Étretat is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is a tourist and agricultural town located about 32 km (20 mi) northeast of Le Havre at the crossroads. It is located on the coast of the Pays de Caux region. In 2017, it had a population of 1,291.
Étretat is best known for its chalk cliffs, which include three natural arches. It is located 70 meters (230 ft) above sea level. Some hills are up to 90 meters (300 ft) high. The cliff and associated resort attracted artists such as Eugène Bodin, Charles Daubigny, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet.
It was mentioned in Maurice LeBlanc’s 1909 Arsene Lupin novel The Hollow Needle. Two of the three famous arches, Porte d’Aval and Porte d’Amont, are visible from the city. The Manneporte is the third and largest, and cannot be seen from the city.
A long-distance hiking path called the GR 21 passes through the town. Étretat is known as the last place in France from which the biplane The White Bird was seen in 1927. During World War II, French heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coley were attempting to make the first non-stop flight from Paris to New York City, but after the plane’s departure on May 8, 1927, it disappeared somewhere in the Atlantic.
There was a famous monument here. But it was destroyed when the Germans occupied the area during World War II. A new monument with a museum was built in 1963. Étretat’s economy depends largely on tourism, which gives locals a growing commercial advantage. The city has become one of Normandy’s attractions for tourism.
The scene of Étretat is clearly seen in the painting ‘Etretat’ by George Innes. Étretat was the birthplace of the philosopher and historian Eli Halevy (1870–1937). Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) spent most of his childhood in Étretat. This place is mentioned in many movies, TV series, novels, works of art.