Les Plantes Débarquées

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, kelp and seaweed were burnt on the beaches of the island of Noirmoutier. The ash from these burnt seaweed was a much-appreciated fertiliser. Catamarans and rowboats, the boats of our coasts, made the journey every day to bring back ashes which were unloaded on this road where carts came to collect them. In exchange, our boats brought the inhabitants of Noirmoutier the firewood they needed. Carts also came to collect the long seaweed plucked from the rocky banks off the coast, which proved to be excellent fertiliser.

Rue des Plantes Débarquées marks the 'border' between Les Moutiers-en-Retz and La Bernerie-en-Retz. This route became definitive after 1950. This street continues along the former "chemin de la Noë-des-Tréans", now known as rue Jacques Brel.

* Extract from Monique Albert's book "Flâneries aux Moutiers-en-Retz".

THE SEPARATION BETWEEN LES MOUTIERS & LA BERNERIE
La Bernerie was a village in Les Moutiers until the 19th century. It became an independent commune on 23 March 1863. The story goes that the elected representatives from Bernerie had to use the small bridge at Port Royal, which has now disappeared, to get to the council meetings in Moutiers. One day, a councillor walking across the bridge with his files under his arm fell into the water. Following this incident, La Bernerie is said to have demanded its independence.

HISTORY OF THE CHATTES, BOATS IN THE BAY OF BOURGNEUF
From the Middle Ages until the 18th century, the Moutiers-Bourgneuf marshes were renowned for their salt marshes, which made the Marais Breton the largest salt producer in France. Many ships docked on the coast, and the salt workers needed to transport the salt from the marshes to the ocean. From the 16th century onwards, they used chattes: amphidromic boats, inspired by the old Viking ships, with no bow or stern and flat bottoms. The marshes were very narrow, so when the catties reached the end they couldn't turn around. So the fishermen would remove the rudder from the stern and put it on the bow, so that they could go back the other way. The chattes were built and repaired at La Jaginière in La Bernerie, hence the current name of the street "de la montée de chatte" linking the seaside to La Jaginière. But the gradual silting up of the bay, caused in part by the tonnes of bilge ballast that ships dropped before loading salt, put an end to the large-scale trade, as access to the ports became increasingly difficult for ships. This production area was gradually abandoned in favour of the Mediterranean salt works.