Description
The origins of the seaside resort
In Saint-Cast, village life was divided between the island and the village centre. Around 1870 beach tents and huts began to appear in Les Mielles. Alfred Marinier, a painter and artist who particularly loved the beauty of Saint-Cast, bought all the land available at Pointe de la Garde and the surrounding area. He built the Hotel de la Plage and encouraged his friends to come and build villas and chalets. Very quickly, Saint-Cast was buzzing with activity. Festivals, tennis tournaments, regattas, donkey racing, and fire-work displays were organised throughout the summer season. A departmental railway line, opened in 1905, brought train travel to Saint-Cast.
The resort during the First World War.
A military hospital was opened for French and Belgian soldiers who had taken refuge in Saint-Cast.
Between the two wars, the resort continued to expand, modernise and improve its facilities. The resort welcomed 12,000 - 15,000 summer holiday makers per year, at some 25 hotels and 25 boarding houses. Many new infrastructures such as the gymnastics club, the yacht club, the golf club, the tennis club and the campsite were also created.
The resort during the Second World War.
Saint-Cast once again opened its doors to refugees from Belgium and Northern France. German troops established their headquarters here in order to survey the coastline and the building of the 'Atlantic wall' .
A number of hotels were requisitioned, some villas were destroyed, some evacuated or bricked up. On 3 August, 1944, Saint-Cast was liberated. Shortly after, the town welcomed refugees from Brest and Poland (mostly women).
From the summer of 1945 onwards, life was virtually back to normal in Saint-Cast.
In 1949, buses replaced the regional rail network.
In 1969, Saint-Cast was officially designated a seaside resort.
Practical informations
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Descriptif groupes
- Descriptif groupes : Visite guidée Le guide vous présentera les raisons pour lesquelles Saint-Cast est devenue une destination incontournable au début du XXe siècle et vous projettera 100 ans en arrière pour imaginer l’ambiance de la Belle Époque sur la Côte d’Émeraude.
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