Couleurs Cabanes, Artisan craft shop in the port area of Le Château-d'Oléron, France.
Couleurs Cabanes is an artisan shop in the port area of Le Château-d'Oléron housing approximately thirty artists and craftspeople. They work in former oyster farming huts along the waterways, with each workshop dedicated to a different craft such as painting, sculpture, ceramics, violin making, jewelry, and embroidery.
The project began in 2004 when the municipality of Le Château-d'Oléron launched it to support local craftspeople in this traditional maritime setting. The huts themselves date from the oyster farming era and were later converted to welcome artists and artisans.
The craftspeople demonstrate their work daily across painting, ceramics, jewelry making, and embroidery in these working spaces. Visitors can watch them practice these traditional trades and see how each craft develops from start to finish.
The site is open year-round, with more huts accessible from April through October, and free parking is available on Avenue du Port. Most workshops are easily found by walking along the waterways where craftspeople actively work.
The huts are still crossed by working waterways where boats daily transport fresh oyster bags through the channels. This living port rhythm creates an unusual backdrop for art studios set within an active working harbor.
Location: Le Château-d'Oléron
Address: 2 Av. du Port, 17480 Le Château-d'Oléron, France
Website: http://couleurs-cabanes.fr
GPS coordinates: 45.88357,-1.19336
Latest update: December 6, 2025 19:00
Oléron Island, the largest island in mainland France after Corsica, features a military, maritime, and natural heritage reflecting its strategic position facing the Atlantic Ocean. This Charente island, connected to the mainland since 1966 by a nearly three-kilometer-long bridge, houses fortifications built under Louis XIV, such as the Citadel of Château d'Oléron and Fort Louvois, as well as the famous Fort Boyard positioned on its sandbank offshore. The Chassiron Lighthouse, standing at forty-six meters high, marks the northern tip of the island and guides ships through the waters of the Pertuis d'Antioche. Beyond its defensive legacy, the island offers various natural areas where sandy beaches, pine forests, and salt marshes alternate. Saint-Trojan-les-Bains extends its wooded shoreline to the south, while Boyardville features a protected coast on its eastern side. Visitors also observe oyster farming along the La Baudissière channel and explore the colorful huts that house artist workshops at the port of Château d'Oléron. The Saltworks Museum traces the history of salt extraction, a resource that shaped the local economy for centuries.
Oléron Bridge
3.5 km
Citadelle du Château d'Oléron
351 m
Fort Louvois
3.3 km
Shop antico villaggio
3.8 km
Réserve naturelle nationale de Moëze-Oléron
4 km
Dolmen d'Ors
2.2 km
Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption du Château-d'Oléron
614 m
Église Saint-Trojan de Saint-Trojan-les-Bains
4.7 km
Pont Napoléon
3.1 km
Fontaine, place de la république
369 m
Scenic viewpoint
495 m
Freely accessible fortress
105 m
View to the port channel
49 m
Scenic viewpoint
322 m
L'épinette
4.4 km
La Boudeuse
4.3 km
Colorful beach cabins
797 m
Départ du Petit Train du Chateau d'Oléron
262 m
Les Cabanes Francis
4.3 km
L'Epinette
4.4 km
La Rabale
4.3 km
Colorful oyster farmer huts
115 m
La Cabane Pattedoie
4.3 km
Sphère Maritime
378 m
Work of art
362 m
Work of art
726 m
Work of art
431 m
Work of art
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