The intriguing beach chairs are on a beach in Normandy and protect you from both the wind and the sun.
“They are very popular. As soon as it is sunny, they are completely booked,” Sylvie Dupont, the deputy mayor of Merville-Franceville in charge of culture, animation, heritage and twinning, told The Connexion.
There are 30 strandkorbs in totalThomas Boivin / NCPA tourisme
“Some rent them for the week, some even for two weeks. They are used by a mix of people, from locals to French tourists to foreign tourists.”
The strandkorbs are placed on the beach in the beginning of June and then removed in early September.
Constructed from wicker, wood and canvas with reclining backrests, they can usually seat two people. Some have extra features such as footrests and folding tables.
The hooded design was designed to protect the user from any potential unpleasantness on the beach, originally the harsh winds of the Baltic Sea but also from the sun and any sand.
An apéro being enjoyed around the beach basketsThomas Boivin / NCPA tourisme
They were invented in 1882 when a woman, Elfriede von Maltzahn, who lived on the coast of the Baltic Sea wanted to visit the beach despite her rheumatism. Physician Wilhelm Bartelmann’s solution was to invent the strandkorb, or the beach chair.
Strandkorb, the factory which produces them, has been located in Heringsdorf since 1933.
This small German spa town is twinned with Merville-Franceville whose mayor and his deputy decided during a visit to introduce the chairs to Merville-Franceville. The first ten strandkorbs were put on the beach around ten years ago and their numbers have since tripled to 30.
A chair costs €7 for a half-day rental, €12 for a full day, €60 for a week and €210 for a month.
