Lac de Hourtin et de Carcans
| Lac de Hourtin et de Carcans | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Lac de Hourtin-Carcans | |
| Geographical location | France , Gironde department |
| Places on the shore | Hourtin , Carcans |
| Data | |
| Coordinates | 45 ° 8 ′ 1 ″ N , 1 ° 6 ′ 25 ″ W |
| Altitude above sea level | 14 m |
| surface | 56.67 km² |
| Maximum depth | 10 m |
The Lac de Hourtin et de Carcans is about 57 km² one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in France and among them the largest, which is the same size in all seasons.
geography
The lake is surrounded by the Forêt des Landes , which was created in the 18th and 19th centuries, and extends roughly in a north-south direction parallel to the Atlantic coast approx. 4 km away, over a length of approx. 18 km and a maximum width of approx. 5 km.
It is located in the Gironde department ; in the northeast the municipality of Hourtin borders the lake, in the southeast the municipality of Carcans .
It is connected to the south by the Canal des Étangs with the Étang de Lacanau .
history
The dune banks were fortified by maritime pine plantations in the 19th century .
At Contaut at the northern end of the lake, a large seaplane base was installed by the US military in 1917 . This base later became an integration center for the French Navy .
The Carcans-Hourtin Lake is the 1967 part of the Protected Landscape Area Étangs girondins . Part of it is also under the protection of the 2,150 hectare national nature reserve dunes et marais , which was classified on December 15, 2009 and administered by the Agence Landes Nord Aquitaine .
Tourism
Because of its status as a landscape protection area, the lake has only been carefully developed for tourism. Very large parts of the lake shore are not accessible by motor vehicle. The majority of tourists visit the nearby Atlantic beach at Carcans-Plage.
Both in Maubisson on the southern tip and at Hourtin as well as in some more remote places there are sandy beaches that are mainly used by tourists in summer. In the places on the lakeshore, especially Maubisson, there are also holiday apartments and hotels.
In the southwest there is the large leisure area Domaine des Bombannes with two spacious natural campsites , sandy beaches and numerous sports facilities on water and on land. There is a marina in Hourtin-Port .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fiches site inscrit des "Etangs girondins" et sites classés "Etangs girondins (Carcans-Hourtin, Lacanau) et landais (Blanc, Léon, Noir et Yrieux)" et "Etang de Carcans et Hourtin (rives)". 2015, accessed on May 23, 2020 (French).
- ^ Dunes et marais d'Hourtin | RESERVES NATURELLES DE FRANCE. Retrieved May 23, 2020 .