Curiosities of Saint Germain en Laye, part II !!!

Posted in Europe, France, Versailles

I have come here many times as it was very close to my old home you know in that other palace/museum and Saint Germain en Laye is nice too.  Needless for me to tell you it is one of my favorite cities in France ,and yes they are many!. My family enjoy it very much, and we remember well the times spent here shopping and eating. I have walked its streets and taste the great places we usually went. It is always with great memories that we have come here thereafter. And yes this is in Yvelines dept 78 of the Île de France region of my belle France. I have found me again pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, I like to tell you more on curiosities of Saint Germain en Laye, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

The nice Saint-Germain Church  (see post) was called at the beginning of the 18C Saint-Germain-de-Paris. Located in front of the castle, this current Church built in 1824, in a neo-classical style inspired by the Paleo basilicas, was restored from 1848 to 1854. The present Church is however closer to Saint-Philippe-du-Roule in Paris. The present Church is the fourth built on the site.It houses the Mausoleum of the King of England, James II (Stuart), exiled to France and greeted by his cousin king Louis XIV. He resided and died at the Château de Saint-Germain,across the street.

The town is occupied by the Nazis on June 14 1940 and liberated on August 25 1944. The HQ of the Nazi army was housed in the Pavillon Henri IV; and from here they planned the invasion of Great Britain on Opération Seelöwe. Evidence of the strong nazis presence in Saint-Germain during the Occupation, more than ten bunkers still exist today hidden throughout the city of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, The bunkers are located at the Parc du Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye,(see pic) ; Cité Médicis :rue Thiers, Pavillon Henri IV : below the hotel, Quartier Gramont : rue Saint-Louis, 25bis rue Alexandre Dumas, Villa David : rue Alexandre Dumas, Collège Marcel-Roby : two of the structures are scattered throughout the park, Rue Félicien-David : the shelter of von Rundstedt’s PC, invisible from the street, – 4 rue Félicien-David : firing position overhanging the sidewalk; 13 rue des Monts-Grevets : firing turret posted in a garden, 6 bis boulevard Victor-Hugo : visible from rue Bellevue, 13 boulevard Victor-Hugo : currently a garage, and 10 ter boulevard Victor-Hugo : shelter under the greenery. For security reasons, access to the bunkers is prohibited today.

 In 1777, King Louis XVI donated the Château Neuf (New Castle), in bad condition, to his brother Charles, Count of Artois, the future Charles X. He had it demolished with the intention of rebuilding it.  Under the first Empire, the Château-Vieux (Old Castle) was repaired to form a cavalry school. It hosts the Special Military School of Cavalry, opened in 1809 and merged, in 1914, with the Special Military School of Saint-Cyr. From 1836 to 1855, the castle was transformed into a military penitentiary. It was extensively restored under Napoleon III . On March 8, 1862, an imperial decree acts the creation in the castle of a Museum of Celtic and Gallo-Roman Antiquities ;later renamed Museum of National Antiquities, then recently , and still today the Museum of National Archaeology (see post). The side you see in the picture is the Chapel (see pic and post), It was an act of king Louis IX,(Saint Louis) dated 1238, which tells us about the construction of this chapel. The same year, in this chapel, Beaudoin II, Emperor of Constantinople, ceded to Saint-Louis the relics of Christ, including the crown of thorns, for which the Sainte Chapelle in Paris was erected a few years later.

By the Place Charles de Gaulle you have the Château-Vieux de Saint-Germain has hosted many kings over the centuries, until the arrival of Napoleon III, who transformed it into the National Archaeology Museum we know today. Right across you have the RER A train to Paris and the underground parking Indigo Château at no,22, You see the Hôtel de Conti at no, 14 Today, few traces of the 17C building remain. The current building dates partly from the 18C, and the Hôtel de Soubise at no, 16 , The hotel was purchased in 1676 by François de Rohan, Prince of Soubise, who sold it in 1754 to Georges-René Binet, the Dauphin’s first valet. Now converted into a building, the hotel nevertheless retains its ancient architectural details. See two vertical stone chains dating from the 18C, as well as a Louis XV arched balcony on the first floor. The Hôtel de Soubise, along with the Hôtel de Noailles, is one of the most famous hotels in the city. These magnificent apartment buildings were built between 1754 and 1758 on the site of the first two hotels. See,also, on this square the Church Saint-Germain,

The Château du Val is a 17C classical-style castle located at the northern end of the Grande Terrasse. It was originally a hunting lodge built for King Henry IV, and was enlarged and renovated by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart for Louis XIV. Around the middle of the 18C, the Château du Val passed through the hands of several families, including the Beauveau-Craons and the Noailles, before being donated in 1927 to the Mutual Aid Society of Members of the Legion of Honor. From 2021, the Château du Val is managed by the group “Les Hôtels (très) particuliers” and, under the brand name “Les Maisons de campagne”, it takes the commercial name “la Maison du Val”.

The local Seine Saint Germain tourist office on Saint Germain en Laye:  https://www.seine-saintgermain.fr/les-villes-et-villages/au-coeur-de-lhistoire/

The city of Saint Germain en Laye on its heritage:  https://www.saintgermainenlaye.fr/140/envie-de/visiter-saint-germain-en-laye.htm

The Yvelines dept 78 tourist office on Saint Germain en Laye:  https://www.destination-yvelines.fr/?s=&_search=saint%20germain%20en%20laye&_post_types=touristic_offer

The official Maisons de Campagne on the Maison du Val hotel : https://en.lesmaisonsdecampagne.com/maison-du-val

There you go folks, a dandy walk to some beautiful sights in sublime Saint Germain en Laye, a royal town of France. Worth a detour or a train ride from Paris. You will be delighted. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the curiosities of Saint Germain en Laye ,part II 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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