Les Marais de Bourges, Urban gardens in central Bourges, France.
The Bourges Marshes are an extensive market garden settlement with roughly 1,500 cultivated plots scattered across the flat terrain. Water from the Yèvre and Voiselle rivers plus several artificial canals threads through the entire area to supply the gardens.
In the 17th century, Jesuits began converting the swampy terrain into productive garden plots. For three centuries afterward, these gardens supplied food to the population of Bourges.
Local gardeners tend the plots using traditional growing methods and caring for plant diversity throughout the year. The site is woven into daily life in Bourges, where residents regularly purchase fresh vegetables and flowers or walk the pathways for leisure.
Access to the marshes is available through Babylon Street, Maraîchers Quay, or Prébendes Path. You can explore on foot or join boat tours to view the gardens from the water.
The Bourges Marshes rank among only three surviving market garden settlements of this type in France. The other two are located in Amiens and Saint-Omer, making this place a rare example of traditional French agriculture.
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