At the very heart of the city of Amiens, the "Hortillonnages" cover an area of over 300 hectares. These water-bound gardens were reclaimed from the marshes, from Gallo-Roman times onwards, for use as market gardens.
Today they are a marvellous place to take a take a boat ride. The boatman is also your guide. He will show you the great-crested grebe amongst the white water lilies. Perhaps he will tell you about some of the stories surrounding the place. They say that Amiens cathedral was built on an artichoke field donated by some devout market gardeners!

An area of outstanding natural beauty
The canals, called "rieux", come from the 13 branches of the Somme and form a very dense network, almost 65 kilometres long, between the Somme and its tributary the Avre. Together with the ponds, they embrace almost 450 small islands.

In this maze, water is everywhere, and there is a variety of different landscapes. Along the towpath, little footbridges, all different, cross the waterways and lead to the gardens. Some are made of wood, others forged iron. Their charm is equalled only by the little gardeners' huts, some painted in bright colours, others looking like real dolls' houses.

The names of the ponds and plots of land are very evocative: New Marsh, Firewood Island, Carrot Land, Governor's Meadow...

The vegetable gardens and pleasure gardens alternate with overgrown islands, marshes and wooded areas. Over 30 hectares of abandoned land have become odd habitats, a mud flat, a reedbed, alluvial afforestations where the flora and fauna are especially rich. Over 600 species of plants have been recorded there and over 120 species of birds have been spotted. Amongst the rarest: fringed water-lilies, flowering rushes and milk parsley, and birds like the little bittern, the great reed warbler and the bluethroat.

And yet the Hortillonnages are only a stone's throw from Amiens train station. They extend over the territory of 3 other settlements, Camon, Rivery and Longueau and are totally integrated into the urban fabric. It is also surprising to see, on turning the bend of a canal, the cathedral, which appears to rise up from amongst the gardens, or a guinguette (dance hall), recalling Sunday afternoons at the beginning of the century, on the water's edge…

History of the site
The Hortillonnages are man-made, probably dating back to Gallo-Roman times, which is where their Latin name "hortus" ("garden") comes from. From the small islands created by the numerous branches of the Somme, men cleared the land, dug ditches and created new plots of land called "aires" (areas). This drainage work continued up until the XVIIth century.

Lasting 20 centuries, it was patient and endlessly repetitive work, clearing out canals, cutting down weeds, stabilising the banks, raising the level of the land using the earth cleared from the canals, which has given us this extraordinary area.

Market gardening was at its heyday in the XIXth century. In the 1900s, around a thousand market gardeners, known as "hortillons" worked there. Their produce was sold at the water market, to which vegetables and fruit where transported in the large horn-shaped boats. These 10 metre-long boats were manoeuvred with the help of a wooden pole or "pèle". The raised edges of the boat allowed you to draw alongside without damaging the banks, and served as a footbridge for unloading vegetables at the market.

The market garden tradition still continues, although there are only 9 "hortillons" left cultivating a total area of 25 hectares. The water market is held in Place Parmentier, on solid ground. The only exception is the Sunday of the festival in mid-June, when the hortillons dress up in traditional costume and display flowers, fruit and vegetables in their boats.

To maintain its status as a listed site and to promote market gardening, the District of Greater Amiens has developed a Global Protection and Development Plan for the Hortillonnages. Within this framework, the brand name "tcho’légumes des Hortillons" was created to promote market garden produce.

Practical info

The landing stage is at 54 boulevard de Beauvillé. At the reception desk a video film gives you an introduction to the site.

Opening times
The Association for the Protection of the Hortillonnages organises guided tours of the site in motorised boats from 01/04 to 31/10, everyday from 2:00 pm.

Prices
Adults : 5,30 €
Adolescents : 4.40 €
Children : 2.60 €

Association for the Protection of the Hortillonnages
54, boulevard de Beauvillé - 80000 AMIENS
Tel : +33 (0)3 22 92 12 18 - Fax : +33 (0)3 22 80 92 12
E-mail : apsseh@wanadoo.fr (no reservation by e-mail please)