La Rochelle and Richelieu. Open left menu la rochelle About the province of la rochelle in the coast

La Rochelle from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about La Rochelle.

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History of the city of La Rochelle

La Rochelle was founded in the 10th century, and in the 11-12th centuries became an important center in the network of the Knights Templar, who built a large port here. A reminder of this time is the rue des Templiers. Until the 15th century, La Rochelle was the largest French port on the Atlantic coast, and during the Renaissance, the city openly embraced the ideas of the Reformation and from the second half of the 16th century became the center of the Huguenots, which gave it a period of prosperity and peace - albeit a short one. The confrontation with the royal troops in 1628 deprived the city of all political privileges for a long time. Former glory and prosperity returned to him only in the 17-18 centuries, with the beginning of active sea trade with Canada and the Antilles.

After the revolution of 1789, luck again turned away from the city, and the next stage of revival began only with the creation of a deep-water port in the 19th century.

Beautiful La Rochelle

La Rochelle beaches

There are no equipped beaches within the city limits. The nearest recreation area, Les Minimes, is located 3 km southwest of the Old Port on the Valen quay. But in 9 km from La Rochelle there is the island of Re with beautiful sandy beaches.

Popular hotels in La Rochelle

La Rochelle attractions and attractions

La Rochelle Center - Old Port, which is a harbor surrounded by the quarters of the Old Town. In the 14th century, to protect the port, special towers were built on both sides of it: on the west side - La Chene, on the east - Saint-Nicolas. In case of danger, chains were pulled between them, blocking the entrance to the port.

The fortress wall extending west from the La Chene tower will lead to another tower - Lantern, also called the Tower of the Four Sergeants. In 1822, the garrison sergeants were executed here, plotting the overthrow of the newly restored monarchy. The inscriptions scratched on the walls were made by English pirates imprisoned in it in the 17th century.

All three towers and the Orbigny-Bernon Museum can be visited with a single ticket. In addition, while in La Rochelle, you can significantly save on transport costs and entrance tickets to museums by purchasing the La Rochelle city pass. Cards are available for 1, 2, 3 or 7 days and are sold at the La Rochelle Tourist Office.

After passing through the tower gate, you will find yourself on Rue Palais, the main shopping street in La Rochelle. To the east of it runs parallel to Rue Mercier. Between these two streets, the buildings traditional for the port city have been preserved - medieval houses with hinged slate cornices and arcades to protect from rain, Renaissance mansions, 18th century stone buildings, gargoyles-shaped gutters ... all this creates a special atmosphere of La Rochelle.

The ship does not stop near the city itself, but about 10 kilometers from it.
A free shuttle bus runs from the ship to the city. I still did not understand - who provides and pays for these shuttles, i.e. in some ports they cost $ 15 a day, and in some they are free. So it was here, in La Rochelle, although these buses were free, but everything was organized much better than in other places! Well, just wonderfully organized!
Firstly, all the girls - the guides who help both when boarding the ship and in the city - wore uniforms - it was clear who to ask for a map of the city or the time of departure of the bus. And they even spoke English))). In the city, at the parking lot of the shuttle, there was always one of the buses - i.e. while you wait, you can sit and not stand (there are many elderly people on the ship, not to mention the fact that everyone feels tired after walking around the city for many hours). Well, they went one after the other - so in fact there was no need to wait. Then, when the ship sailed all these girls-guides, there were about 10-12 of them, they stood on the pier and waved their handkerchiefs))) ...
By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if the city pays for this service - cruise tourists are considered very profitable for the city's economy)))

And now - the city.

The city left a very, very pleasant impression.
Well, firstly, it seemed to me some kind of real, not packed to capacity with tourists. No, it was not empty, not at all - there are a lot of people in restaurants and shops, but they were clearly of French origin, which is very pleasing))) ...
I also liked the local streets - they are so clean and cozy - there are a lot of restaurants everywhere, which greatly brightens up the life of our tourist brother - you can sit here, then - there))) ...

The city of La Rochelle has a rather interesting history.
This time I hardly read anything at all without a trip, although I found some information and even printed it out. But I only read it now - this is how it happens ...

This citadel, consisting of two towers, once blocked the entrance (for ships) to the city, to its inner harbor.
The Saint-Nicholas Tower has a characteristic slope. The reason for it is in the pile supports on which this structure rests: over the past centuries, they have subsided slightly, which slightly knocked down the tower. The massive octahedral Chain Tower housed a drawbridge that allowed a chain to be pulled from the Saint-Nicolas Tower, which blocked the entrance to the port. They say that it was with these chains that Gargantua was held in the cradle. On the ground floor of the La Chesne tower, there is now a small exhibition introducing the history of the local Protestant community, and an observation deck is arranged on the roof.

For quite a long time, the city was the main Atlantic port of France - this was facilitated by its favorable geographical position - in particular, the protection from the western winds by the island of Re.
From here ships with salt and wine departed. Salt was probably mainly mined on the island of Re.
At least there is a lot of it in local shops ...

And from there (from the island of Re) a lot of expensive potatoes are sold.
At first I could not understand what kind of prices they have for potatoes, but then I remembered that the local potatoes were somehow special and very much appreciated. Something I still doubt that I personally could feel the difference, hmm ... Well, potatoes and potatoes))) ...

So.
Let's go back to history).
Those. I'll just post a few quotes here).
«... la Rochelle was home to one of the largest Templar residences, and seven "Templar roads", converging in the port city, led here from all over the country, providing quick and convenient access in case of sudden need. The main road leading from Paris was well protected and equipped with special points for a quick change of horses. ... When on October 13, 1308, Philip the Handsome opened a hunt for the Knights of the Order, it was here, in La Rochelle, that the Templars managed to ferry their treasures. Here ships were already waiting for them, ready to sail away from the inhospitable shores of France at any moment. What happened very soon.»

And further ...
“La Rochelle is one of the first places in France where the ideas of the Reformation penetrated: by openly accepting the ideas, the city became the citadel of the Huguenots,“ Atlantic Geneva ”. In 1570, at the end of the third religious war, the city (one of four in the country) received the status of a fortress, in which Protestants were allowed to settle. Here they were guaranteed freedom of religion, which gave the city a short period of prosperity and peace. After Bartholomew's Night in 1572, La Rochelle became the center of Protestant resistance. In 1573, the Duke of Anjou laid siege to the city, but failed to take it, since the English fleet under the command of Montgomery captured Belle-Ile. In the end, La Rochelle surrendered honorably.
The signing of the Edict of Nantes brought several decades of peaceful life to La Rochelle. However, the commitment of the townspeople to Protestantism, close trade and cultural ties with the British (the Duke of Buckingham set up a fortified camp on the Isle of Ré) and after the soldiers of La Rochelle on September 10, 1627 fought against the royal French troops, King Louis XIII ordered the siege La Rochelle. Cardinal Richelieu personally directed the operation.
The city was taken into a blockade ring, for which 12 km fortifications were erected along all its land borders, and a dam (arch. Metezo) was poured into the sea, which blocked the entrance to the port. Fifteen months of agonizing hunger forced the city to submit. Richelieu entered La Rochelle on October 30, 1628, and two days later Louis XIII appeared there. During the siege, 23,000 people died. 5,000 survivors were spared, although rebel leaders, including Mayor Jean Guiton, were forced to leave the city for several months. The port trade was destroyed, and the fortifications were demolished.

New persecutions of the Huguenots began, culminating in the abolition of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV. Many Huguenots fled the country and founded the city of New Rochelle in North America in 1689.
Like any old port city, La Rochelle is famous for captains, explorers and pioneers. In the 15th century, ships with colonists sailed from here to Canada, and Jean de Bettencourt set out to discover the Canary Islands. A native of La Rochelle, Delasalle became the first European in 1681 to travel from the origins of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. R. Gallie, the first European to return alive from Timbuktu, also lived here.
La Rochelle shipowners made large profits trading with Canada and Louisiana, and most of all with the West Indies. They made their fortune in trilateral trade, including the sale of fabrics and the purchase of slaves in West Africa, the transport and sale of slaves to America, and the lucrative return home with large loads of colonial goods.
In 1890, a new deep-water port was built in La Pallis, the work of which did not depend on the level of ebb and flow. "

Honestly, I don't even remember where I got the quotes from, so I can't give a link, but I don't attribute the authorship to myself))) ...

So, as you can see, it is not so simple a town - there are also interesting moments in its history.

By the way, about the last statement - that the port was made "deeper" ... Hmm ...
There are some incredible ebbs and flows. We noticed it on the island of Re, and here too.
Moreover, in a fairly short time, the water either disappears or appears again.
Look here.
First, this shot.
Full of so-so water ...

There are even fish swimming ...

Now look here!

And the difference in the photo is only a couple of hours ...
And you know. I was very interested in one question - where does the fish go during low tides ??? The fact is that we watched the tide on the island of Re and saw how fish were swarming there in the shallow water, and it was as if they were "climbing out of the mud." Well, it was not visible that they were sailing along with the water !!! I don't even know what to think - maybe there are some special fish?
And now all sorts of mussels, oysters, snails there, too, were glued on the walls ... They also somehow adapted and did not die without water ...

And about oysters and other reptiles))) ...
We went there to the local market.
Here are their prices, maybe someone is interested (or relevant).

See what nice prices here))).

And more from the market ...

I saw an interesting flower there - it looks very much like a rose, but not a rose ...

But this would be the Big Clock Tower.
“It once served as a city gate and was part of the fortress wall separating the Old Port from the city. The tower was originally built at the beginning of the 12th century - at the same time when the medieval city was surrounded by the first fortress wall. Then it was called Parro or Perrot, because there was a quarter with that name behind it. In the Middle Ages, the gate of the tower consisted of two arched openings: the larger one was intended for the passage of carts and carriages, and the smaller one was for pedestrians. Already in the second half of the 17th century, they were combined into one large arch, which we can see now.

In 1478, a bell tower with a clock was added to the tower, inside which there was a bell that rang every hour. This bell tower lasted several centuries and was replaced in 1746 by the current graceful Louis XV style construction, decorated with pilasters, vignettes and draperies that support the putti. The bell, which is now in the tower, is one of the heaviest bells in the region: it weighs more than two tons. "

Passing under the tower gates, you find yourself on rue de Palais - the main shopping street in La Rochelle. There are many interesting medieval houses here and in the neighboring streets. From them you can really feel that the city had a rich past - the pavements are still in perfect order, only polished over the years to shine ...

And a lot of arches!
These are great fellows - in the heat under them you can walk in the shade, and in bad weather you can save yourself from the rain !!!
Why is it not being built in all cities ??? !!!

We went to different stores there - there are some interesting ones, by the way) ...
Here was delicious nougat (though it seemed a little expensive, but we bought it anyway).

And I also bought myself an awesome sparkling soap with a pleasant sea smell there!
(I usually don't buy such nonsense)))))

Surprised, for the umpteenth time it is theirs, French !!! addicted to canned sardines!
And the prices for them, of course, are just some kind of delicacy, hee-hee ...
Well, where have you seen such specialty stores with canned fish ???
I personally - more ANYWHERE!)))

And even such shops come across - I never understand, who buys in these stores? This Danish mastodon has already divorced in all cities and countries and their trade, by the way, is very prosperous! Especially the crisis in this case affected - people apparently began to buy things cheaper ... And do not care about the quality (((...

And one more of the towers closer ...

Where is: Poitou-Charente region, Charente-Maritime department, Paris is approximately 480 km away.
How to get there:
- by train: La Rochelle train station is located on bd Joffre. From Paris, TGV trains leave from Gare Montparnasse 5 times a day. Travel time - 3 hours, ticket price 75 euros. From Austerlitz station (Gare d'Austerlitz) 2 times a day. The journey takes 5 hours, the ticket price is 55 euros.
Trains run from Nantes 5 times a day. Travel time 1 h 45 min.
From Poitiers: 9 times a day, 30 minutes, € 22.
From Bordeaux: 6 times a day, 2 hours, 27 euros.

City `s history

La Rochelle is a city and port on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, the administrative center of the Charente-Maritime department, the capital of the ancient province of Onis. It is a lively place often visited by artists. It retains a light aura of mystery, so characteristic of those French cities that were built according to the classical canons.

La Rochelle in Roman times.

Founded in the 10th century on a rocky plateau among swamps, a fishing village that bore the cozy name "Little Rock", La Rochelle soon became an important port and fortress that controlled the Aiguillon bay. This was facilitated by the geographical position of the city: the bay in which it was located was swampy and reliably protected from the winds of the west by the rocky island of Re. Gradually, however, with the development of salt production, winemaking and tax incentives provided by Queen Alienora of Aquitaine, La Rochelle became a powerful trading point in the Atlantic.

In the XII and XIII centuries, it was an important city in the network of the Knights Templar, who built a large port in it. To this day, there is a rue des Templiers in La Rochelle, the rue of the Templars.

Scientists are still at a loss as to what the Templar ships were used for. Indeed, for contacts with England, the ports owned by the Order near the English Channel were quite enough, especially since they were located much closer to the capital. For communication with Portugal, the land route was more reliable, especially for the Templars, who kept all the main roads-arteries to this state under their control. However, La Rochelle was home to one of the largest Templar residences, and seven "Templar Roads" converging in the port city led here from all over the country, providing quick and convenient access in case of sudden need. The main road leading from Paris was well protected and equipped with special points for a quick change of horses. The Templars seemed to be waiting for a trick from the authorities and properly insured themselves. And, as we remember, not in vain. When on October 13, 1308, Philip the Fair opened an unprecedented hunt for the Knights of the Order, it was here, in La Rochelle, that the Templars managed to ferry their treasures. Here ships were already waiting for them, ready to sail away from the inhospitable shores of France at any moment. Which happened very soon.

Until the 15th century, the city remained the largest French port on the Atlantic coast. During centuries of almost permanent English rule, the port was used to export salt and wine.

La Rochelle is one of the first places in France where the ideas of the Reformation penetrated: by openly accepting the ideas, the city became the citadel of the Huguenots, “Atlantic Geneva”. In 1570, at the end of the third religious war, the city (one of four in the country) received the status of a fortress, in which Protestants were allowed to settle. Here they were guaranteed freedom of religion, which gave the city a short period of prosperity and peace. After Bartholomew's Night in 1572, La Rochelle became the center of Protestant resistance. In 1573, the Duke of Anjou laid siege to the city, but failed to take it, since the English fleet under the command of Montgomery captured Belle-Ile. In the end, La Rochelle surrendered honorably.

The signing of the Edict of Nantes brought several decades of peaceful life to La Rochelle. However, the commitment of the townspeople to Protestantism, close trade and cultural ties with the British (the Duke of Buckingham set up a fortified camp on the Isle of Ré) and after the soldiers of La Rochelle on September 10, 1627 fought against the royal French troops, King Louis XIII ordered the siege La Rochelle. Cardinal Richelieu personally directed the operation.

Henri Motte "Cardinal Richelieu at the Siege of La Rochelle", 1881

The city was taken into a blockade ring, for which 12 km fortifications were erected along all its land borders, and a dam (arch. Metezo) was poured into the sea, which blocked the entrance to the port. Fifteen months of agonizing hunger forced the city to submit. Richelieu entered La Rochelle on October 30, 1628, and two days later Louis XIII appeared there. During the siege, 23,000 people died. 5,000 survivors were spared, although rebel leaders, including Mayor Jean Guiton, were forced to leave the city for several months. The port trade was destroyed, and the fortifications were demolished.

New persecutions of the Huguenots began, culminating in the abolition of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV. Many Huguenots fled the country and founded the city of New Rochelle in North America in 1689.

Jan Luiken (1649-1712) "The flight of 300 Protestant families from La Rochelle in November 1661")

Like any old port city, La Rochelle is famous for captains, explorers and pioneers. In the 15th century, ships with colonists sailed from here to Canada, and Jean de Bettencourt set out to discover the Canary Islands. A native of La Rochelle, Delasalle became the first European in 1681 to travel from the origins of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. R. Gallie, the first European to return alive from Timbuktu, also lived here.

La Rochelle shipowners made large profits trading with Canada and Louisiana, and most of all with the West Indies. They made their fortune in trilateral trade, including the sale of fabrics and the purchase of slaves in West Africa, the transport and sale of slaves to America, and the lucrative return home with large loads of colonial goods.

In 1890, a new deep-water port was built in La Pallis, the work of which did not depend on the level of ebb and flow.

During World War II, the Germans set up a submarine base in La Rochelle, which was frequently bombed by the Allies. As a result of air raids, the city was badly damaged. He was released on May 8, 1945, after the surrender of Germany, the last of the French cities.

By the city

Part of the city's rich historical heritage are its medieval half-timbered houses, rich stone facades with sculptural carvings from the 16th-17th centuries, austere and noble mansions of shipowners of the 18th century. Even during a pouring rain, you can safely walk along the old pedestrian streets without fear of getting wet - many of them are covered with arcades that once protected street vendors from the weather.

La Rochelle has several ports: the Old Port (Vieux Port), founded by Alienora of Aquitaine; a deep-sea commercial port, built at the end of the 20th century; the tourist port of Minim, the largest on the Atlantic coast with 3,000 pleasure yachts; fishing port.

There is a lighthouse in the Old Port on the quai Velin. The fairway of the western cape of the bay of the Old Port is rather narrow, so in the 14th century, to protect the port, special towers were erected on both sides of its alignment: on the western wall - La Chen (Tour de la Chaine, Chain) and on the east - Saint-Nicolas (Tour St -Nicolas).

The tower of Saint-Nicolas has a characteristic slope. The reason for it is in the pile supports on which this bulky structure rests: over the past centuries, they have subsided slightly, which slightly knocked down the tower. The massive octahedral Chain Tower housed a drawbridge that allowed a chain to be pulled from the Saint-Nicolas Tower, which blocked the entrance to the port. They say that it was with these chains that Gargantua was held in the cradle. On the ground floor of the La Chesne tower, there is now a small exhibition introducing the history of the local Protestant community, and an observation deck is arranged on the roof.

You can also climb the five-sided tower of Saint-Nicolas, which is called a fortress for its formidable appearance and powerful walls.

The fortress wall, running to the west from the La Chesne tower, will lead to another tower - the highest (70 m) Lantern tower (Tour de la Lanterne, Mayakovskaya), built in the 15th century in the style of flaming Gothic.

Once it played the role of a lighthouse: before the appearance of electricity in a glass lantern, huge candles were lit at the top of its pyramidal spire to show the way to ships approaching the harbor. Then the lighthouse turned into a prison - in the 17th-19th centuries Spanish and English sailors languished here, who left inscriptions and drawings on the walls, which abound in the premises of the prison. Tour Latern is also called the Tower of the Four Sergeants (Tours des Quatre Sergents): in 1822, the garrison sergeants were executed here, plotting to overthrow the newly restored monarchy.

All three towers and the Orbigny-Bernon Museum can be visited with a single ticket, which is sold at the La Chene and La Lantern towers.

The base of the Gothic tower Gros-Orloge (Tour de la Grosse-Horloge, Sentry) has been preserved from the 14th century.

Passing the tower gates, we find ourselves on rue de Palais - the main shopping street in La Rochelle. To the east of it, the rue des Merciers runs parallel. Between these two streets, the buildings traditional for the port city have been preserved. Medieval houses with hinged slate cornices and arcades to keep the rain out, Renaissance mansions, 18th century stone buildings, gargoyle-shaped gutters.

The eastern harbor of the Old Port is occupied by the Le Gabu quarter. From the south, it is adjoined by the Bassin a Flot, which turns into the Bassin des Chalutiers, where Jacques-Yves Cousteau's research vessel "Calypso" is permanently docked.

As often happens in France, antiquity is easily adjacent to ultra-modern buildings here. A brand new city has grown between the sea and the historic city center, embodying cutting edge technology. Its main theme is “Man, Sea and Water”.

Along the coast of La Rochelle, there are numerous beaches equipped with modern resort facilities, including balneological ones.

From La Rochelle through an openwork 3-kilometer bridge (paid) you can get to the island of Re (Ile de Re).

In the old days, the main occupation of the inhabitants of this flat, intricately indented island was fishing and salt extraction. The island enchants with white fishing villages, whose narrow streets are overgrown with mallow, sandy beaches at the foot of low dunes and traditional ports with graceful pleasure yachts.

Events

La Rochelle people are creative people and the city often hosts cultural events and celebrations. In June, an international film festival is held here, in July - the festival of the French song "Francofolia". In September, residents and visitors alike are entertained by Gran Pavua, Europe's largest maritime show. The city also hosts an international marine film and painting festival.

La Rochelle in art

The city is famous for the novel "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas, whose heroes take part in the siege of La Rochelle (chapter IX). In the Soviet film adaptation, the role of La Rochelle was "filmed" for a fortress in the town of Khotin (Ukrainian SSR).

The Port of La Rochelle was the setting for Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot and Steven Spielberg's Seekers of the Lost Ark.

In La Rochelle, the action of the novel by Georges Simenon "And yet the hazel is turning green."

The siege of La Rochelle is also described in the story of Prosper Mérimée "The Chronicle of the Times of Charles IX"

La Rochelle was founded in the 10th century. In the XII and XIII centuries, it was an important city in the network of the Knights Templar, who built a large port in it. To this day, there is a rue des Templiers in La Rochelle, a street of the Templars. Until the 15th century, the city remained the largest French port on the Atlantic coast. The trade was carried out primarily in wine and salt.

During the Renaissance, La Rochelle openly accepted the ideas of the Reformation and in 1568 became the center of the Huguenots, which gave the city a short period of prosperity and peace. In 1622, the Duke de Guise destroyed the fleet of La Rochelle, under the command of Jean Guiton.

After the soldiers of La Rochelle on September 10, 1627 fought against the royal French troops, King Louis XIII ordered the siege of La Rochelle, which ended with its capture in 1628, as well as a new persecution of the Huguenots, which reached its highest point in the abolition Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV. Many Huguenots fled the country and founded the city of New Rochelle in North America in 1689. During the colonial era, La Rochelle played an important role in trade between Africa, North America and Europe.

During World War II, the Germans built a submarine bunker near La Rochelle, which has survived to this day. Due to strong resistance from the invaders, La Rochelle became the last city to be liberated in France. The German commandant surrendered only at midnight on May 8, 1945.

Old Port (Vieux-Port de La Rochelle) - The Old Port of La Rochelle, located in the center of a narrow bay, with its three characteristic towers can be called the emblem of the city. It was thanks to this port that the city acquired great strategic importance in the Middle Ages - first during the Hundred Years War, and then after the discovery of America.

The history of the Old Port began in the 12th century, when, thanks to a marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, King Henry II of England received Aquitaine (including La Rochelle) into his possession. From that moment on, La Rochelle became a commercial port, supplying the needs of the sea trade in wine and salt. During the Hundred Years War, La Rochelle changed hands several times, until in 1372 it finally became part of French territory. Meanwhile, advances in engineering led to the emergence of larger ships with significantly greater displacement, and the port of La Rochelle, located on the coast of a bay with a deep and flat bottom, was ideally suited for the new conditions. With the discovery of America, a new stage in the history of the port began: in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was through La Rochelle that most of the colonial traffic from New France went.

Now the Old Port is the busiest place in the city. To the left of the harbor entrance is the Cours des Dames, a 19th century square lined with a line of outdoor cafes, restaurants, antique shops and souvenir shops. The Duperre embankment stretches from Dam Square, named after the famous Admiral Duperre, a native of La Rochelle, who commanded the French fleet in 1830 when Algeria was taken. There are also many cafés with terraces along the waterfront, offering beautiful views of the port and its towers. Also, many picturesque narrow streets branch off from the Duperre embankment, leading to the very heart of the historic city center.

However, the main attractions of the Old Port of La Rochelle are its three towers - parts of medieval fortifications that survived after the city's surrender in 1628. Two of them - the massive donjon of Saint-Nicolas (Tour Saint-Nicolas) and the round Chain Tower (Tour de la Chaine) flank the narrow entrance to the port, and the Lantern Tower (Tour de la Lanterne; also called the Tower of the Four Sergeants or Lantern Tower) is located a little further away.

Nowadays, the Old Port of La Rochelle has not lost its significance for commercial and tourist shipping. Now it consists of three harbors, which have 18 marinas for large ships and 320 places for small water transport.

Great Clock Tower (Grosse Horloge) - The Great Clock Tower once served as a city gate and was part of the fortress wall separating the Old Port from the city. The tower was originally built at the beginning of the 12th century - at the same time when the medieval city was surrounded by the first fortress wall. Then it was called Parrot or Perrot, because behind it there was a quarter with that name. In the Middle Ages, the gate of the tower consisted of two arched openings: the larger one was intended for the passage of carts and carriages, and the smaller one was for pedestrians. Already in the second half of the 17th century, they were combined into one large arch, which we can see now.

In 1478, a bell tower with a clock was added to the tower, inside which there was a bell that rang every hour. This bell tower lasted several centuries and was replaced in 1746 by the current graceful Louis XV style structure, decorated with pilasters, vignettes and draperies that support the putti. The bell, which is now in the tower, is one of the heaviest bells in the region, weighing more than two tons.

The Great Clock Tower has been a historical monument since 1978. Now in the tower itself there is an archaeological museum, and the belfry crowning it is closed to the public.

Cathedral of Saint Louis (Cathédrale Saint-Louis) - The Catholic Cathedral of Saint Louis was built in the middle of the 18th century, however, its plan was created in the late 17th century by the royal architect Jacques Gabriel. This was preceded by the defeat of the Protestant La Rochelle in a conflict with Richelieu in 1628 and the annexation of the city to the Catholic diocese of La Rochelle-Sainte in 1648. The construction of the cathedral began in 1742, it was led by Jacques Gabriel's son, Ange-Jacques, one of the founders of French neoclassicism of the 18th century, who worked in Versailles, Louvre, Paris, and who also created the Exchange Square ensemble in Bordeaux. The Cathedral of St. Louis was consecrated already in 1784, although it was not completely finished by this time.

The pompous facade of the Cathedral of St. Louis is decorated with numerous columns and pilasters and is crowned with a triangular pediment, on the sides of which there are inverted consoles in the form of curls. The interior of the cathedral, much more restrained, is almost devoid of decorations. The under-dome space was painted in the 19th century by the Larochelle artist William Bouguereau, a prominent representative of the academicism of the Empire era.

A Gothic bell tower from the 14th century is attached to the cathedral, preserved from the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, burned by the Huguenots in the 16th century. This bell tower has long been the tallest building in La Rochelle.

Now the Cathedral of Saint Louis is the active Cathedral of La Rochelle. The cathedral and bell tower of St. Bartholomew have had the status of a historical monument since 1906.

Streets of La Rochelle:

Henry II's mansion is located on rue des Augustins just 200 meters from the Old Port. The building was built in 1555 by order of Hugo Pontard, whose son François was once mayor of La Rochelle.

The Renaissance façade is decorated with numerous pilasters, graceful arches and carved cornices, so that the building can rightfully be called the most unusual building in the entire city.

However, in reality, the structure is not a stand-alone one. The façade, consisting of two rows of galleries, is just a screen. What can easily be mistaken for a typical urban mansion of this time is a decorative extension of the right tower - the only living space of this building. In the tower on the second floor there was Pontar's study.

Now this unusual building is open to the public. The mansion is also surrounded by a small garden with exotic plants.

La Rochelle Town Hall is located on the eponymous square (place de l'Hotel de Ville). This is an early 17th century Renaissance building surrounded by an imposing 15th century fortress wall. The entrance to the rectangular courtyard opens through a double portal (one narrower arch of this portal is for pedestrians, the other for carts), made in the style of flaming Gothic, above which is the coat of arms of La Rochelle.

The main building was built in 1606 during the reign of Henry IV. Its first floor is occupied by a covered gallery, on the vaults of which you can see the monograms of Henry IV and his wife, Marie de Medici. The façade is also decorated with four allegorical sculptures depicting the four basic virtues with their attributes. Prudence is depicted with a mirror in hand, Justice is depicted with a scepter and a scroll of laws, Strength tramples a lion's head with its foot, and carries a fragment of a column on its shoulder, and Moderation is depicted mixing wine with water. The façade of the town hall is crowned by a small bell tower, inside of which there is an enamelled faience statue of Henry IV.

To the left of the main building of the town hall is an elegant pavilion from the late 16th century, the façade of which is decorated with fluted pilasters and a mascaron frieze. The right wing was added in the 19th century - it is made in an eclectic style close to the neo-Renaissance.

On the square in front of the town hall, there is a statue of the mayor of La Rochelle, Jean Guiton, who led the heroic resistance of the city during the siege of 1627-1628.

La Rochelle, which has always been a stronghold of Protestantism, with the death of Henry IV, was defenseless against the harsh policies of Cardinal Richelieu, aimed at centralizing France and suppressing the Huguenot minority. Feeling the constant threat from the state, the townspeople took the side of the British in the conflict of 1627, hoping that the British Protestants could help them defend the freedoms of self-government and religion, which Richelieu had attempted. This uprising led to the siege of La Rochelle, which lasted 14 months and ended in the unconditional surrender of the city, which suffered huge losses. Under the peace treaty, La Rochelle lost all its privileges, the right of territorial and political self-government and the right to have fortifications around the city. It is worth noting that it is against the background of the siege of La Rochelle that the action of Dumas's novel The Three Musketeers unfolds.

Now the city hall, which has the status of a historical monument since 1861, houses the city hall.

The architecture of old La Rochelle is very beautiful, a large number of houses of the 17th-18th centuries have survived:

The hotel in which I stayed was also located in an old house:

And this view opened from the window of my room.

La Rochelle (France) is a small town located in the Poitou-Charentes region and is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. It is separated from Paris by about 480 km. At the moment, the population of the city is approximately 77 thousand people.

La Rochelle on the map is comfortably located in the center of the Bay of Biscay, and next to it is the largest island of Re. It is famous for its cleanest beaches and fresh air.

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The city is a major port in the western Atlantic. Since ancient times, it has been known for the active trade in slaves and salt. This happened in the Middle Ages. Today La Rochelle is a magnificent city where residents remember their history well and tell its guests to the city.

A bit of history

La Rochelle was founded around the middle of the 10th century. At the very beginning of its existence, it was the largest trading port where the Templar Knights lived. Until the 15th century, the city lived a calm measured life and was the first among the ports of the Atlantic. Soon, his wealth and independent position did not serve well and became the object of the king's own attention. In 1627, the siege of La Rochelle by royal troops led by the Duke of Richelieu began. For a whole year, the inhabitants stubbornly resisted, but hunger and fatigue took their toll, so they were forced to surrender soon.

Vichy France

After some time, active trade relations with Canada and the Antilles helped the city again become a significant port, which in the 19th century became more advanced and deep-water. German soldiers soon took advantage of this. During the Second World War, they set up a special bunker for boats here. When hostilities ended, the Allies liberated La Rochelle. As it turned out later, he became the last liberated French city.

Climate in La Rochelle

The climate in La Rochelle and the surrounding area is considered to be temperate maritime. The warm current of the Gulf Stream has a strong enough effect. Snow in winter in these parts is extremely rare, but the rainy season can last as long as 3 months.

Tourists visit La Rochelle all year round, regardless of the weather conditions. It is believed that the best time to come here is in the second half of the summer. At this time, the average air temperature can fluctuate around 25 ° C and slightly higher. Thanks to the sea air, it is not too hot outside. The weather in La Rochelle in summer is just perfect. All favorable conditions have been created for recreation in this place.

It should be borne in mind that the close location of the Atlantic Ocean may affect the plans of vacationers. Resort life in these places is completely dependent on the ebb and flow. This natural feature is reflected in the stands of all beaches. All vacationers can see the tide schedule.

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Guide to Paris and France

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In autumn, especially late, the weather begins to change dramatically, so tourists should be prepared for unexpected conditions. Spring in La Rochelle is truly wonderful. At this time, all of France is changing. Spring days delight with the warm sun and a light, pleasant breeze from the sea coast. Some tourists prefer to come here in May and do not regret it at all.

Attractions La Rochelle

Historical events were reflected in the streets of La Rochelle, so all significant sights are located in the old city port. In those days, when the city was a medieval fortress, it was surrounded by a special rampart. Some of its parts have survived to this day.

Cap Ferrat

Before entering the bay of the city, you can see 2 watchtowers - Saint-Nicolas and La Chenes. There is also a third tower. It's called La Lantern. It was usually used as a beacon. It was the last of all the lighthouses in the Atlantic Ocean that has survived to this day.

These medieval towers have panoramic views. Usually they are busy with different tourists, who from above have the opportunity to see all the sights of the city.

The old port can be distinguished from other memorable places. By himself, he is the main figure of La Rochelle, without which the city would not exist. From this port, excursion ships run, which take everyone for a walk on the ocean and in. There are no tours inside the Fort, so you can only look at it from the outside.