This is Dourdan !!!

Posted in Europe, France

The department 91 Essonne is not well known yet surrounding Paris and well worth your while to pay attention to what it has to offer.  One of my highlights of coming here is the town of Dourdan, This is a split update of an older post. The town of Dourdan is in the Essonne dept 91 of the Île de France region of my belle France,  about 44 km from Paris. I like to tell you a bit about this is Dourdan !!!  Hope you enjoy the post as I

The road A10 passes on the north of town before the tolls of Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines (that I always avoid lol!). You have the better road D836 crossing the town west to east and onwards to Etampes and Rambouillet. Also, the D838 goes up to Versailles and the D116 with a beltway going to Arpajon.  Parking is best on the street near the marché or market. You have good train service on the line RER C and the TER Centre Val de Loire that passes by here destination of Vendôme or Châteaudun, without stops from the gare Paris Austerlitz.. There is a train station in town as well as the Dourdan-La Fôret servicing the RER C as terminus.

 The Hôtel-Dieu with the Chapel of Saint Jean l’Evangéliste or St John the Evangelist. In 1220 was built the Hôtel-Dieu, destroyed and rebuilt from 1766 with the Evangelist Chapel mentioned in 1340. Modified in 1852 and 1885, it served as a hospital until 1970. Now it is a retirement home.

dourdan hotel dieu ret home aug11

The Hôtellerie Blanche de Castille is a 3 star hotel totally renovated in 2016. It is just 5 minutes on foot to the Musee du Chateau, the Halles, and the church, It is about 40 minutes from Roissy CDG airport. A bit of history tell us that it was built on a former mansion of the 17C, purchase by the family Védye and sold again in 1781 by the family Le Boistel, It continues to change hands for several generations of different families finally ceded to the city of Dourdan that ordered demolished, In 1969 the Hostellerie Blanche de Castille opened and kept the wonderful staircase you see by the entrance.

dourdan hostellerie blanche de castille hotel resto rue haute foulerie aug11

This Celtic village later Gallo Roman town, birthplace of the Capetian kings and royal town from the 10C, is today known for its castle, 13C very well preserved.The castle belongs to Hugues le Grand, Duke of the Franks that built this castle to his taste and died in it in 956. Also, here was born in 940, Hugues Capet founder of the dynasty of Kings and crowned himself in 987, so Dourdan can be called the foundation of the House of France, royal town since the 10C.  It was in 1220 that king Philippe Auguste decided to built a new castle here taking as a model, the Louvre. The donjon was 26 meters high which was impressive at the times. It was offered as a chic place to such folks as Blanche de Castille, Marguerite de Provence, Saint Louis, Louis d’Evreux, Jean I de Berry, Sully, favorite Anne de Pisseleu and Anne of Austria. The town had a Hôtel Dieu to welcome pilgrims .  In 1314, Jeanne II of Burgundy future queen of France was prisioner here. By 1340 it was completed the Chapel Saint Jean l’Evangéliste. The castle of Dourdan  owned by Jean Ier de Berry since 1400 , and he ordered the construction of the ramparts. It passed thru many ravages of wars for many years and by 1562 king Henri II sold the property to the Duke de Guise, in the 17C by wish of his son king Louis XIII gives it to the queen Marie de Médicis. At the French revolution, the Church was ravage, enclosed and change into a temple of reason ,then prison, and finally brought back to a religious building in 1795. At the time, the castle was the property of the Duke of Orleans, and became a prison; in 1961 the castle is sold to the city. 

What else can you see here; well the Church St Germain d’Auxerre built along the lines of the Cathedral of Chartres in 1150 and finished in the 13C  with modifications in the 15C and 17C, the Church is 50 meters long by 18 meters wide, with a spiral tower at 50 meters, the bronze bell called “Germaine” dates from 1778 and weights 2300 kg, the portal gate on the north side is from the 15C, and there are wonderful paintings, sculptures  ; the Hôtel-Dieu with the chapel of Saint Jean l’Evangéliste or St John the Baptist; there is a vast hunting royal forest that became domain in 1870. The ramparts are still there since the Middle Ages, long of 1700 meters and with 24 towers, Four gates (Paris, Chartres, Etampes, and Puits des Champs) and three wells (Grouteau, Croix-Ferras, and Petit-Huis) ; today only remains some in the north, west, and east of the city, two towers on the blvd des Alliés, one tower on the trail of Laubier, and that tower or tour du Petit-Huis on rue de l’Étang.

The Dourdan tourist office on its heritage : https://www.dourdan-tourisme.fr/Chateau-et-patrimoine

The official Hôtellerie Blanche de Castille : http://hotel.hotel-blanchedecastille.fr/

There you go folks, another jewel very close to Paris and on the off the beaten path, worthty of a visit indeed. And you will be glad you visit the Royal town of Dourdan , and the wonderful things to see here all within walking distance. Again, hope you enjoy the post this is Dourdan as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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