festival celebrated its 40th year.

Horse Culture in Deauville

A horse race at the Clairefontaine Hippodrome.

Deauville is very famous for its connection to horses. The area around Deauville is the main horse breeding region in France. There are many stud farms here where horses are raised. Because of this, Deauville is twinned with Lexington, Kentucky in the USA and County Kildare in Ireland. Both of these places are also world leaders in breeding thoroughbred racehorses.

A very important horse auction, called the Ventes de Deauville yearling auction, happens in Deauville every August. Deauville is known around the world for its horse culture, its famous race tracks, and its many important annual races. The two main race tracks in Deauville are Deauville la Touques and Clairefontaine. They are busy during January, July, August, October, and December.

The three most important horse races held in Deauville each year are Le Maurice de Gheest, Le Jacques le Marois, and Le Morny. Other races like Le Prix d'Astarte (Prix Rothschild) and Le Prix Romanet have also become very important. Even though Le Grand Prix de Deauville is not a top-level race, it is still very respected. The names of the winners are proudly displayed on the walls of the race track's grand hall.

Today, Deauville also hosts other horse events. These include polo tournaments, horse shows, and even the European Championship for Miniature Horses.

Population of Deauville

Famous People Connected to Deauville

Many interesting people have lived in or been connected to Deauville.

• Jacques Eyser (1912–1999), a comedian.
• Nicole Van de Kerchove (1945–2008), a navigator.
• Marie-Jo Bonnand (1949), a historian.
• Bruno Morandi (1959), a photographer.
• Xavier Marchand (1973), a swimming champion.

Some famous people have also passed away in Deauville:

• Eugène Boudin, a painter, died here in 1898.
• Ford Madox Ford, a British writer, died here in 1939.
• Gaston Jèze, a judge, died here in 1953.

Some well-known people who have lived in Deauville include:

• The billionaire couple Chryss Goulandris and Tony O'Reilly. Chryss Goulandris is a major horse breeder and a Greek shipping heiress. Tony O'Reilly was an Irish media leader. They own a historic manor house near Deauville.
• French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent had one of his homes in Deauville. His homes were always beautifully decorated with antiques and art.

Movies Filmed in Deauville

Deauville's beautiful scenery has made it a popular location for many films.

• Bob le flambeur (1956)
• Un singe en hiver (1962)
• Nous irons à Deauville (1962)
• A Man and a Woman (1966) - a very famous film that helped make Deauville even more well-known.
• Coco Before Chanel (2009) - a movie about the famous fashion designer.

Prizes and Awards

The Prix de Deauville for songs and books are given out every April. The song prize was very important in the 1940s and 1950s. In 2016, the literary prize (prix littéraire de la Ville de Deauville) was awarded to Virginie Despentes.

Deauville's Twin Towns

Deauville has special connections with other towns around the world. These are called twin towns:

• Lexington, Kentucky, USA
• Cowes, United Kingdom
• Eicklingen, Germany
• Kildare, Ireland
• Pinamar, Argentina

Major Events in Deauville

Deauville hosts several exciting events throughout the year:

• Deauville Asian Film Festival
• Deauville American Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: Deauville para niños