Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The natural centre of the Port des Salines is a space dedicated to the preservation and transmission of craft techniques for the production of sea salt. Located in Grand-Village-Plage, on the southern part of the island of Oléron, it revolves around a reconstituted salt marsh, a trilingual educational trail and an ecomuseum. This ensemble, labeled Tourism and Handicap in 2009, is one of the fourteen natural poles of the Charente-Maritime department.

Salt mining has long been a major economic activity on the island of Oléron, as in the neighbouring regions of Brouage, Marennes and Arvert. Used for food conservation, this salt was exported throughout Europe. However, competition from gem salt and Portuguese salt has led to the gradual abandonment of salt marshes to oyster parks in the 19th and 20th centuries. To revitalize this heritage, the General Council and the municipality of Grand-Village launched in 1989 a project to redevelopment the Petit-Village marshes, culminating in the inauguration of the Port des Salines in 1994.

The site includes a functional salt marsh, although its production remains confidential, as well as a 1.7 km network of navigable channels. The ecomuseum exposes the traditional tools and techniques of sauniers, such as the natural evaporation of seawater in basins called cois or metieres. Colourful cabins now house shops, a restaurant and exhibition spaces. After a fire in 1999, the site was restored and its management entrusted in 2006 to the community of communes of Île-d'Oléron.

Regular activities, such as temporary exhibitions or artisanal markets, are a rhythm for the life of the natural centre. The interpretive trail, created in 1996, allows visitors to discover the salt marsh ecosystem and its historical role. The site thus illustrates the conversion of an industrial heritage into a place of cultural transmission and environmental awareness.

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