Gwen4435, CC BY 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Marais salants de Guérande
Covering nearly two thousand hectares between Guérande, Batz-sur-Mer, Le Croisic and La Turballe, in the Loire-Atlantique, the Guérande salt marshes form a landscape shaped by human hands for more than a thousand years. Seawater flows through a complex network of successive basins before crystallising into salt in the 'œillets', small shallow squares worked by hand by the salt workers.
The fleur de sel, skimmed from the surface with a tool called a 'lousse', and the coarse grey salt, richer in trace elements, are among the most famous products of France and carry a protected geographical indication. This geometric landscape, reflecting the changing Atlantic light, also has remarkable biodiversity, serving as a migratory stopover for many waders. Paths and cycle tracks cross the marshes, and the salt workers can be seen at work during the harvest season, from June to September.
