Royan

Almost entirely destroyed by bombing in the Second World War, Royan, in the Charente-Maritime, was rebuilt in the 1950s on resolutely modern architectural principles, making it an exceptional testimony to post-war urban planning in France.

The Church of Notre-Dame, a striking 65-metre raw concrete silhouette designed by the architect Guillaume Gillet, and the scallop-shaped central market symbolise this bold reconstruction, now protected as 20th-century heritage. Facing the Gironde estuary, the town has kept its role as a seaside resort with a long seafront, a casino and fine sandy beaches that have made it a popular destination on the Côte de Beauté for more than a century.

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