Écomusée de Marquèze in the Landes region of France
An ecomuseumunique in France!
TheÉcomusée de Marquèze was created in 1969 by the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park. It was one of the very first ecomuseums in France. Its mission is to conserve, study and pass on the heritage of the Grande Lande by reconstructing the living environment of its inhabitants in the XIXᵉ century.
150 years ago, this original society of shepherd-farmers was in such symbiosis with its environment that it disappeared when the moor gave way to the forest. Marquèze tells the story of this unique link between a society and its environment, and its economic, cultural and social consequences, in one of France’s largest open-air museums.
TheÉcomusée de Marquèze was created in 1969 by the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park. It was one of the very first ecomuseums in France. Its mission is to conserve, study and pass on the heritage of the Grande Lande by reconstructing the living environment of its inhabitants in the XIXᵉ century.
150 years ago, this original society of shepherd-farmers was in such symbiosis with its environment that it disappeared when the moor gave way to the forest. Marquèze tells the story of this unique link between a society and its environment, and its economic, cultural and social consequences, in one of France’s largest open-air museums.
A preserved and restored heritage site
To recreate this living environment, Marquèze was the first ecomuseum in France to use the technique of building transfers. Two-thirds of the buildings from the surrounding neighborhoods were transferred, and the landscapes of the fields, the resin forest and even the milling area were reconstituted to recreate the neighborhood as it was in the 19th century.
The breed of sheep on the moors, the cultivation of ancient cereals, the gardens and the collections that refurnish the houses complete this mise-en-scène of a society on the cusp of metamorphosis.
Arriving in the morning?
Old-fashioned cooking at La Maison du Mineur – 10:30am to 1pm
History of gemmaking and evolving techniques at La Cabane du Gemmeur – 10:45am to 11:45am
Educational garden – 11am to 1pm
… during the afternoon?
Spinning demonstration at La borde de l’airial – 1.15pm to 4pm
Discover the mill and how it works at Le Moulin – 2.30pm to 3.45pm and 4.30pm to 6pm
Medicinal plants and their uses at Jardin des simples – 2.30pm to 4pm
History of gemmaking and changing techniques at La cabane du Gemmeur – 4.15pm to 5.45pm
Weaving demonstration at La maison des brassiers – 4.30pm to 5.45pm
How to get to the Ecomuseum from our campsite in the Landes
Would you like to take advantage of your stay at the Domaine de la Rive campsite in the Landes to visit the Marquèze eco-museum? Located in Sabres, it’s an hour’s drive from our campsite in Biscarrosse.
