The Commodore
Today is October 24, 1967... A few months ago, after a year of colossal construction work, the harbour was inaugurated. And today, La Grande Motte awaits the arrival of a great man.
General De Gaulle is touring the development sites launched under Mission Racine on the Languedoc Roussillon coastline.
His helicopter lands on the dock that now bears the name of the former French president.
And that gives architect Jean Balladur an idea. He's currently designing the buildings that are soon to rise up at this spot. Their balconies will be separated by... the shape of the General's nose!
If you take a careful look at Commodore's façade and that of the two other pyramids, the Acapulco and the Concorde, you're sure to recognise the president's distinctive nasal apparatus... A rather amusing and original "modénature" (façade ornament) that reveals Jean Balladur's imagination and sense of humour as he honours De Gaulle in his own inimitable way... with a tribute to the great leader's inimitable nose!
From the very beginning, this harbour was a friendly, festive place, and as time went on, a series of popular establishments took shape around it.
Take a leap back in time and just imagine: this is the seventies, the era of oversized sunglasses, long hair, purple dresses... people are strutting their stuff around the harbour, meeting up, socialising and... definitely partying! First, there was the Casino, then came the Forum on the Charles de Gaulle dock. Both establishments were managed by Gaby Atlan, who remembers those days very well; they were the resort's golden days...
"Aside from its financial character, the casino provided a place to party, the structure, restaurants, games room, disco... It was a meeting-place, if you like, for the people flocking here from all over the region, from all over France, in fact. The Forum came a little later, the shopping centre that's still here today. The Forum brought its own personal touch, putting a cinema and a nightclub in the city centre. So here was yet another great place to socialise in La Grande Motte, and the weekends were such a hit, people would come in from all over the Gard region, from Montpellier, and all that, so then there were trendy bars... The pier definitely played its part, even though it wasn't finished yet! We held incredible parties, events, concerts with the likes of Régine, Aznavour, Dalida, and a whole lot of other artists who graced us with their talents."
With its shops, restaurants and café terraces, the Charles de Gaulle pier has always been popular with locals, holidaymakers... and even celebrities. It's a lively place to hang out, by day or by night!