Harbour

Sainte Marie du lac

Name: Sainte Marie du lac
Address: Sainte-Marie-du-Lac-Nuisement, FR

4.0Sainte-Marie-du-Lac-Nuisement, France

Type: Harbour

Lake harbour on the Lac du Der-Chantecoq in the Grand Est region, the largest artificial lake in France at 4 800 hectares.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Access from the open lake with no tidal constraints. The harbour entrance lies on the north-west shore of the reservoir. Water levels vary strongly through the year, low in late summer after the lake has released water into the Marne.

Practical

Pontoons for visiting boats with water and shore power. Capacity is limited, mostly used by local sailing dinghies and motor launches. Shops in the village of Sainte-Marie-du-Lac-Nuisement, about 500 metres from the port.

Ashore

Village-musée du Der at 800 metres, a reconstructed village of half-timbered Champagne houses saved from the villages flooded when the lake was created. Observation hides for cranes around the lake, with up to 80 000 common cranes staging here in autumn. Signed cycle route around the full 38 km shoreline.

History

The lake was built between 1967 and 1974 to regulate the flow of the Marne and protect Paris from flooding. Three villages, including the original Sainte-Marie-du-Lac, were submerged, and some of their buildings were moved stone by stone to the present Village-musée.