Car boot sale of the Écausseville Airship Hangar

A car boot sale in a unique historic monument

The car boot sale of the Écausseville Airship Hangar is one of the most unusual and endearing flea market events in all of Normandy. It takes place in the heart of an exceptional historic monument: the Écausseville Airship Hangar, one of the last large hangars of its kind still standing in France.

Built in 1916-1917 to house military airships tasked with monitoring German submarines in the North Sea, this colossal reinforced concrete structure measures 150 meters long, 42 meters wide, and 26 meters high. Its ogive structure, dizzying dimensions, and military history make it a leading industrial heritage site, listed as a historic monument. It now houses a museum dedicated to the history of aerostation and the First World War.

The AAHDE, guardian of heritage and animator of the site

The Association pour l'Animation du Hangar à Dirigeables d'Écausseville (AAHDE) is the soul of the site. It has been working for years for the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of this unique monument. The organization of the car boot sale is fully in line with this mission: it helps to raise funds for the maintenance of the hangar while introducing this remarkable site to a wide audience.

The car boot sale thus attracts two types of visitors: flea market enthusiasts, and heritage lovers who take the opportunity to discover or rediscover the hangar and its museum. This dual attraction gives the event a rare cultural dimension in the world of car boot sales.

Treasure hunting in an extraordinary industrial setting

Imagine strolling between the flea market stalls under the immense vault of an airship hangar, in a light filtered by the high windows of a century-old concrete building... This industrial and monumental setting, both impressive and steeped in history, transforms a simple day of treasure hunting into a memorable experience.

The exhibitors offer the usual range of Norman car boot sales: furniture and farm objects, crockery and glassware, books and postcards, old tools, clothing and textiles, toys and games, trinkets and curiosities. The thematic proximity to the hangar's museum naturally encourages exhibitors to offer items related to aviation, military history, and the First World War.

Écausseville and the Cotentin, lands of memory

Écausseville is a village in the Cotentin, in the delegated commune of Montebourg (50310). The Cotentin, a peninsula in the north of the Manche department, is a land of memory deeply marked by the Second World War and the D-Day landings of June 1944. The military history of the 20th century is omnipresent in this region, from the D-Day beaches to the museums along the memory routes. The Écausseville airship hangar, a vestige of the First World War, is part of this rich memorial heritage.

The village of Écausseville is accessible from Montebourg or Valognes, in the heart of the Cotentin countryside. The car boot sale is the ideal opportunity to combine a visit to the hangar with the discovery of the Cotentin landscapes and nearby historically rich communes.