Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The ecomuseum of the Bois-Juquaud bourrin is housed in a river bourrin, typical of the Breton Marais, built in 1818. This type of earth and reed house illustrates the adaptation of market gardeners to their humid environment. The site, occupied until 1967 by Armandine Gandemer, the last representative of a local family, was left to the commune of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez in 1970. Threatened by ruin in 1984, the bourrin benefited from restorations from 1985, carried by the municipality and the Vendée department.

The museum project revolves around three axes: the restoration of the main bourrin, the reconstruction of ancillary buildings (grange, dairy, henhouse, etc.), and the development of the surroundings. In 1989, a reception and exhibition space was added, later supplemented by multimedia tools. The site, classified as Sensible Natural Space in 2001 for its fauna and flora, extends over 2.6 hectares of dunes and moors. It has been run since 1987 by a local association, now Les Amis de la bourrin du Bois-Juquaud in 2016.

The eco-museum showcases the traditional know-how of market gardeners, such as land construction techniques or wetland-friendly agriculture. It houses ethnographic collections, temporary exhibitions (including one dedicated to Armandine Gandemer in 2016), and an immersive journey on daily life in the early twentieth century. Labelled Museum of France in 2004, it attracts about 20,000 visitors annually, taking advantage of its proximity to the seaside resorts of the Côte de Lumière.

In 2017, a new scientific and cultural project was validated to modernize museumography. It aims to better illustrate the Maraîchin way of life, in connection with contemporary issues such as landscape preservation or sustainable architecture. The bourrine, surrounded by its vegetable garden and its outbuildings, remains an authentic testimony to the rural history of the Vendee, while being part of an approach of heritage and environmental valuation.

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