Vieux-Port de La Rochelle
The Vieux-Port (German old port ) is the historic port of the western French city of La Rochelle in the Charente-Maritime department ( Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ). Since the merchant ships called at the port of La Palice and the cutters at the fishing port of Chef la Baie (1993), the old port has been part of the marina Port de Plaisance La Rochelle , which is spread over three locations . Its thousand-year history, the quays with their picturesque old houses and the medieval defense towers at the port entrance make it a popular destination for domestic and foreign tourists . The three towers, Tour de la Lanterne , Tour de la Chaîne and Tour Saint-Nicolas , are the symbols of the city. They attract more than 100,000 visitors annually (as of 2004).
location
By the Atlantic coast near La Rochelle four offshore islands, the Ile de Ré , Ile d'Oleron , Ile d'Aix and Ile Madame , has the well-protected harbor a privileged surge - and sheltered location. It forms the core of the city and is also its liveliest district.
history
See also: La Rochelle
William X , Duke of Aquitaine favored La Rochelle in 1137 with the privilege of a free port . This gained importance in the Hundred Years War and after the discovery of America developed into the largest French port on the Atlantic.
In the 17th and 18th centuries he handled more than half of the maritime traffic between mainland France and New France (Canada and Antilles) and was actively involved in the Atlantic triangle trade.
Infrastructure
The Vieux-Port has three basins with a total of 18 pontoons and 320 berths .
- the open tidal basin ( bassin du havre d'échouage ) of the original port: 4 pontoons, 115 berths (with an excavation of 1 m depth, maximum ship length 12 m);
- the flooded yacht basin ( bassin des yachts , bassin à flot ), which was built at the beginning of the 19th century: 5 pontoons, 90 berths (maximum draft 4 m, maximum length 14 m, maximum width 12 m);
- the flooded, former fishing boat basin ( ancien bassin des chalutiers ), now also known as the basin of the large yachts ( bassin des grands yachts ): quays and 4 pontoons, 115 berths (maximum draft 5 m on the pontoons, length 17 to 90 m, maximum width 16 m).
The harbor office, captainry and the lock office are available for information and weather reports. There are modern port facilities with lifting equipment (maximum 150 t), water and electricity connections at all berths (220 V on the pontoons and in the tidal basin, 220 V and 380 V on the quays of the former fishing boat basin), sanitary facilities, etc., shops and restaurants line up the wharves of the tidal and yacht basins. The tourist office can also be found on the Quai du Gabut, offering regular tours and guided tours of the historical monuments.
See also: List of marinas in France
Web links
- La Rochelle: the Vieux Port , official website (French)
- La Rochelle: the Vieux Port from a bird's eye view , private homepage with other informative pages on the history of the port (French)
- La Rochelle, Tourist Office , official website (French)
Coordinates: 46 ° 9 ′ 21 ″ N , 1 ° 9 ′ 13 ″ W.