The Pays de Retz is one of those French regions carried by a very marked pride of belonging, rich in a millennia-old history and an exceptional biodiversity.
The Pays de Retz is one of those French regions carried by a very marked pride of belonging. It must be said that the Pays de Retz rests on a very rich history.
Today, the Pays de Retz brings together about 150,000 inhabitants and extends over 1,400 square kilometres. The territory, very largely rural, is marked by an exceptional wealth of water: ponds and lakes such as that of Grand-Lieu, more than 1,000 kilometres of canals and rivers including the Acheneau on the edge of the Land of Briord, and a magnificent Atlantic coastline of more than 50 kilometres.
This ecological treasure benefits, like the Land of Briord, from major protective measures: the ZNIEFF classifications and Natura 2000. These measures bear witness to the importance and diversity of the species that populate the territory.
The Pays de Retz is experiencing a steady growth of its population, at a rate of more than 2% per year. This demographic dynamism brings remarkable economic vigour to the territory. Nearly 30,000 jobs are distributed across the sectors of industry — notably food processing — health, construction and, of course, tourism.
The Terre de Briord project constitutes a great challenge of restoration, preservation and sharing:
We will make the château of Briord, built in 1770, open to visitors — its chapel, its chaplaincy, its agricultural territory, its vines and meadows overlooked by a more than century-old water tower that watches over an exceptional forest of several dozen hectares.