Étretat

Coat of arms

Étretat

Location within Normandy region

Étretat

Coordinates: 49°43′N 0°13′E / 49.71°N 0.21°ECoordinates: 49°43′N 0°13′E / 49.71°N 0.21°E

Country

Canton of Criquetot-l'Esneval

Government

• Mayor (2008–2014)

Franck Cottard

Area¹

4.07 km² (1.57 sq mi)

Population (2011)²

1,461

• Density

360/km² (930/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

76254 /76790

Elevation

0–102 m (0–335 ft)
(avg. 8 m or 26 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Étretat is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in Normandie region in north-western France. It is a tourist and farming town situated about 32 km (20 mi) north-east of Le Havre, at the junction of the D 940, D 11 and D 139 roads. It is located on the coast of the Pays de Caux area.

Étretat is best known for its chalk cliffs, including three natural arches and a pointed formation called L'Aiguille or the Needle, which rises 70 metres (230 ft) above the sea. The Etretat Chalk Complex, as it is known, consists of a complex stratigraphy of Turonian and Coniacian chalks. Some of the cliffs are as high as 90 metres (300 ft).

These cliffs and the associated resort beach attracted artists including Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet. They were featured prominently in the 1909 Arsène Lupin novel The Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc. They also feature in the 2014 film Lucy, directed by Luc Besson.

Two of the three famous arches are visible from the town, the Porte d'Aval, and the Porte d'Amont. The Manneporte is the third and the biggest one, and cannot be seen from the town.

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Wikipedia