La Rochelle would not be La Rochelle without its three famous Towers. “Ma France, l’été” invites you today to find out more about their origins, but also to discover them differently, thanks to the way in which they and the whole city are viewed. a photographer from La Rochelle. And it is another Rochelais who guides us for the visit of the district of Gabut which shelters street art murals. We then return to the Old Port, to talk waste and preservation of the sea.
So, today, put on your hat and sunglasses, and set off to visit La Rochelle with the best guides in town!
The Towers of La Rochelle, guardians of the city
At the entrance to the Old Port, the Towers of La Rochelle, which offer a breathtaking view of the city and its surroundings, in themselves embody the history of the maritime city. Built in the 14th century, the Tour Saint-Nicolas and the Tour de la Chaîne defended the entrance to the port, while the Tour de la Lanterne served as a lighthouse, but also as a prison. Guardians of the city, today they are its symbol: Stephanie Lortholaryadministrator of the Tours de La Rochelle, tells us about their turbulent history.
La Rochelle in pictures
A photographer’s gaze can help us see things, people and cities differently: this is what Patrick Brother, artist photographer and lover of La Rochelle (but also of all of Charente-Maritime), to which he devoted an exhibition a few years ago. We listen to him tell us about his favorite places. We also listen to his advice for properly photographing the monuments of a city and the seaside.
Street art in the spotlight in the city center
If La Rochelle is a very old city, it is also resolutely of its time: the Francofolie festival is the obvious sign. Another example is the urban art that can be admired in the city center. The Gabut district is thus entirely dedicated to street art: you can admire frescoes there which are regularly renewed. Dominik Pagès Dardillac, known as “Marguerite La Rochelaise”, is a cultural mediator in La Rochelle and keen on urban art. He introduces us to this district, the largest center of urban expression in the city center in France.
A story, that of the “Lighthouse at the end of the world” is told to us by Andre “Yul” Bronnerand for the green initiative of the day, “Ma France, l’été” receives Angelique Fontanaudvolunteer president of the “Écho-Mer” association, which carries out awareness-raising actions in the port, and in particular “Épuise ton déchet”, which takes place three times a week.
