"La Remontée du sel" event

Stop-offs on the Loire riverbanks

La Remontée du sel is a riverside event that livens up the Loire's banks, quays and docks by shining a symbolic spotlight on the practice of salt transportation in times past. It gives participants, residents and visitors the chance to familiarise themselves once again with a key chapter in the Loire's local and national history: trading on the Loire, the Loire fleet and goods transported, the heritage environment, protagonists, day-to-day life, cultural and artistic pastimes.

Background

Salt was transported right up until modern times on the Loire, sailing against the current aided by westerly winds to reach lands far from the shores. It is this time-honoured tradition that La Remontée du Sel brings back to life for you during a few weeks, following in the wake of the Loire bargees.  

La Remontée du sel was founded in 1997 based on an original idea by Jacques Gilabert. It was organised by an association up until 2003.  

It was revived and became a biennial event in 2005. It chimes with the utilisation and showcasing aims associated with the UNESCO listing of the Loire Valley as a living cultural landscape.   

Aims

Every festive stop-off of this travelling event is an opportunity for a social get-together filled with entertainment, exhibitions, initiatives and people – all for the good cause of protecting and showcasing heritage – alongside contemporary artistic creations.
The educational stop-offs provide classes with a day's worth of teaching and awareness-raising on the Loire cultural landscape and its associated heritage, through a mini-cycle of themed workshops.   

Results

Two editions in 2005 and 2007 coordinated by Mission Val de Loire.   

In 2007, despite the unaccommodating weather, La Remontée du sel did not disappoint, attracting 26,000 visitors during its 20 stop-offs. The 8 educational stop-offs drew 1,800 pupils from 73 classes, which was an 8% increase on 2005. The broader range of activities put on compared with 2005 included a guest river and creations specially crafted for the occasion, and they cemented the event's status as a meaningful cultural initiative for showcasing heritage. It is a truly inclusive event for everyone, and many attendees came from outside the ports of call – the vast majority of which would readily host a new edition.  

On this website: 

• Educational focus of "La Remontée du sel"