A monumental and unique work.

"400 hectares of dikes, fishponds and humid pastures..."

The Domaine of Certes, nowadays owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral et des Rivages Lacustres, is situated between Audenge and Lanton, at the eastern banks of the Basin of Arcachon. It stretches over an area of more than 400 hectares, as a medley of dikes, fishponds and humid pastures, where many migrating birds rest in all seasons.

-- A bit of history --

The history of the Domaine de Certes only really starts in the second half of the 18th century, under the reign of Louis XV. Before that time, this part of the coast was just salty meadows, submerged now and then by only the highest tides.

But from 1760 onwards, under the influence of the economical ideas of that era, man began to reform this unproductive strip of land. The starting sign was given by the Marquis de Civrac, Lord of Certes, who decided to create salt mining swamps in the whole area.

It was an enormous project, and almost 2 million tons of earth were needed to construct the dikes that had to cut the salt swamps off from the waters of the Bay of Arcachon.

The first years, the salt winning activities were excluded of paying taxes, and it was an economical success, with almost a 1000 tons of salt extracted each year. But under pressure of the salt miners of the Charentes, taxes were introduced, what led to the ruin of the Marquis de Civrac in 1773, the year of his death.

Only in the year 1843, and with the fresh ideas of Ernest Valeton de Boissière, was the Domain of Certes born again: the salt mining was replaced by fish breeding.

Even today, though on a smaller scale, fish breeding is the mayor economical activity in the Domain of Certes.

You can continue to visit the Domaine de Certes by choosing the map of the site, or by consulting the pages "tourism" of Audenge or Lanton.

-- Bibliography --

For those who would like to know more about the Domaine de Certes, we recommend the very thorough book on this subject by Jean-Yves Rossignol, edited by the Council of the Gironde, titled "Le Domaine de Certes" (in French), from which the profit goes to endangered natural zones in the Gironde (45 francs).