Holiday Park Poitou-Charentes

Holiday Park Poitou-Charentes - Poitou-Charentes does not only offer thrilling cities and opportunities for seaside vacations, sailing, and angling; it is also here that one can find the famous wine district, Cognac.

 
Holiday Park Poitou-Charentes - The region’s capital is Poitiers, a picturesque town in beautiful surroundings by the Clain river. Here, one can still find architectural remnants from the time when the Roman Empire ruled the area. Inside the city, one can also find France's oldest church, Baptistère Saint-Jean, which was founded in the fourth century.
 
Holiday Park Poitou-Charentes - An important port town, La Rochelle, can be found on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Over the centuries it has earned a lot of money by trading salt and wine. The inhabitants gradually became protestant, which led to an attack in the 1620s by the catholic king of France, Ludwig XIII. The golden times returned temporarily in the 18^th century when La Rochelle thrived from its trade with the French colonies in Africa, the Caribbean, and Canada. Slaves, sugar, and furs once again brought wealth to the town which began to flourish.
 
Holiday Park Poitou-Charentes - During the Second World War, the city’s harbour was converted into an important German submarine base, which today is a part of the townscape. The massive reinforced concrete structures have served as sets in the films “Das Boot” and “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”, both of which premiered in 1981.
 
Holiday Park Poitou-Charentes - A bridge leads out from La Rochelle to the island of Ré. When the Romans, led by Julius Caesar, conquered the area, there were three islands here. In time, such large areas were used for salt extraction that the three small islands merged into a single one.
 
Holiday Park Poitou-Charentes - Nearby Île de Ré, one can find the famous Fort Boyard which is the setting for the popular TV series “Fort Boyard”. The construction of the fort was started by Napoleon in 1801, but by the time it was completed 56 years later, the development of long range canons had rendered it obsolete. Instead, the fort was used as a prison for several years and was eventually abandoned. When the recordings began in 1990, approximately two years had been used to restore and modernise this impressive building in the sea.

Holiday Park Poitou-Charentes - The various holiday parks in the region provide easy access to thrilling experiences in the world renowned wine district of Cognac, which is found around the town that bears the same name. Many producers are happy to accept guests and will gladly offer samples. Some of the larger companies also arrange guided tours, which show how the grapes from the fields surrounding the town are turned into the tasty golden drops that are in such high demand all over the world.