Battle of the Beaches

During World War II, American forces liberated miles of beaches along France's COte d'Azur. Ever since, it has been a struggle to keep them free.

Wealthy Europeans and Americans built tens of thousands of fancy villas along the 200-mile coastline between Marseille and the Italian border, turning much of the Riviera into a private playground. To keep out trespassers, these "beach barons" erected high fences, stone walls and barbed wire, often patrolled by vicious guard dogs.

The ordinary sun seeker soon found it almost impossible even to reach the supposedly public shoreline. At the accessible public beaches, concession owners, backed by musclemen euphemistically described as lifeguards, forced tourists off the sands unless they were willing to pay for beach mattresses, umbrellas or change-of-costume cabins.

With the best beaches off limits and only one-third or so of the swimmable, sunbathable seashore available to the public, the would-be bathers began to rebel. In 1965 hundreds of visitors at St.Raphael, about 25 miles west of Cannes, demonstrated against the construction of a stone wall that would have blocked access to the charming cove of Santa Lucia. In 1967, at nearby Le Lavandou, local Provenc,aux brought out their hunting rifles in an effort to liberate the "abusively expropriated" beaches. Sympathizing with the protesters, Film Maker Rene Clair and Playwright Andre Roussin founded an association called Mare Nostrum to lobby for freer beaches.

In the wake of this pressure, Gaullist Minister of Public Works and Housing Albin Chalandon last month ordered that the beaches be opened up. Arguing that the state has been the legal proprietor of most of France's seashore since the 17th century, Chalandon decreed that all "private beach" signs and fences be removed and roads be built through estates that have sealed off beaches. He also declared that the plagistes (beach concessionaires) could not charge for access to the sea.

Some private villa owners good-naturedly complied. Prince Bertil of Sweden, a democratic fellow who wears a beret while riding around Ste.-Maxime on a mini-motorcycle, willingly cut a passage through the wicker fence around his villa's beach. At Cabasson, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, who could claim extraterritoriality for her beach by virtue of her title, readily admitted sunbathers and swimmers to her beach provided they were decently dressed and not too noisy.

Among the notable holdouts: French President Georges Pompidou and Brigitte Bardot. Authorities have forbidden use of the beach or water within 1,000 ft. of Pompidou's holiday retreat at Breganc,on near Toulon. As for BB, St.Tropez citizens and officials have tacitly agreed not to disturb the two long high walls that jut perpendicularly out into the Mediterranean from her private haven. After all, it was Brigitte who made the resort a tremendous tourist attraction in the first place.

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