So on a cloudy cool rainy day; I am becoming sentimental again, and even if mentioned in previous post do not have one alone on it and it so richly deserves one me think. I like to tell you a bit on the village of Chambry in Seine et Marne dept 77 of the Ïle de France region in my belle France.
Brief personal note: When I first met the women that later would be my wife, her mother lived here. It was my first home in France! I used to joke (tried) with my in-laws saying ” Did you saw Jules Ceasar passed by here?” joking that there was nothing here but wheat fields! After many years it became my second home and of course we visited often enough to know every street in the village. My dear late wife Martine has passed away and now this past December her mother Yvette passed away too. I still have the 3 sisters and brother living in other villages nearby but the trips have become less. Nevertheless, it is a sentimental big spot for me in Chambry, Seine et Marne, France, always remember and they even have a bus line now lol!!!
Let me tell you a bit about this small village of great importance for the history buffs like me as I learned later.
Chambry is a village located 7 km north of Meaux. It has less than 1000 inhabitants. The village is served by the bus line No 22 (Meaux– Rouvres-en-Multien), from the Transdev Pays de l’Ourcq network. Transdev network of line 22 here: https://www.transdev-idf.com/ligne-22/vincy-man-uvre-meaux/067-027
Chambry was settled and has its name as today in the 13C . The origins of the name comes from the Gallic cambo, “curved”, this comes from the agglutination of the personal Gallic name of “Cambarios” and the suffix “acum” which means: “land of cambarios (curved)”. It can be a land where hemp was grown. Chambry according to local tradition would have been an area given by Julius Caesar to one of his legionaries in the 1C BC.
Theater of violent engagements during the Battle of the Ourcq (WWI September 1914). The Battle of the Ourcq marks the beginning of the first Battle of the Marne. It engages the 6th French army, part of the British army and the 1st German army.
Some things to see here in town are the Church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, 15C, damaged in 1940, and restored after 1944 The church, originally called Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption, was renamed Saint-Pierre-et-Saint Paul. (St Peter and St Paul).
However for the rememberence and history oriented folks (like me) you need to come here for the memorials and cemeteries of WWI.
These are the monument known as Monument of the Four Roads (des Quatre-Routes) erected in 1915 by order of General Galliéni dedicated to the memory of the soldiers of the Army of Paris who won the Battle of the Ourcq. Alos, the National Necropolis a French military cemetery bringing together 1,331 bodies including 341 in individual graves and 990 in ossuary’s. And on the other side the German military cemetery ,created for the German soldiers who died during the Battle of the Marne.
Some webpages below in English to help you plan your visit here are
The cemetery of Chambry: Tourist office of Pays de Meaux on the Cemetery
The National Necropolis of Chambry: Tourist office Pays de Meaux on the National Necropolis
Tourist office of Pays de Meaux on the German cemetery
And for those in the bike mode, (I do in my car…) there is a nice circuit to do here on WWI routes. The bike ride on the Battle of the Ourcq: Tourist office of Pays de Meaux on the bike ride 31 km Battle of the Ourcq
And the official bike circuit with map here in French: Official circuit battles of the Marne bike ride
REX
So, there you even in this Roman (::)) remote area you find something to see and do in my sentimental Seine et Marne, of my belle France. Hugely personal Chambry, hope you enjoy and let me know if passing by here.
Family of Chambry
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 