Marennes-Hiers-Brouage [Services]

Marennes-Hiers-Brouage (Charente-Maritime, France)

Marennes-Hiers-Brouage brings together a coastline, salt marshes and a fortified town embedded in the maritime history of western Charente. The municipality notably includes Marennes, known for its oyster farming, and Brouage, a former stronghold with well-preserved ramparts. There are landscapes of basins, "claires" and mudflats that structure local activity. The place attracts both heritage enthusiasts and visitors seeking nature and seafood products.

Heritage and history

The fortified town of Brouage remains the most visible testimony of the region’s military and port history, with its ramparts and its 17th-century urban layout. In the old districts of Marennes, a few houses and former quays recall the town’s role as a trading port. Shoreline changes and the activity of the saltworks have shaped this territory since the Middle Ages.

Nature and landscapes

The oyster basins and the claires offer a landscape of water lines, salt meadows and migratory birds. The proximity of the Pertuis d'Antioche and the mudflats favors observation of shorebirds and terns in spring and autumn. Cycling routes and hiking trails often run along these wetlands.

Gastronomy

The region is famous for the Marennes‑Oléron Oyster, refined in claires, whose characteristic green color comes from plankton and local refinement methods. Fish, shellfish and marsh products are featured on restaurant menus and with small producers.

Not to be missed

• Fortified town of Brouage: walk on the ramparts and discover the military urban planning.
• Marennes-Oléron Basin: observatory of oyster farming and the claires.
• The claires: oyster refinement areas, visible from the trails.
• Port of Marennes: quays, fish markets and embarkations for the bay.
• Coastal paths and cycle tracks: to follow mudflats and salt marshes.