And to my surprise many written on La Rochelle but the beautiful carrousels. Really, this needs more like a post of its own for the sake of credit when credit is due. I am updating this post with new text and links for you and me as found me more pictures in my vault and decided to include them here. Wonderful for all to enjoy thing to see in La Rochelle. Therefore, here is my take on curiosities of La Rochelle !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The ancestral merry-go-round in La Rochelle, The carrousel is one of the oldest in France. A sedentary carrousel, located on Place de Verdun, only adds charm to the town square. Alone or accompanied by other structures, during various events its reputation is well established. It is part of all celebrations and is highlighted during the Christmas market. Children and adults will be delighted to take a ride in this two-story carrousel, which is still very well preserved.
.It must be said that there are hardly any intact rides left from the end of the 19C and that among them, those of Auguste Bayol, a genius Angevin artist, are only two. One is in Vienna at the Prater, the other in La Rochelle. There are no fairground horses more beautiful than his. They are both realistic and magical, they escape from childhood tales and look at us with gentle and wild eyes… Created in 1883, it is today the oldest and complete carousel in France. Among Bayol’s favorite animals are the cat, the rooster, the swan, the pig and the donkey…Sublime!
Go to the square Valin, by Quai Valin on the old port, to admire of another carrousel . In the center, a 52-key cardboard organ transformed at the beginning of the 20C. Until the years 1935-1940, the carousel turned with a horse. The lighting was originally with kerosene lamps. It has been installed at this location since 1975.
The statue of Admiral Duperré stands at the foot of the Porte de la Grosse Horloge (see post), at the beginning of the Quai Duperré. Admiral Duperré or Victor Guy Duperré. He commanded the French fleet when Algiers was captured in 1830. Sailor of the French Empire and Minister of the Navy, born in La Rochelle on February 20, 1775.Quai Duperré offers a pleasant walk on the site of the old port, punctuated by shops, cafes and restaurants.
The Hôtel de Ville or city hall of La Rochelle has been hosting it since 1298, it is the oldest French City hall still in office, After 1628, Louis XIII suppressed the body of the city and confiscate the City hall to transform it into a king’s house. On May 22, 1631, the donation was published in the presidential hearing made by the king of the city hall to the Cardinal de Richelieu and other governors of La Rochelle. From then on, the townhouse became the governor’s house. To allow the governor to be housed, it was extended to three adjoining homes. The fortress door opens onto an interior courtyard marked by the influence of the Renaissance and Antiquity, with a monumental staircase, a campanile and a dome occupied by a statue of Henri IV in enameled earthenware, as well as many columns and a loaded decoration.
You have ample bus transportation in the area first the RTCR has buses covering La Rochelle and the suburbs and the Ocecars has 11 lines covering the adjacent towns after that. There is a great train station in Gare de La Rochelle and an extension of the line to service the great cruise port of la Pallice.
Some of the things to see here and do read my posts on many of them are the marvel of the best of France , it is a fortified city and just lovely we really fell for it. Many memories now of my other half. Some of the nicest walks are in the quartier du Gabut or neighborhood nice and museums , Cours des Dames with boatbuilders houses, Rue Sur les Murs linking the tour de La Chaîne to the Tour de La Lanterne, and the Quai Duperré full of cafés and facing the big clock or grosse horloge the statue of admiral Duperré born here in 1775 and leader of the fleet that took Algers in 1830. A main street is the Rue du Palais, Rue Chaudrier with wooden houses with a sculpture of Ronsard, at the end of this street on a small garden you see the house call Maison Henri II built in 1555 because done in his style of construction. Grande Rue des Merciers, loaded with shops and homes of the 17C ,and the rue de Minage covered with old arcades with very old houses such as no 43 ,22, 4 ,and 2 .The old port or Vieux Port is gorgeous with its towers or Tour Saint Nicolas, and Tour de la Chaine, and Tour de la Lanterne only left from the ramparts covering the town in 1628 mostly demolished by Richelieu. The gate or Porte de la Grosse Horloge kept the entry to the city from the old town still in medieval conditions You see the remarkable city hall or Hôtel de Ville in the renaissance style and many buildings from the 17C and 18C like the chamber of commerce old Bourse or stock house. The city has wonderful parks too amazing. The two we like and biggest are the parc Charruyer created from 1887 on 40 hectares on military lands that were swampy with marshes located at the foot of the fortifications west of town dating from the ramparts of 1685; the park was finished in 1890 and originally was called the parc Monceau of La Rochelle. It gives to the Allées du Mail which at the summit you have the parc Franck Delmas, name after a local resistance fighter assassinated for his acts by the nazis in WWII. Before this part was private but now it is public with its wonderful Villa Fort Louis in the center of the park of 7 hectares and this park was renovated in 1999 due to the storm Martin. At the beginning there were pools of sea water here and centers of Thalassotherapy from the 18C then the beach was open at Plage de la Concurrence and the town exploded with beachgoers from 1907. Other beaches followed such as those of the
plage des Minimes in 1978, later plage de Chef de Baie and Plage d’Aytré. At the extreme point of the plage des Minimes you find the Phare du bout du Monde (lighthouse at the end of the world) a replica of the one in Cap Horn off South Africa. The lighthouse is in wood in an octagonal form with lights of 7 lamps with colza oil good vision for 26 km at an angle of 93 degrees . One of the best aquarium in Europe that of La Rochelle in the neighborhood of the Gabut just on the other side of the old harbor has 10K animals from all the world in 3K sq meters of water divided into 65 basins. A nice visit indeed. You have the principal religious temples here such as Saint Louis Cathedral , Chapel of Notre Dame de l’Esperance, Church of Notre Dame de Cougnes, ,and Church of Saint Sauveur. Several museums here my favorites are the bunker museum or musée du bunker de la Rochelle on a real bunker of 280 square meters recounting the history of WWII here. Fine arts museum or Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Rochelle since 1845 on the old bishop’s house in city center with local painters. Natural history museum or Muséum d’Histoire naturelle since 1831 in the governor mansion given by Napoléon in 1808, the New World Museum or musée Nouvelle Monde given history from the 16C on what the locals have done in the world. The marine or musée maritime on floating and on land with 8 heritage boats in the basin of the old port allowing you to see the meteorological boat France 1. The automated museum or musée des Automates the first in France a collection of automated toys from all over Europe and all periods. Wonderful as well as the reduce models museum or Musée des Modéles Réduits
A bit of history I like tell us that La Rochelle was a village from the 10C , the château fort de Vauclair built early 12C by the lords of Mauléon and Rochefort, later Guillaume X Duke of Aquitaine became lord of La Rochelle in 1130. He gave the town a ramparts and a charter of free port and once the English market opened after the marriage of Aliénor d’Aquitaine in 1152 the presence of the Templars and knights of St John of Jerusalem gave the town the biggest port in the Atlantic. The town passes from the kingdom of France king Louis VII to the king of England Henri II Plantagenêt; by 1224 Louis VIII annexed the town to the royal domain; in 1360 by the treaty of Brétigny, the town goes back to the kingdom of England. In 1371 the locals send off the English out of the castle but left open the gates to Duguesclin ,that after confirmation by king Charles V of the privilidges to the town insuring to remain in royal possession of France. In the 16C the doctrine of Calvin weights heavy here and La Rochelle becomes one of the principal centers of Protestants with many sieges of it by king Charles IX in 1573 and 1628 by Richelieu himself with heavy resistant by the mayor Jean Guiton that had built a digue of 1500 meters to isolate the city from the sea and his English allies, done but surrended the city to king Louis XIII eventually. By 1822 there was the conspiracy of the four sargents or
Quatre Sergents a secret society of mostly sub officers that were trying to overcome the Restoration (king back in power ) they were discovered in time put in prison in Paris first where they were condemn to die and executed. This sentence made them martyrs of king Louis XVIII and at La Rochelle, that is why I am writing on it, they were initially imprisoned at the tour de La Lanterne where the graffitis can still be seen.
The La Rochelle tourist office on the square Valin and Carroussel in the Vieux Port : https://www.holidays-la-rochelle.co.uk/focus/square-valin-the-place-to-be-for-families
The city of La Rochelle on its heritage: https://www.larochelle.fr/je-suis/un-touriste/decouvrir-la-ville
The La Rochelle tourist office on its heritage: https://www.nous-larochelle.fr/en/practical/what-to-do/museums-and-sites-to-visit
The Charente Maritime dept 17 tourist office on La Rochelle : https://www.infiniment-charentes.com/que-faire-a-la-rochelle
The Nouvelle Aquitaine region on La Rochelle : https://www.nous-larochelle.fr/fr/pratique/la-rochelle
There you go folks, another dandy things to see in wonderful La Rochelle. The vieux port or old harbor is sublime and the carrousels are just magical for the whole family and even some older folks….we love them. Enjoy it without moderation!! Again, hope you enjoy this post on curiosities of La Rochelle !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
