The Charente Maritime

PRESENTATION AND GEOGRAPHY

Charente-Maritime is cradled in its coastal facade by the clear and limpid waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The department is bordered by 463 km of coastline and surrounded by an archipelago of islands whose mere mention recalls the sweetness of life: Ré, Oléron, Aix and Madame.

The Gironde estuary, the largest in Europe, is an area of exceptional biodiversity. The Seudre estuary is home to salt marshes and oyster farms. Its hinterland is home to many architectural treasures and extends its vineyards. Cognac and Pineau are closely linked to the terroir.

The appeal of its beaches, its seaside resorts, its ports, its cities full of art and history, its festivals and its emblematic sites, make Charente-Maritime the leading tourist destination in metropolitan France. It welcomes 3 million visitors per year.

Tourism is also the primary axis of economic development.

• La Rochelle, a prefecture city renowned for its old port.
• Rochefort, its royal rope-making factory and its arsenal where the Hermione was born a second time to set sail for America.
• In Saintes, it is the arenas, ancient fortifications of Vauban, which attract.

In Charente-Maritime, several sites are listed as world heritage sites by UNESCO :

• The citadel of Saint-Martin-de-Ré;
• The Basilica of Saint Eutrope in Saintes;
• The Pilgrims’ Hospital of Pons;
• The Saint-Pierre church of the Tour d'Aulnay.

Its thermal spa and thalassotherapy centres also contribute to its appeal. Its sub-prefecture towns of Jonzac, Rochefort, Saint-Jean d'Angély and Saintes are full of history.

To the west, its immense oyster basin makes the department famous for its world-famous oysters. This department between sea and land with its varied landscapes invites you to many escapades.

Climate

Charente-Maritime, thanks to its large ocean frontage, benefits from a temperate climate. It experiences relatively mild but increasingly stormy winters and dry, hot summers, refreshed by a pleasant sea breeze. The department is marked by significant sunshine and low rainfall.

Ideal weather for a successful vacation or weekend for sure!

History

The department was created during the French Revolution, formed by the provinces of Aunis and Saintonge, as well as part of Poitou and Angoumois. Until 1941, it was called Charente-Inférieure by geographical reference to the lower course of the Charente.

Human presence is attested from the Paleolithic period. In the Saintes region, in Saint-Césaire, the skeleton of a Neanderthal woman aged 34,000 years was discovered. It is also on the site of these excavations that Le Paléosite was built, an interactive prehistory centre combined with the latest communication technologies.

During the Gallo-Roman period, the capital of Aquitaine was Mediolanum Santonum (Saintes). The Arch of Germanicus and the arenas can still be admired today.

The barbarians will invade the southwest which will remain under this influence until the arrival of Colvis ^1st king of the Franks. In 1137, Eleanor of Aquitaine married Louis VII. But, after her divorce and by her remarriage with Henry II Plantagenet who will ascend to the throne of England, she brings the region into perfidious Albion. The Hundred Years' War, then the Wars of Religion, will be the occasion of many troubles between Huguenots and Catholics and will cause much devastation.

In 1568, La Rochelle became Protestant, like many medium-sized towns. The proclamation of the Edict of Nantes in 1598 restored calm and prosperity to the department.

1627 marked the siege of La Rochelle. Richelieu and Louis XIII, worried about the prosperity of the city, prohibited access to the port by building an immense dike. The city, subjected to famine, capitulated a year later and returned to Catholic and royal authority. In the 18th century, La Rochelle and Saintes experienced significant urban development.

The department, created in 1790, was caught between the Vendée uprising and the Girondin uprising. In 1806, Napoleon set up a continental blockade to deprive England of its commercial outlets, reducing the activity of the coastal ports. In 1810, this same Napoleon established a decree that propelled La Rochelle as the capital.

In 1876, the phylloxera crisis ravaged the vineyards and the production of cognac. The department turned to agriculture, particularly livestock breeding and dairy production. In 1890, the port of La Pallice in La Rochelle was inaugurated by the President of the Republic, Sadi Carnot.

In 1905, Emile Combes, mayor of Pons and President of the Council, voted with Georges Clémenceau, then a member of parliament, the law of separation of church and state. The railway network on the island of Oléron was inaugurated in 1904. During the Second World War, Charente-inférieure was in the occupied zone. In 1945, soldiers and resistance fighters besieged the Germans in the "Atlantic pockets" including Royan and La Rochelle. Royan paid a heavy price: it was 85% destroyed.

In 1966, Oléron was the first island to be connected to the continent by a bridge. The island of Ré would be connected in 1988.

The end of the 20th century was marked by several disasters:

• The Erika oil spill in 1999;
• The storm "of the century" of December 26 and 27, 1999;
• Storm Xynthia in February 2010.

Discover Charente Maritime

From the richness of local products, between sea and land

This region is on the podium of gastronomy, combining seafood and local produce. All credit where credit is due!

• First of all, let us mention its fine and special oysters from claires, which make the Marennes-Oléron basin famous. They also have a PGI. They can be garnished with a shallot sauce, a dash of lemon and eaten with Surgères butter, which like its neighbor from Echiré, combines dairy quality and traditional taste.
• Another seafood product: mussels. They are raised on bouchots, which, cooked with the needles of maritime pines, make delicious éclades (or églades), also eaten as mouclade.
• Charente-Maritime is also known worldwide for its cognac and its pineau des Charentes. It also produces a local wine, notably on the Île de Ré, as well as the famous little potato with its salty taste, and salt, harvested in the salt marshes.
• As for cheese specialties, we will remember the jonchée, made from curdled cow's milk, placed on a mat of rushes from the marshes.
• Another marsh plant to eat as a condiment in vinegar or raw: samphire.

Sports and leisure

Charente-Maritime is a huge playground for all lovers of sports and nature. You can practice several water activities at sea: sailing, surfing, kite-surfing, sea kayaking, paddle boarding, etc.

The coastal path (50 km) as well as the inland and the national forests are perfect for hiking. You can go cycling, especially on the islands with their countless cycle paths.

Haute-Saintonge, for its part, offers many circuits for horse riding. Eight golf courses allow you to test several courses. The marshes represent a vast fishing territory, as do the many rivers, and of course the banks of the seaside.

Festivals, fairs, exhibitions and events

A small selection of the many cultural, sporting and community events offered in the department, which contribute to the region's reputation and dynamism.

• Châtelaillon-Plage Kite Festival, between March and April;
• International Film Festival, La Rochelle, end of June - beginning of July;
• Francofolies Festival in La Rochelle, in July;
• A violin on the sand, Royan, mid-July;
• Saintes Classical Music Festival, mid-July;
• Jazz at the Lighthouse, Whale Lighthouse, Ars en Ré, around August 15;
• Grand Pavois, port of Minimes in La Rochelle, in September;
• TV Fiction Festival, La Rochelle, in September;
• Charente-Maritime Autumn Rally, in November;
• La Rochelle Marathon, end of November.

Charente Maritime is making its cinema

A number of films have been set in towns in Charente-Maritime. These include:

• In 1970 " The Things of Life " by Claude Sautet, filmed in La Rochelle and on the Isle of Ré;
• Still in La Rochelle, filmed in the naval base, an episode of " Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981;
• In another genre, " Beaumarchais l'insolent " by Edouard Molinaro in 1996 in La Rochelle and Rochefort.
• In 2010, Jean Becker chose Pons and Rochefort for certain scenes in his film " La tête en friche ".
• In 2020, the TF1 series " Je te promets " (French version of This is Us) moved to Rochefort, Surgères and La Rochelle to film 3 seasons.
• Many TV films, mainly for France TV, have chosen Charente-Maritime as their setting.

Recommended practical works

• Charente-Maritime, 365 days, Emmanuel Peraud;
• Michel Garnier, Geste Editions;
• The Little Clever Charente Maritime;
• The Poitou-Charentes Routard;
• The Poitou-Charentes green guide;
• Charente-Maritime Escape Guide;
• Charente-Maritime on foot;
• Charente-Maritime, Louis Desgraves, Editions Sud Ouest;
• Charente-Maritime Vendée, Géoguide collection, Gallimard Loisirs...

and in literature

• Eugène Fromentin (1820-1876), from La Rochelle, describes his native country in "Dominique";
• Rochefort resident Pierre Loti (1850-1923) draws inspiration from his region in "Le Roman d'un enfant";
• Madeleine Chapsal sets the plot of "We're waiting for the children" in Charente Maritime, her home department...