Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Grande Lande Ecomuseum is an initiative of the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park, designed to preserve and transmit the region's agro-pastoral heritage in the 19th century. It illustrates the way of life of the Dutch shepherds, who had been monitoring their herds from stilts on the expanses of moors, before the law of 19 June 1857 transformed these lands into the largest forest in Europe. This economic and landscape change, carried out in a generation, was a profound sign of local identity.

The ecomuseum has three distinct sites: in Sabres, Marquèze reconstructs a typical agro-pastoral peak village before the Napoleonic forest; In Luxey, a workshop exhibited the industrial exploitation of resin (1850-1950), nicknamed the "gold tree"; In Moustey, a museum in an old church explores the popular beliefs and pilgrimages of the Great Land. These spaces offer an immersion in a society that is now gone.

Created in 1968 by the regional nature park, the ecomuseum gathers ethnographic collections under the direction of Georges Henri Rivière, pioneer of ecomuseums in France. The Sabres site, accessible by steam train, preserves traditional habitats, tools, archives and even local animal breeds, forming a living conservatory of the Dutch heritage. The Luxey workshop, classified as a historic monument, completes this device by testifying to the golden age of gemage.

The ensemble highlights local know-how, from distillation techniques to religious practices, costumes and traditional furniture. The ecomuseum thus plays a key role in the preservation of collective memory, while integrating a cultural and educational tourism approach. Its label Musée de France and its affiliation to the regional nature park make it a major player in the Aquitaine heritage.

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