Marquèze, Ecomuseum in Sabres, France.

Marquèze is an ecomuseum in Sabres, Landes, built around an airial, a clearing shaded by century-old oaks. It brings together authentic manor houses and farmsteads, sheepfolds, bread ovens and a mill, with buildings partly dating to the 13th century. The site shows the four landscape units of the Haute Lande: airial, field, river and moorland turned forest.

The site opened in 1970 as France's first open-air museum dedicated to saving the rural heritage of the Landes region from disappearing. Founders collected buildings, tools, and everyday objects from across the area to create a living record of how families lived before modern changes transformed the countryside.

The name Marquèze appears in genealogies recording the marriage of François Bonnat and Catherine de Marquèze at Sabres on 1 June 1636. The quarter itself gathers authentic manor houses and tenant farms, sheepfolds, ovens and a mill around an airial, a clearing shaded by century-old oaks where 30 to 40 farmers once lived beside a family of millers, drawing their subsistence from rye and millet, orchard fruit, honey, poultry, sheep and the forest.

A vintage train carries visitors from the reception area to the museum grounds, making the experience easier for those with limited mobility. The site is relatively flat with marked paths, though comfortable walking shoes are recommended as you may spend a couple of hours exploring.

The wooden loom in the collection, with its thick squared beams, diagonal braces and hanging cords, shows weaving as it was practised in the Haute Lande. The buildings themselves are partly older than the museum: studies show some of the timber dates from the 13th century.