and around Le Touquet, making it the most mined city in France. The position of the mines was as follows: 38,620 mines were found in the city itself; 54,125 in the dunes, race track and aérodrome; 13,800 under houses; and 200 in the municipal swimming pool. German prisoners of war participated in the process of identifying and removing the mines, as did French personnel. At Le Touquet, 78 démineurs died during this operation.:108-126 Post-WW II reconstruction The Second World War left its mark on the urban landscape of Le Touquet — it destroyed much of the city, particularly on the seafront. Although badly damaged, the pre-War villas were, for the most part, rebuilt. But in response to market pressures, these relatively small structures were replaced by high-rise buildings offering numerous apartments with sea views. In 1961, the first large scale residence, consisting of nine stories and 20 apartments, was built. Numerous other high-rise constructions followed. This style of development has been criticised. For example, in 1999, the report of the classification commission for the natural site of the Pointe du Touquet stated: "The disappointing aspect of the latest developments on the seafront, both in their design and in their execution, illustrates what should be avoided from now on." The resort has since undertaken to preserve the quality of its built environment by regulating the construction of high buildings, providing norms for the renovation of existing buildings of architectural interest and promoting high quality modern architecture. Population Sport Motorsport Every year in February, an off-road motorcycle and quad beach race called (formerly Enduro du Touquet) is held along the beach and through the dunes, with some 1,000 motorbikes, Quad bikes and 250,000 spectators. Cycling Le Touquet has been host to four stages of the Tour de France. The resort first hosted a stage during the 1971 Tour de France, as the finish for Stage 6b, from Amiens, on 2 July. Following this, the resort hosted Stage 3 of the 1976 Tour de France, on 27 June. This was a individual time trial which both started and finished at the resort. The following day, Le Touquet was the departure point for the fourth stage, to Bornem in Belgium. The 2014 Tour de France began Stage 4 at Le Touquet on 8 July, with the stage taking a route to Lille Métropole. Tennis The Le Touquet Tennis Club is the home of international