At the beginning of the 19th century the fashion for sea bathing and excursion trains brought more and more people to our beaches. The first sea-bathing establishments, which opened in 1838, were situated along the channel, outside the walls. However, the port started to grow and the fortifications soon encroached onto Dunkirk's beaches, condemning the embryonic resort to oblivion.
At the same time, in 1858, the ship owner and builder, Gaspard Malo, bought 641 hectares of dunes to the east of the town in order to plant them with crops; after several fruitless trials he decided to flatten the dunes and sell them for building.
Sales took off after 1868 when the architect, Colibert, built a casino on the sea front and when figures from the literary and artistic worlds started to have summer homes built there by well known architects of the day such as Charles Garnier, Violet-le-Duc and others. From then on growth was rapid and the resort acquired all the appurtenances of a spa town.
Poster promoting the port and the seaside resort. By A.Gysel, 1924. Port Museum Collection.