La Flotte

La Flotte (sometimes locally La Flotte-en-Re), is a commune on the isle of Ré off the western coast of France, administratively part of the department of Charente-Maritime within the larger Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

It is the largest municipality on the Île de Ré by area, and the second largest by population, second to Sainte-Marie-de-Ré on the southern tip of the island.

La Flotte was declared one of the most beautiful villages in France by the eponymous independent tourism organization Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, and since 2011, the town has been a part of the departmental government's "Stone and Water Villages" tourism initiative to promote notable coastal and waterfront locales (i.e., where the stone (city) meets the water (sea, river etc.).

Town planning
The commune of La Flotte contains the town proper and a marina. La Flotte is an urban municipality, part of the urban unit of La Flotte, which also contains the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. In addition, the municipality is part of the attraction area of La Flotte, covering 4 communes.

Coastline
The shoreline of La Flotte is bordered by small cliffs, and is home to Arnéult Beach, an artificial beach that has to be re-sanded each year.

As it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, La Flotte is a coastal municipality as defined by the Coastline Act (1986). As a result specific town planning provisions apply in order to preserve the natural spaces, sites, landscapes and the ecological balance of the coast, including a prohibition on construction along the coastline.

Land use
A sizable amount of the land in La Flotte is agricultural, 47% in 2018, down from 55.1% in 1990. The detailed breakdown in 2018 is as follows: forests (34.3%), permanent crops (18.3%), urbanized areas (17.9%), heterogeneous agricultural areas (15.9%), arable land (9.1%), meadows (3.7%), artificial green spaces, non-agricultural (0.5%), coastal wetlands (0.4%).

Economic activity

 * Agriculture, asparagus, potatoes, vine.
 * Oyster farming, boating, fishing.
 * Tourism. Accommodation: six hotels, five campsites, guest houses, seasonal rentals.

History
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 siege, the Marquis de Toiras and a relief force of French ships and troops managed to repel the Duke, who was forced to withdraw in defeat. The English lost more than 4,000 out of 7,000 troops during the campaign. After repelling the English assault, the French Guards retreated through the town of La Flotte, and burned three English vessels there in the port and returned to Fort La Prée.

La Flotte was the home of Gustave Dechézeaux (1760-1794), a member of the National Convention. A victim of the Reign of Terror, he was guillotined at Rochefort on 17 January 1794 for his vote against the execution of Louis XVI. He was later given a posthumous pardon by the Convention on 3 May 1795.

Demographics
In 2018, the town had 2,759 inhabitants, down 4.8% compared to 2013 (Charente-Maritime: + 2.13%, France excluding Mayotte: +1.78%).

Places and monuments

 * The Port: formerly a commercial port for wine and salt, then a fishing port. It is essentially a marina today. Its capacity is 200 berths on pontoons and 150 berths in organized moorings.
 * The ruins of the Cistercian Abbey of Notre-Dame-de-Ré (between Rivedoux-Plage and La Flotte). The site has been classified as a “historic monument” since 21 May 1990.
 * The Fort La Pree, built in 1625 and partially destroyed by Vauban in 1685.
 * The Medieval Market.
 * The Platin Museum, which has collections related to regional culture, Medieval architecture, and maritime history.
 * The Church of St. Catherine Fleet (or "Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria") Built in the 15th century. Listed, in part, as a Historic Monument, in 1988.

Notable people

 * Nicolas Martiau (1591-1657), Huguenot settler, ancestor of George Washington and Robert E. Lee.
 * Denis Goguet (1704-1778), merchant and shipowner
 * Gustave Dechézeaux (1760-1794), French politician. Member of the National Convention, guillotined in 1794 during the Reign of Terror "for having conspired against the Republic", then posthumously pardoned in 1795.
 * Jacques Gilles Henri Goguet (1767-1794), General
 * Léon Gendre, general councilor of the canton of Saint-Martin-de-Ré (reelected in 2011), president of the Community of communes of the island of Ré from 1993 to 2008, mayor of La Flotte since 1977, ex-restaurateur (creator of the restaurant Le Richelieu).
 * Roger Barberot (1915-2002) - Companion of the Liberation by decree of 7 March 1941, the most decorated sailor in France.