Following a visit to Trouville and his friend Dr. Olliffe, the Duke of Morny, half-brother of Emperor Napoleon III, initiated a project for a seaside town destined to surpass it in luxury. In order to attract other socialites, he built the Sergevna villa, named after his wife, by the sea. A railway line connecting Paris was created immediately afterward, and a hotel-casino, a racetrack, and a gas plant destined to install public lighting were built.