Das Leben im Marais

In this area were built simple cob-walled cottages known as bourrines, scattered and lonely in the emptiness, bearing witness to the hard but unique daily life of the marsh dwellers.
This vast mosaic, somewhere between wetland and polder, with its mills and cottages, entices you to take a pleasant walk. This country, an area of traditions and a preserved natural environment, which is home to huge ecological assets, is a genuine living museum.

The bourrines

A bourrine, the traditional sea-marsh cottage, is constructed from the local earth, usually by the occupants themselves, and was originally thatched with reeds. Some still survive, mostly as second homes.

The thatchers or bourrineurs

These are the people who constructed the thatched roofs of the famous cottages. However, their numbers have fallen in the last thirty years as the cob-walled dwellings have been abandoned.

Festivals and events

- St. John’s fires: in June
- The Marsh Olympics: skiff racing, throwing bundles of reeds, etc: at Le Perrier, in summer
- Four-Thursday Fair: a reconstruction of the fairs of 1910 which gained popularity during the Belle Epoque, at Challans, in July and August

Ideas for excursions :