Island of Noirmoutier

The island of Noirmoutier is a French island of the Atlantique located in the department of the the Vendée. It is connected to the continent thanks to a bridge since 1971. It consists of 10 hamlets and four communes. Its length is roughly 25 km and its width varies from 500 meters to 15 km.

The island is often called the island with the mimosas for its climatic softness making it possible the Mimosa S to push and to flower there in Hiver. Its dominant landscapes are the saline Marais S, the Dune S and the forests of holm oaks.

Geography

Noirmoutier (in Poitevin-saintongeais Nérmoutàe , in Breton Nermouster ) is a island of the Atlantic Ocean, located at the north of the the Bay of Biscay and the south of the mouth of the the Loire, in the Baie of Bourgneuf (or bay of Brittany), in the south-east of Belle-Île-en-Mer and the North-East of the island of Yeu. It recovers a surface of 4.800 hectares and is today a Communauté of Communes, which belongs to the department of the the Vendée.

The island of Noirmoutier consists of four distinct parts:

a rock small island in North, in the past called " island of Her" , which shelters the commune of Noirmoutier-in-the Island,
a dune cord constituting its southernmost and Eastern part,
Of the salt-water marshes welding these two parts.
And the Polder S (they are grounds built to have more space to cultivate)

Connected by a bridge in 1971, it is especially famous for its Passage of Gois (or Goâ) which is a roadway of approximately 4.500 m (length varying according to the coefficients of high Marée) submerged by water with high tide and practicable with low tide.

It has three ports:

That of Noirmoutier-in-the Island is the traditional port and has only one tourist role today.
That of Herbaudière is a modern fishing port, the second of the department of the Vendée after that of the Sables of Olonne, and an important marina.
That of the Spine, historically called the port of Morin, was a port with stranding. Important completed work fine 2005 made a marina of it.

The 4 communes which this island shelter are gathered in community of communes:

Barbâtre
the Spine
Guérinière
Noirmoutier-in-the Island which counts moreover two important localities (called locally villages): Herbaudière and Old the.

Climate

The climate of the island is particularly soft thanks to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean. The winters are soft and the summers are moderate. The number of hours of sun is important: it comparable with that of Carcassonne with 2.500 hours for the year including 550 hours for August and July.

All these conditions make it possible the island to develop the culture of the Potato, the bonotte, early in spring, but also support the evaporation of the saline Marais S in summer. Moreover, plant species not very common on the continent to the same latitudes can develop, like the Mimosa or the Arbousier S very present at the wood of Chaize.

Environment

The island belongs to a site Natura 2000 also including the Breton Marais, the Baie of Bourgneuf and the Forêt of the Countries of Mounts. This site was proposed in 2003 like Community site of interest, is a prelude to with its integration in the network Natura 2000.

History

It is on old the " island of Her" or of Hero , inhabited as of the Préhistoire, that the holy monk Philibert settled into 674. It founded there a monastery which was later at the origin of that of Saint-Philbert-of-Large-Place. It organized there the harvest of salt and construction many Digue S.

To fight against the invasions Viking S and Normand be, the lords of Garnache, owners of the places, as well as the monks, made successively build fortifications starting from 830. Those built a residence with Déas (today " Saint-Philbert-of-Large-Place ") on the continent to spend the summer, the most dangerous season there, to shelter incursions Vikings there. Those try an attack in August 834, pushed back, then a new in August 835. This one is pushed back by the count Renaud d' Herbauges. The Vikings return to the load in September 835, and succeed in plundering the monastery.

The castle is built at the 12th century.

The island of Noirmoutier, like old the island of Bouin (attached today to the dry land), depended before the Révolution on the seigniory on Garnache, seigniory sometimes poitevine (duchy of Aquitaine and county of the Poitou) with the Middle Ages, sometimes related to the Brittany (Breton expansion at the 9th century broken by the incursions Vikings, then legal bonds with the area of the Marches of Brittany of XVIe at the XVIIe century). The island is in addition marked dialectalement by this double North-South influence. The speech noirmoutrin, marked many particularisms, strongly approaches in the south the Poitevin the Vendée, while in the northern point the speech has similarities with the Gallo spoken in southernmost High-Brittany.

During its history, the island had to undergo several attempts at invasion:

English (1342, 1360, 1386),
Spanish (1524, 1588)

But the Dutch invasion of could not resist 1674 by the Admiral Cornelis Tromp.

This island profited as of the 14th century from insular franknesses, favourable with the development of smuggling. At the 17th century, the islanders make flower the clandestine trade of Tabac while launching out in the massive importation. Companies of " forgery tabatiers" structure themselves, implying all the layers of the company îlienne to control the traffic. Tobacco of Virginia, Maryland, of Holland, Martinique or Saint-Domingue makes go the trade. Large Dutch or English trading vessels supply the island. A circuit of small boats (She-cat S) allow the illegal routing on the continent.

As of the 17th century, the island sudden of many transformations thanks to constructions of Dam S and Polder S. Of the hundreds of hectares were drained, according to techniques resulting from the Flemish processes. The grounds thus gained on the sea made it possible to create fields for the grazing grounds and the culture of cereals.

During the First World War, lieutenant Joseph Ecomard was governor military of the island of noirmoutier, but it resided at the island of yeu or it was there also military governor. Mr Joseph Ecomard descand of the joubert of Noirmoutier, governors of the island to the 17 and 18th century.

French revolution - War of the Vendée

Economy

tourism is the economic main activity of the island but fishing remains a very important activity with the deep water port of the Herbaudière and its shouted.
the island enjoys a Microclimat favorable to the production:

of salt in the salt-water marshes,
of a local variety of potatoes: the bonotte, but also of much of another variety like the sirtéma and the Charlotte.

Ostreiculture which is present at the Port of Noirmoutier and with the Port of the Catch.
the craft industry of the building, the landscape and the strong BTP of More than 120 companies represents 300 employment at the year and places it in the first places of the insular economy.
pisciculture is also present on the island: the Group Adrien with France Turbot.

Faintness of the insular economy

One attends on Noirmoutier a strong inflation of the prices of the real estate of made arrival of easy tourists, which in the long term causes the escape of the young people of the island who do not find any housing at affordable price.

Production of salt

The saline Marais cover most of the island. As of the 5th century, the monks Bénédictins started to transform the wet marshes into salt-water marshes in order to collect the white gold there. Salt is still today collected there in an artisanal way and the production reaches the best years 1.500 tons of salt and the Fleur of salt. One can note however that during the Eighties, the production of salt was put at evil: many salt-water marshes were abandoned. However, the activity sets out again since about fifteen years indeed much of young people Sauniers settled.

Inheritance

Monuments

The island has an inheritance varied with:

the Castle of Noirmoutier dating from the 9th century,
the Saint-Philbert church is old abbey a bénédictine with at the same time Romance and Gothic style. It conceals beautiful a Crypte 11th century, as well as the tomb of the monk holy Philibert.
the old Hotel Lebreton de Grapillières, beautiful private mansion of the XVIIIe century, MH, become hotel of tourism under the name of Hotel of Elbée.
of the houses of Master dating from the 18th century.

Cultural activities

Many cultural activities take place on the island as the festival of the bonotte, the Regattas of the Wood of Chaize and the Festival the 7th Art and Sciences.

Sites

the Passage of Gois, fitted sinkable, principal tourist attraction of the island.
the wood of Chaize is known for its wood of holm oaks and mimosas, as well as beautiful shaded beaches. Many villas bleached with lime are disseminated in this forest.
the walk of Souzeaux skirts the ocean with its many splits.
the house Headlight of the Point of the ladies in the wood of the Chair.

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