Visit to the Maison du Maître des Digues

Museums

Adult €6.00 Child (6 to 11 years old) €4.00 Teenagers (12 to 17 years old) €4.00 Free with the Pass!

Enter the Maison du Maître des Digues, the home of the Maître des Digues, who was in charge of water management in the marshes until the 1970s. 

During your visit, you'll discover the specifics of this essential and very special job, and immerse yourself in the life of the Marouins of yesteryear, with the reconstruction of a living room as it might have been at the end of the 19th century.

Through a docu-drama, Frédéric Collardeau, dyke master in the 19th century, reveals the secrets of his trade and his life. You'll discover the evolution of water management in the marshes. It's not an easy task, and one that can lead to conflicts between wet and dry marshes.

Your visit continues in the house of the dyke master, inviting you to step back in time and share in the daily life of the inhabitants of the Marais in centuries gone by: eel pots, bousat, pigeon lamp, but also bedroom, table...   

Around the Maison du Maître des Digues, you can follow an exhibition presenting the daily life of a hutter, hunter, gatherer and fisherman, through the testimonies of Eugène Olivier.  

The ecomuseum offers fun, child-friendly content. Accompanied by their parents, they can discover the site by setting off in search of Margaux, the water fairy (free booklet given to all visitors aged 7 to 12) or by slipping into the shoes of a Dyke Master with the Baludik application.

Opening hours

July and August: daily (including public holidays) 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
April to June and September: Wednesday to Saturday (closed on public holidays) from 10:00 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 17:30.

Closed from October to March.

  • Motor disability

    The Maison du Maître de Digues is accessible to people with reduced mobility. 

    The entire site is on one level. However, the surface used on the outside areas does not allow wheelchair users to be independent. Some thresholds are difficult to cross, but reception staff can install access ramps for you.

    Preferential parking is available near the site gates.

  • Access by car

    Parking available for visitors to the Maison du Maitre des Digues.

    ADVANTAGE INCLUDED in your La Rochelle Océan Pass (adult fare only): receive a €10 discount on the rental of a Yélomobile car.
    Reach the sites included in your pass around La Rochelle, with the yellow-topped Yélomobile car-sharing car: book in advance, for 1 hour or several days, Yélomobile cars make it easy to get around La Rochelle. 

    Detailed rates and access conditions for the Yélomobile service 

The House of the Master of the Dykes

The Maison du Maître des Digues is an eco-museum with Regional Nature Park status, located in the heart of the Marais Poitevin, 40 minutes from La Rochelle. Housed in the former dwelling of the Maître des Digues, it offers an original and authentic insight into the dried-up marsh and its inhabitants.