Hiers-Brouage

Hiers-Brouage
Part of Marennes-Hiers-Brouage
Citadel
Coat of arms
Location of Hiers-Brouage
Hiers-Brouage Show map of France Hiers-Brouage Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 45°51′02″N 1°04′28″W / 45.8505°N 1.0744°W / 45.8505; -1.0744
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement	Rochefort
Canton	Marennes
Commune	Marennes-Hiers-Brouage
Area ¹	31.35 km² (12.10 sq mi)
Population (2019)^[1]	606
• Density	19/km² (50/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code	17320
Elevation	0–26 m (0–85 ft)
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Hiers-Brouage (French pronunciation: [jɛʁs bʁuaʒ]) is a former commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Marennes-Hiers-Brouage.^[2]

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History

Brouage was founded in 1555 by Jacques de Pons on the Bay of Biscay facing the Atlantic Ocean. The town was founded on swampy land which had previously been underwater. Its name, "Brouage," comes from the surrounding mixture of water and clay, which was called "broue".^[3]

Its economy was based on salt and access to the sea. Brouage was known for producing salt that was black in colour, which was often sold to the royal family. Brouage exported large quantities of salt by land and sea as early as the 15th century.^[4]

The town was fortified between 1630 and 1640 by Cardinal Richelieu as a Catholic bastion in order to fight against the neighbouring Protestant town of La Rochelle. Gradually the harbour silted up in the last part of the 17th century, leaving the town stranded and useless as a port. It fell into ruin.

The town's most celebrated person is the French navigator Samuel de Champlain, who lived there when young, before being the co-founder of French settlement in Acadia (1604–1607) and Quebec (1608–1635). Cartographer Charles Leber du Carlo lived in Brouage at the same time and may not have taught the art of map-making to the young Champlain.^[5]

In 1825 Brouage was joined to the village of Hiers, 2.5 km (1.6 mi) away, forming the commune of Hiers-Brouage.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1793	391	—
1800	413	+5.6%
1806	326	−21.1%
1821	372	+14.1%
1831	764	+105.4%
1836	804	+5.2%
1841	778	−3.2%
1846	901	+15.8%
1851	760	−15.6%
1856	840	+10.5%
1861	742	−11.7%
1866	708	−4.6%
1872	695	−1.8%
1876	708	+1.9%
1881	766	+8.2%
1886	733	−4.3%
1891	687	−6.3%

Year	Pop.	±%
1896	715	+4.1%
1901	668	−6.6%
1906	663	−0.7%
1911	639	−3.6%
1921	534	−16.4%
1926	550	+3.0%
1931	546	−0.7%
1936	560	+2.6%
1946	514	−8.2%
1954	500	−2.7%
1962	541	+8.2%
1968	519	−4.1%
1975	440	−15.2%
1982	476	+8.2%
1990	498	+4.6%
1999	472	−5.2%
2008	639	+35.4%

Sights

The village church dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul built in 1608. Since 1982, several stained glass windows have been installed by Quebec and New Brunswick to commemorate historical figures of New France, including Samuel de Champlain who was living when young in the village.
The Samuel de Champlain Museum.
The walls of the ramparts of the citadel of Brouage.
The Porte royale or King's gate which gave access to the quais.
The Saint-Luc powderhouse (poudrière) with four flying-buttresses.
The Halle aux vivres or Warehouse built to store goods and supplies for the citadel.

References

^ Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019, INSEE
^ Arrêté préfectoral 27 November 2018 (in French)
^ Fischer, David Hackett, 1935- (2008). Champlain's dream (1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-9332-4. OCLC 213839989.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ Fischer, David Hackett, 1935- (2008). Champlain's dream (1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-9332-4. OCLC 213839989.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ Thierry, Éric. 2013. Samuel de Champlain, Espion en Amérique 1598-1603, Sillery, Septentrion, p. 4