Ecomusée de Marquèze (Marquèze Folk Museum)

Only a few minutes from the campsite : Marquèze, the folk museum of the Grande Lande

A settlement of the Grande Lande in the 19th century … At that time, along the banks of little streams, far away from the humid plateaus and sometimes outside of small towns, the inhabitants of the settlements of the Grande Lande were essentially shepherds and ploughmen.

The folk museum is an outdoor museum which was faithfully restored and rebuilt – the buildings, the field and the milling area, the gardens and shady clearings in the heart of the forest, a flock of sheep and oxen at work - the most characteristic elements of the agro-pastoral society of the Grande Lande.

The hamlet of the Marquèze clearing allows you to relive the atmosphere of the 19th century, as you will discover –in the middle of the beautiful landscape of The Landes- authentic buildings and thanks to actors also the customs and traditions at that time. You can witness daily activities of their life: preparing soup, gardening, poultry farming, pig breeding …

As the seasons go by, visitors have the opportunity to get to know the important periods and celebrations, such as harvest, ‘la bugade’ (a traditional party of washing clothes) or sheep shearing.

The train of Marquèze, ‘the old train of The Landes’

Le train de Marquèze, le "vieux train de la lande

By taking the train with its hundred-year old cars, you can reach this historic site where you have the possibility to learn about the life of the former habitants of ‘The Landes’.

Once you have arrived in Marquèze, you can eat in the restaurant or have a snack in the picnic area ‘Le cercle’. The restaurant offers you regional specialties and the latter has an open-air service (July and August every day). You will certainly meet enthusiasts who invite you to have a ‘conference’ walk around several different themes, like the forest through literature or the Gascon language … in order to share the life as well as the history of this region.