Hesperios Knit Library Artifact

France

Not quite forty miles from the famous port of Le Havre is the town of Cabourg, where in 1066 William the Conqueror built and assembled his fleet. Eight hundred years later, the town was reimagined as a seaside resort—designed by architect Paul Leroux—and acquired its signature fan shape. The comely reconstruction was a success, and, in the second half of the 19th century, Cabourg became a watering-hole tempting enough to lure Marcel Proust, who immortalized the town a second time as the fictional sun-warmed Balbec.