DISCOVER THE BAY AND ITS ECO-MUSEUM
A meeting with nature’s World Heritage
For thousands of years, man has lived in and used the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay. This bay, with its extensive, continually changing landscape, holds an extraordinary biological richness. In its centre, three small rocks have emerged from its depths, dating from very ancient geological periods: the Mont, Tombelaine and Mont Dol.
This unique area of land, in which bird, fish and marine mammal populations live with the strongest tides in the world, is listed as a “Major site in France” and has been classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.
AN ECO-MUSEUM WHICH EXPLAINS MAN, NATURE AND LANDSCAPES
Situated right on the edge of this vastness, the ‘Écomusée de la Baie” is an interpretive centre where you discover the workings of the Bay’s natural environment, the way man has used this very special area for centuries, and the evolution of its landscapes through the ages.
PERMANENT EXHIBITION : PROTECTING THE BIOLOGICAL BALANCE(S)
Part of the permanent exhibition helps to explain the evolution of the fauna and flora throughout the seasons as well as the characteristics of the different natural environments. Protecting these biological balances has become a major challenge in today’s society.
But man also lives in this environment and has always made the most of its riches. In the past, salt was extracted by a unique process no longer used nowadays. In the salt-maker’s workshop you can re-discover this technique….and you even leave with a sachet of salt from the Bay!
There is also fishing and shooting. Mussels and salt-marsh sheep are today’s gastronomic highlights of the Bay. All this is explained in the exhibition.
PERMANENT EXHIBITION : THE BAY THROUGH THE AGES
Do you know how old the rocks are that form the foundations of the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay? Why have seals today replaced mammoths?
How has man transformed the Bay’s landscapes?
This exhibition answers all these questions and helps us to understand more easily how the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay’s landscapes have changed over thousands of years. This area devoted to the evolution of the Bay’s landscapes is complimented by outdoor exhibits which explain these topics in a fun way.
THE ‘ECOMUSEE DE LA BAIE’ : IT IS ALSO ABOUT CULTURE, EDUCATION AND TOURISM
Every year, temporary exhibitions on the Bay’s history, landscapes or traditional professions are on show to visitors. A programme of educational activities for schools, activities for tourists (visitors) and even holding company seminars ensures everyone discovers the Bay’s richness in exceptional surroundings.
The museum is accessible to people with reduced mobility if the wheelchair is less than 79 cm large (less than 31 inches large).
