La tour de Broue

Descriptif

This keep is the remnant of a castle which, in medieval times, protected a village and, to the north, a port. You can imagine that there were houses all around, and an arm of the sea that extended all the way to Broue. The old village has disappeared, and the stones from its houses were used to build the present-day village of Saint-Sornin.



In the Middle Ages, the Château de Broue, fiefdom of the powerful Lords of Pons, watched over the salt production and trade that took place below. The gradual silting-up of the Gulf of Saintonge led to the development of salt marshes. The flourishing development of the salt industry made the region rich and profoundly shaped the marsh landscape.



The Sires de Pons kept the castle until the early 17th century, when it was finally abandoned as the former gulf silted up.



The 25-metre-high quadrangular keep has been listed on the supplementary inventory of historic monuments since 1925.



At the foot of the tower, a former farmhouse has been restored to become the Maison de Broue. It now houses an exhibition on the history of the Tour de Broue and the epic of the salt trade in the Gulf of Saintonge, entitled "A la découverte de l'ancien royaume de l'or blanc".



Today, the imposing ruins of the keep dominate an exceptional marsh landscape - a wonderful starting point for walks in the marsh or around the promontory. Walking trails and a picnic area are nearby.