Brouage: inland fortified French village was once a major European salt port

An important clue to the rich history of Brouage (Charente-Maritime) can be seen from aerial photography, which clearly reveals the distinctive outline of its defensive stone walls.

Today, it is a small village in western France of less than 650 people, though in summer it welcomes many thousands of tourists. But this was a town that – at one time – had plenty to protect.

The walls were built in the early 17th Century by its governor, Cardinal Richelieu, Louis XIII’s chief Minister. 

At that time Brouage (sometimes known as Hiers-Brouage) was immensely wealthy, as it was the number one European port for salt. 

It was during the Wars of Religion that Richelieu decided he would use it as his base to chase the Huguenots out of La Rochelle. 

The walls were constructed by the engineer, Pierre d’Argencourt. There are just two main entrances, the Porte Royale and the Porte Marennes, but hidden away are doors which lead to secret passages under the walls to the outside world, and which would have been used if there had ever been a siege. 

However, the defence system was so well thought out that the town was never attacked.

A salty region

In Richelieu’s time the town was still young. It was founded in 1555 and at that period it was on the coast with a wide channel bringing the ships right up to the city walls. 

The site had been chosen because it had previously been used as the dumping ground for ballast, whenever boats came to the region for salt. 

The ballast was made of stone, which provided solid foundations in this marshy area as well as building material. 

That means the oldest houses in Brouage are built with a mixture of stone from Germany, the British Isles, the Netherlands, Norway and other Northern European countries.

Brouage remained prosperous up to the end of the 17th Century. Some 4,000 people lived there as well as between 600 and 2,500 soldiers. 

Gradually, the sea levels dropped (today, the sea is 3km away) and left the town stranded without its port – and therefore without the salt which had created its riches. Over time, it fell into ruin.

Rochefort – some 18km away became the centre of military activity and people began moving away from Brouage. 

Declared a Royal Town by King Henri III

At its peak, Brouage was a cosmopolitan place, buzzing with activity and echoing with many different languages. 

Dutch was the second language as there was so much trade with the Netherlands. 

In 1578, King Henri III declared it a Royal Town. It was visited by many Kings, including Henri III, Charles IX and Louis XIV who visited it to mourn the loss of his first love.

He had wanted to marry Cardinal Mazarin’s niece, Marie Mancini. But Mazarin was against it and so exiled Marie to Brouage. Instead the King went ahead with the more politically advantageous marriage with a Spanish Princess.

But on his return from the wedding ceremony in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the Sun King made a detour to stay in the room in Brouage where the woman he really wanted to marry had been, and to lament his love from the ramparts.

Many Canadian visitors

The founder of Quebec, Samuel de Champlain, was born in Brouage on August 13, 1567. 

Many visitors come from Canada and the fine contemporary stained glass windows in the Saint Pierre church were given as a gift by the city of Quebec.

It is labelled one of the 'Most Beautiful Villages in France' and over 400,000 visitors a year come to discover its extraordinary history.