Lagoon of Vaccarès

Vaccarès formed a valuable body of water within the Rhône delta, with a history of ownership inseparable from control of its channels. In 1225 Hugues des Baux sold the lagoon and its associated rights to the community of Arles. The transaction included powers to open or close water passages and remove obstructions affecting the movement of water between the lagoon and the sea.

Arles retained ownership through the following centuries. This long municipal tenure ended on 25 January 1812, when the lagoon was sold at public auction in Marseille. General Alexandre Sextius Miollis acquired it and joined it to his Château d'Avignon estate. The change carried an extensive wetland from communal ownership into a private landed holding, while its waterways remained central to the practical meaning of possession.