The Salin and Salt Farmers, Tradition and
Know-How
Salt harvest in Aigues-Mortes dates back to antiquity (400 BC). Peccius, the Roman engineer, was entrusted with organising the production of salt there at the beginning of the Christian era. At the end of the 12th century, seventeen small salt pans were operating in the Peccais enclosure. They belonged to various owners who, after serious flooding in 1842, joined forces with a merchant from Montpellier and in 1856 established the Salin d’Aigues-Mortes as we know it today.

The Salin stretches over 18 km from north to south and is 13 km wide from east to west. Over 340 km of roads and paths criss-cross its thousands of hectares in all directions, covering an area similar in size to the city of Paris.

The name of Aigues-Mortes comes from the wetlands and brine lagoons that surround the village: Aquae Mortuae (1248 in Latin, Aigas Mòrtas in Occitan), meaning dead, i.e. stagnant water.



Salt has been harvested in the Camargue since antiquity and is the product of specific know-how, handed down from generation to generation by the real guardians of the Salin d’Aigues-Mortes.
They were passionate farmers who worked with nature in the movement of the water and winds. They also adapted to the climate - rain or shine - while checking the salinity of their salt pans daily. This meticulous work, performed all year long, is what produces the salt crystal that forms with the increase of temperature during the summer.
So Camargue salt is bursting with the region’s minerals and sunshine. In addition, the salt farmers guarantee the preservation of the natural richness of the Salin.
Through their daily work, these “coastal farmers” contribute to Salin operations: banding birds, creating islands to improve nesting, etc.