Travel Guide Hiers-Brouage

Wherever you come from, you can see from afar the amazing citadel, its ramparts and watchtowers watching over the marshes. In the past, the site of Brouage was covered twice a day by the tide. Situated very close to the Brouage channel, this ancient port now emerges only from an ocean of salt pastures interlaced with small winding roads that soften the geometric organization of the ancient salt marshes. This stronghold built in a star shape was then, several centuries ago, on the shores of the Atlantic. It was founded in 1555 by Jacques de Pons on a former ballast depot, with the sole aim of providing a port for the Gulf of Saintonge, a major exporter of salt, for trade with the Nordic countries. Richelieu, governor of the city, had the 2 kms ramparts erected. The strategic position of Brouage very quickly earned it the status of European salt capital, royal city, home to arms and food for the navy. Today Brouage is a major tourist attraction. It is listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France and is part of the network of Stone and Water Villages. The village comes out of its winter torpor as soon as the first sunny days arrive and invites you to go back in history while strolling in this ancient port stranded in the middle of preserved nature.