Yport

French commune
nomcommune=Yport
région=Haute-Normandie
département=Seine-Maritime
arrondissement=Le Havre
canton=Fécamp
insee=76754
cp=76111
maire= Francis Grandguillot
mandat=2005-2008
intercomm=
longitude=0.313888888889
latitude=49.7386111111
alt moy=30 m
alt mini=0 m
alt maxi=96 m
hectares=207
km²=2,07
sans=1011
date-sans=1999
dens=488|

Yport is a commune in the Seine-Maritime "département", in Normandy, northern France. The locals are known as Yportais or Yportaises.

Location

Yport is located on the D104 road, about thirty kilometres north of Le Havre, on the coast of the English Channel.

Demographics

History

The site was probably occupied during the neolithic period, and later the Pays de Caux was inhabited by the Calates. During the Roman time, a road connecting Fécamp to Étretat passed through the locality at "Pitron Fund" from where a junction towards the village existed. The current D940 follows the route of this Roman road. The Roman presence was discovered following various archaeological excavations but nothing proves that it was permanently inhabitated. It may have been only a fishing site. Starting from the early Middle Ages the village was attached to Criquebeuf-en-Caux, where the church, the cemetery and the school were located, several kilometers away from Yport. Only in the 19th century did the commune of Yport come into existence, primarily because of the construction of the church. Officially, the commune of Yport was created on January 1, 1843 and its first mayor was Jean-Baptiste Feuilloley. The 19th century marked the beginning of the rise of sea-fishing. Many people were attracted to the area by the work and the population reached 1800. The sea front evolved considerably during this period. As a working port, the sea front had fishing-smacks, skiffs, caïques and other vessels moored up to the bollards.

During the 19th century, sea-bathing came into fashion, and Yport did not escape from it. In 1849 and 1884, the village was hit by cholera epidemics. Later, in the 1960s, fishing disappeared, like everywhere on the Côte d'Albâtre. The pace of life in the fishing village changed only very little. Yport is nowadays primarily a tourist town, with the casino, the beach and many quality resturants. A large car-park has now replaced most of the fishing boats at the sea-front.

Tourism

* Cliffs
* Pebble beach
* St.Martin's church: building started in 1838, it was finished only in 1876 after many modifications.
* Casino
* Yport is the place where Guy de Maupassant set his novel "Une Vie"

Festivals

*Torch-light parade on July 13th.
*Festival of the sea and painting on August 15th (mass, blessing, holy procession). An exhibition of paintings, painters and sculptors in the streets and on the beach, auction sale at 5pm of the art created during the course of the day).

ee also

* Communes of the Seine-Maritime department

External links

* [http://www.tourisme-yport.info Tourisme à Yport] fr
* [http://www.recensement.insee.fr/RP99/rp99/co_navigation.co_page?nivgeo=C&codgeo=76754&theme=ALL&typeprod=ALL&lang=FR&quelcas=LISTE Yport on the Insee website] fr
* [http://www.quid.fr/communes.html?mode=query&req=Yport Yport on the Quid website] fr