Échillais

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Échillais
Échillais (France)
Échillais
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement Rochefort
Canton Tonnay-Charente
Community association Rochefort Ocean
Coordinates 45 ° 54 ′  N , 0 ° 57 ′  W Coordinates: 45 ° 54 ′  N , 0 ° 57 ′  W
height 0-18 m
surface 14.72 km 2
Residents 3,545 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 241 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 17620
INSEE code 17146
Website www.ville-echillais.fr

Échillais - Église Notre-Dame

Échillais is a municipality with 3545 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Charente-Maritime in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine in France . The municipality belongs to the Unité urbaine de Rochefort .

location

Échillais is located in the northwest of the historic province and cultural landscape of the Saintonge about 1.5 kilometers south of the Charente and only about six kilometers (driving distance) south of the city of Rochefort . It is about 33 kilometers to the south-east to Saintes , where the ruins of the Trizay Abbey are already worth seeing after about four kilometers .

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2016
Residents 1,297 1,476 1,847 2,575 2,672 2,821 2,894 3,512

At the beginning of the 19th century, Échillais had just over 300 inhabitants. Since then, the population has grown continuously, which is mainly due to immigration as a result of the significantly lower rents and land prices compared to the city of Rochefort.

economy

Centuries ago agriculture played the dominant role in the municipality's economic life. This belongs to the Bois ordinaires et communs of the Cognac wine-growing region , but because of the sales crisis for expensive brandies and for wine as a whole, hardly any vines are planted; the farmers in the area have returned to 'normal' agriculture. Échillais now has two business parks ( zones d'activités ) - one in the north and one in the south of the municipality.

history

The existence of a Romanesque church suggests that the place was settled for a long time.

Attractions

See also: List of Monuments historiques in Échillais

Notre-Dame church

Others

Transporter ferry ( pont-transbordeur ) from Rochefort to Échillais
  • The Rochefort transporter ferry , completed by Ferdinand Arnodin on July 29, 1900 after 27 months of construction, leads from Rochefort to Échillais across the Charente. It is one of the three still existing suspension ferries ( ponts-transbordeurs ) from Arnodin. However, this historical monument is only in use today for pedestrians and two-wheelers.
  • The Maison du Transbordeur in a former workshop near the transporter bridge uses display boards to explain the history of these peculiar steel structures, of which only eight still exist worldwide.
  • A toy museum ( Musée du jouet ancien ) has around 15,000 historical toys or figures. Here you can find tin soldiers as well as models of cars and planes. It is a private museum, but can be visited after prior registration.

Partner communities

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , pp. 796-798.

Web links

Commons : Échillais  - collection of images, videos and audio files