Île de Ré

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The quays at Saint Martin en Ré.

Île de Ré (formerly also Île de Rhé; in English Isle of Rhé) is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait.

The island is 30 km long, 5 km wide, and is connected to La Rochelle on the mainland by a 2.9 km bridge, completed in 1988.

1 Administration
2 History
3 Life on the island
4 Miscellaneous
5 External links

[edit] Administration

Administratively, the island is part of the Charente-Maritime département, in the Poitou-Charentes région.

The island is divided into 10 communes, from East to West: Rivedoux-Plage, La Flotte, Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, Saint-Martin-de-Ré, Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, La Couarde-sur-Mer, Loix, Ars-en-Ré, Saint-Clément-des-Baleines, Les Portes-en-Ré.

[edit] History

A WWII German bunker on a beach in Île de Ré.

During Roman times, Île de Ré was an archipelago made of three small islands. The space between these small islands was progressively filled, by a combination of human activity (salt fields gained from the sea) and siltage.

In 1627, an English invasion force under the command of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham attacked the island in order to relieve the Siege of La Rochelle. After three months of combats and sieges, the Duke was forced to withdraw in defeat.

The main port, Saint Martin, was fortified by Vauban in 1681, and was later used as a depot for convicts on their way to the penal settlements of New Caledonia and French Guiana.

During World War II, the beaches of Île de Ré were fortified by German forces with bunkers, in order to block a possible seaward invasion. Many of the bunkers are still visible, in a more or less derelict state. Several scenes of the 1962 movie The Longest Day were filmed on the beaches of Île de Ré.

[edit] Life on the island

The area is a popular tourist destination. It has approximately the same number of hours of sunshine as the famous southern coast of France. The island is noted to have a constant light breeze, and the water temperature is generally cool. The island is surrounded with gently sloping, sandy beaches, which are a real treat for families and tourists.

The bridge connecting the island to the continent.

The island has a resident winter population of approximately 16,000 residents and a resident summer population of about 160,000. Since the local population is distributed all over the island, it never gets too crowded. The island is covered by bicycle tracks, showing that many residents rarely use cars for transportation. Camping grounds and hotels abound on the island, as well as large supermarkets and all modern amenities. Most families stay on the island for the duration of their vacations.

Night life consists of going to Saint Martin, the main port, or to La Flotte, to walk along the quays and to potter around the shops, which are open very late. Restaurants abound. At night, visitors can also watch the buskers, have a drink and enjoy the island's delicious artisanal ice cream, all set in a family-friendly atmosphere.

The island has its fair share of celebrities, including Lionel Jospin, who was Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002 and who is known to go there regularly for his holidays.

Sea salt harvest in Ile de Ré.

Oysters and fresh fish are always available. There is also a tradition in which the fishermen, upon return from the sea, sell a small quantity of their catch directly on the quays, enabling themselves to buy a drink. Markets are open on a daily basis in the main towns and are a popular place to shop, taste and chat. Even the vendors in the markets come to the island on their holidays. Generally, they work only in the mornings, enabling themselves to enjoy the remainder of the day. Shopping affords a large variety of items, such as comics, books, African articles, ceramics, clothes, artifacts, food, local specialities, tools and souvenirs, in other words, something for every taste.