Les Hortillonnages d'Amiens

The hortillonnages are a group of about 300 hectares of former marshland, in the heart of the Amiens conurbation, made up of alluvial islets called "aires" and separated by canals, the rieux. They were laid out in the Middle Ages, probably from the twelfth century, for market gardening. The site extends over five communes: Amiens, Camon, Lamotte-Brebière, Longueau and Rivery.

The gardeners moved around there in flat-bottomed boats with raised ends, the barques à cornet. Vegetables were grown there and then sold on the water; the market on the water still exists on Place Parmentier, but the vegetables now arrive by van. Market gardening has declined sharply: in 2024, only seven market gardeners cultivated 36 hectares. Tourism attracts about 100,000 visitors a year. Discovery is mainly by boat, along canals lined with gardens.

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