         
|
|
|
|
A typically French, historic port with plenty to do or enough going on to watch the world go by.
The harbour dates back to 11th Century Things to do: Aquarium Old Ships Museum Undercover Food Market - 6 days a week Traditional open air Saturday market Plenty of shops Restaurants to suit all budgets and tastes Two sandy beaches In July and August the evenings are a buzz with live entertainment - music, jugglers, stalls etc. Various festivals take place from pop music, to a Jazz Festival to Film Festival to a massive fireworks display lasting a couple of hours!
LA ROCHELLE is the most attractive and unspoilt seaside town in France. Thanks to the foresight of 1970s mayor Michel Crépeau, its historic seventeenth- to eighteenth-century centre and waterfront were plucked from the clutches of the developers and its streets freed of traffic for the delectation of pedestrians. A real shock-horror outrage at the time, the policy has become standard practice for preserving old town centres across the country – more successful than Crépeau's picturesque yellow bicycle plan, designed to relieve the traffic problem. La Rochelle has a long history, as you would expect of such a sheltered Atlantic port. Eleanor of Aquitaine gave it a charter in 1199, which released it from its feudal obligations, and it rapidly became a port of major importance, trading in salt and wine and skilfully exploiting the Anglo-French quarrels. The Wars of Religion, however, were particularly destructive for La Rochelle. It turned Protestant and, because of its strategic importance, drew the remorseless enmity of Cardinal Richelieu, who laid siege to it in 1627. To the dismay of the townspeople, who reasoned that no one could effectively blockade seasoned mariners like themselves, he succeeded in sealing the harbour approaches with a dyke. The English dispatched the Duke of Buckingham to their aid, but he was caught napping on the Île de Ré and badly defeated. By the end of 1628 Richelieu had starved the city into submission. Out of the pre-siege population of 28,000, only 5000 survived. The walls were demolished and the city's privileges revoked. La Rochelle later became the principal port for trade with the French colonies in the Caribbean Antilles and Canada. Indeed, many of the settlers, especially in Canada, came from this part of France
On the east side of the old harbour behind the Tour St-Nicolas is the quartier du Gabut, the one-time fishermen's quarter of wooden cabins and sheds, now converted into bars, shops and eating places. Beyond it lies an extensive dock and the market and service buildings of the old fishing port. This is now the Musée Maritime (daily: April–June & Sept 10am–6.30pm; July & Aug 10am–7.30pm; Oct–March 2–6.30pm; €7), which includes an interesting collection of superannuated vessels as well as land-based exhibits. A further ten-minute walk brings you to the Musée des Automates (daily: Feb–May, Sept & Oct 10am–noon & 2–6pm; June–Aug 9.30am–7pm; Nov–Jan 2–6pm; €7) on rue de la Désirée, a fascinating collection of three hundred automated puppets, drawing you into an irresistible fantasy world. Some of the puppets are interesting from a historical angle; others, like one that writes the name "Pierrot", are interesting from a mechanical viewpoint. Further down the same street is the Musée des Modèles Réduits (same hours & prices as the Automates, joint ticket for both museums €10). The prices may be a bit prohibitive for families – especially considering the whole tour takes barely half an hour – but this does combine well with a visit to the neighbouring Musée des Automates. Scale models of every variety and era are on show, starting with cars and including models of a submerged shipwreck and La Rochelle train station.
The Port des Minimes is a large modern marina development with mooring for thousands of yachts, about 2km south of the old harbour. There are shops, restaurants, bars and apartments, and the young and beautiful flock out here at weekends and on summer evenings to parade on the beautiful plage des Minimes. Right next to the beach is the spectacular aquarium (daily: April–June & Sept 9am–8pm, last entry 6.30pm; July & Aug 9am–11pm, last entry 9.30pm; Oct–March 10am–8pm, last entry 6.30pm; tel. 05.46.34.00.00; www.aquarium-larochelle.com; adults €10, under 18s €7)
The city has beautifully maintained its past architecture, making it one of the most picturesque and historically rich cities on the Atlantic coast. This helped develop a strong tourism industry.
The industrial harbour of La Pallice, as seen from the bridge to Ile de Ré. La Rochelle possesses a commercial harbour in deep water, named La Pallice. The large submarine bunker built during WWII still stands there, although it is not being used. La Pallice is equipped with oil unloading equipment, and mainly handles tropical wood. It is also the location of the fishing fleet, which was moved from the old harbour at the centre of the city during the 1980s.
Les Minimes marina. La Rochelle also maintains strong links with the sea by harbouring the largest marina for pleasure boats in Europe at Les Minimes, and a rather rich boat-building industry. One of the biggest music festivals in France, "FrancoFolies," takes place each summer in La Rochelle, where Francophone musicians come together for a week of concerts and celebration. 2004 marked the 20th anniversary of this event. La Rochelle is the setting for the best-selling series of French language textbooks in the UK, titled Tricolore. The central character, Martine Domme, lives with her family at the fictional address of 12, Rue de la République. Climate Although at the same latitude as Montreal in Canada the area is quite warm throughout the year due to the influence of the Gulf Stream waters, and insolation is remarkably high, on a par with the French Riviera on the Mediterranean Southern coast of France.
|
|
Send mail to
Trevor@jubilatecharters.co.uk with questions or
comments about this web site.
|
