Saint-Marc-sur-Mer is a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germ ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, situated in the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

of Saint-Nazaire (

principal place Principal Place is an office development at the eastern end of Worship Street, Shoreditch, London. The main entrance is approached from Shoreditch High Street. It is a 15-storey office block designed by Foster and Partners. In July 2014, it ...

of the arrondissement of Saint-Nazaire, in the department of Loire-Atlantique,

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

of Pays de la Loire). It is located to the west of the center of the town of Saint-Nazaire, of which it is a district. Originally named Crépelet, at the end of the 19th century it was given the name of the saint to whom its chapel was dedicated.

The birthplace of "Monsieur Hulot"

From the summer to autumn of 1951, the town's beach was the filming location for the exterior scenes of

Jacques Tati Jacques Tati (; born Jacques Tatischeff, ; 9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) was a French mime, film-maker, actor and screenwriter. In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted the 46th greatest of all time ...

's comedic film '' Monsieur Hulot's Holiday''. Tati spent weeks searching for a suitable location, and upon discovering Saint-Marc wrote that it was "the little corner I have been dreaming of". The Hôtel de la Plage, which appeared as the holiday residence of the titular Monsieur Hulot, still exists, and was renovated in 2010. Some scenes were shot in studios, notably those set in the hotel's restaurant; but many key scenes were shot on location, such as the tennis match, which took place in the garden of the Château de Saint-Marc, and the beach scenes, at Saint-Marc's beach. The beach is now known as ' ("Monsieur Hulot's Beach"). In 1999, at the request of Tati's daughter, a statue of Tati as Monsieur Hulot by sculptor Emmanuel Debarre was erected on the seafront. It originally included Hulot's signature pipe, which was removed by vandals not long after its unveiling.

Coastline and beaches

From the to the , the boundary between Saint-Nazaire and Pornichet, the coast measures a little more than . It has numerous southeast-facing beaches, including: * the beach of Fort de L'Ève, with a large campsite * the beach of la Courance (lifeguard-supervised in summer), renowned as a location for

bodyboard Bodyboarding is a water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore. Bodyboarding is also referred to as ''Boogieboarding'' due to the invention of the "Boogie ...

ing and

skimboard Skimboarding or skimming is a boardsport in which a skimboard (much like a surfboard but smaller and without fins) is used to glide across the water's surface to meet an incoming breaking wave, and ride it back to shore. Wave-riding skimboarders ...

ing * the beach of Saint-Marc (lifeguard-supervised in summer) * the beach of Saint-Eugène * the beach of Grand Traict, known among surfers for its surf spots * the beach and manor of Géorama * the beach of the Petite Vallée, partly

naturist Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms a ...

. The , the boundary between the Loire estuary and the

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, is the site of the Fort de Chemoulin, occupied by the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

, who manage Chemoulin's semaphore watchtower and control maritime traffic into the entrance of the estuary. The fort is also a ' coastal monitoring station. Beyond Chemoulin, the coast is oriented to the southwest and includes: * the beach of Jaunais cove, sometimes called Chemoulin cove, well protected from the wind by high cliffs, a naturist beach * the beach of Jaunais (lifeguard-supervised in summer) is the final beach of Saint-Marc, at the boundary of the town of Pornichet.

References

Citations

* * *

Bibliography

* Stéphane Pajot, ''Les Vacances de Monsieur Tati: Hulot à Saint-Marc-sur-Mer''. Éditions d'Orbestier, Le Château d'Olonne, 2003. {{Subject bar, France, auto=1 Saint-Nazaire Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast Tourist attractions in Loire-Atlantique