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| Le Touquet - France In 1912 on 28th March, Le Touquet became an independent town with the name Le Touquet Paris-Plage. Shortly afterwards, the First World War halted its development temporarily and the smart hotels became hospitals for a while. In the heady atmosphere of post war society, however, Le Touquet became one of the smartest resorts in the then modern world. The crème of British High Society were regular visitors and the resort gained a reputation for being fashionable with the wealthy and powerful, including potentates from as far away as the Orient and the East Indies. In 1903, a British Gentleman bought the land, and set out to sell properties to the rich from across the English Channel. In the 1920s Noel Coward and the 'smart set' from England spent weekends here, and commissioned more outstanding villa designs echoing traditional and ultra-modern domestic styles. By 1927, the Casino was foremost of its kind in France. As a result of the town’s new-found prosperity, the Town hall was built with the proceeds of one year’s winnings. Villas and Hotels sprung up as well as a covered market, the International Airport, a racecourse and golf course. Many of these early 20th century villas are now listed, as indeed is the town hall, the covered market and the stands at the racecourse. Le Touquet participates in international town twinning; its other current partners are:
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