My most beautiful villages of Île de France, part II !!!

Posted in Europe, France, Versailles

I like to do condense style , a brief review of some of my favorite most beautiful villages of the Ïle de France region, that is Marnes-la-Coquette ,Ville-d’Avray , Vélizy-Villacoublay, Jouy-en-Josas ,Buc , Guyancourt , Saint-Cyr-l’École , Bailly and Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt Of course I have entries on them in my blog and more coming but this is a brief introduction and ideas to many. Therefore, this will be on my black and white series, no pictures. Therefore, here is my take on my most beautiful villages of Île de France ,part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

These villages/towns are just around the city of Versailles, you have still some nice side trips to do, all architecture and historical wonderful to complete your tour of my former Île de France region and Yvelines department 78! The towns surrounding Versailles are many and compac, Marnes-la-Coquette and Ville-d’Avray on the Hauts-de-Seine dept 92, Viroflay ,Vélizy-Villacoublay, Le Loges-en-Josas , Noisy le Roi, Buc, Saint-Cyr-l’École, and Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt on the Yvelines dept 78,

In Marnes-la-Coquette ,you have the largest equestrian center in France, Le Haras de Jardy created in 1891 by Edmond Blanc, the largest racing horses in the Belle Époque. Afterward, Marcel Boussac bought this stud farm and perpetuated the international reputation of racing horses from this breeding In the 1950s and 1960s, the stables became the most famous in the world, even eclipping the Rothschild or Aga Khan stables. In 1957, the estate received the visit of Elisabeth II, and in 1961, that of Nikita S, Khrouchtchev  , But the advent of synthetic materials puts it in difficulty and the State must buy the Domaine de Jardy so that it can save its breeding.

The town of Marnes la Coquette (see un patrimoine à explorer) : https://www.marnes-la-coquette.fr/ 

The Les Etangs de Corot  old pond was created at the end of the Middle Ages by the lords to serve as a fishing reserve. It belonged for a long time to the Célestins de Paris, lords of Ville-d’Avray, who sold the fish to Parisian merchants. . In 1680, Louis XIV’s brother Philippe Duke of Orléans decided to build a new pond to meet the water supply needs of the Château de Saint-Cloud (now gardens, the castle gone) and its park. It is to him that we owe the creation of the Etang Neuf or new pond , and its dike around 1690, and of the underground aqueduct which connects it to the park of Saint-Cloud passing through the Etang de la Ronce and the Fontaine du Roy. The ponds are fed by channels collecting rainwater from the nearby forest and by an aqueduct draining groundwater. This privileged site was long frequented by Jean-Baptiste Camille  Corot  who had his country house nearby and left many paintings, visible in museums around the world. This is why we often speak of “Corot ponds”. the former property of Jean Baptiste Camille Corot. The property hotel Les Etang de Corot,there now which made me come to know this town

The town of Ville d’Avray on the ponds of  Corot, splendid site: https://www.mairie-villedavray.fr/les-etangs-de-corot/71/ 

Here all about it ! I have taken the train here as Viroflay is on the Paris-Saint-Lazare to Versailles-Rive-Droite line (mine !) There is the Chaville-Vélizy train station ,just to do some business meetings , there is things to see but need to be back for more sights,

The town of Viroflay on its transport options : https://www.ville-viroflay.fr/transports/

What we came to Vélizy-Villacoublay, and know the town was for shopping from our beloved Versailles. The Velizy II or now Westfield Velizy 2 has 156 stores ,and our favorite was El Rancho (now gone) tex mex resto ,we had some fun family times there and remember it well, just for the memories that will never go away, The shopping center is at 2 Avenue de l’Europe 

The official Westfiel Vélizy 2 shopping center mall:  https://www.westfield.com/france/velizy2

We move a bit south to the village of Le Loges-en-Josas, at rue du petit-jouy, you see the Pavillon Forestier de la Porte de Jouy,  It served as the headquarters of the guards of the king hunting trips. One of the 22 archdoors given way to the Domaine of hunting grounds, in 1684, it included 43 kms long, longer than todays’s periphérique de Paris (beltway road around Paris today). By 1705 ,Louis XIV creates many lordships, one for hunting was called the Petit parc of 1700 hectares, included the piéce des Suisses, Grand Canal, Ménagerie et Trianon ,and the other was the Grand parc, included the hunting grounds of 6000 hectares, in addition 2000 hectares of the Domaine de Marly.The perspective of this grand parc reach way beyond the Grand Canal for about 5 km, and eight villages. Including the today’s Bailly,Bois-d’Arcy,Buc,Guyancourt, Fontenay-le-Fleury,Noisy,Rennemoulin, and Saint Cyr.

The town of Les Loges en Josas on its heritage : https://www.mairieleslogesenjosas.fr/vie-pratique/lieux-de-culte/

We can continue your glorious car ride on the D307 back there,and visit Noisy-le-Roi, where there is the Porte Criton. The lands around here belong to a Florentine family, the Gondi,  ,and he buys the lands to built the castle of Noisy, today the only remains is this archway door.  This castle in 1607 welcome the children of Henri IV while deseases rage at St Germain en Laye. Louis XIII hunted these lands with the Gondi’s. In 1622 Paris was given the rank of archebishop, and it first bishop the son of Gondi, Jean-François de Gondi. It was later purchase in 1631 by Louis XIII and you know the real Versailles was born from here.  The bishop now Cardinal Retz was found in conspiracy with the rebellion of the Fronde, and thrown in jail in 1652, later the castle passed to bishop Jacques Benigne Bossuet (the eagle of Meaux,and religious advisor to Louis XIV) (see post). The castle was incorporated into the Domaine de Versailles in 1675. The Chateau de Noisy was finally left unused and destroyed in 1732.

The town of Noisy le Roi on its heritage : https://www.noisyleroi.fr/158/envie-de/decouvrir-noisy-le-roi/histoire-et-patrimoine.htm

We go for water now to the town of Buc, (across street Versailles) and the great Aqueduct de Buc; team of engineers of Louis XIV, did from 1663-1688 a huge network of more than 30 km around the castle.  The aqueduct has nine arches, and was built between 1684-1686.  It is 580 meters long and 24 meters high processing 8 millions cubic meters of water with 170 kms of irrigations hoses with 40 km of underground hoses.  After it was installed in 1981 a waterpump in the Grand Canal, the fountains of the castle could again play the water show we see today !!!

The town of Buc on its heritage: https://www.villedebuc.fr/35/ma-ville/decouvrir-buc.htm

We follow with Saint Cyr l’école ; one of my family’s favorite places, the Ferme de Gally. Yes a farm, but not an ordinary farm. It was acquired in 1684 by Louis XIV to supply the court of milk products. It is at the end of the Grand Canal, yes the one you think ends by the boat lakes, but its actually goes way back,keep walking …. all along the allée de la Ceinture. The farm is still today in activity,handle by the same family since 1741!!! It is one of the oldest building in the area ,originally founded in the 11C by the priests of the abbey of Sainte-Geneviéve-du-mont at Paris to plow and put into use the lands around the plains of Versailles.  It was call after the val de galie, a stream,that since then was change to Gally. We can continue today follow the stream, from the allée du Plat Fond just to the small village of Rennemoulin (see post) off the D307 and very picturesque horse country today.  At the beginning by 1038 ,this stream gave the name to Versailles because the lord of these lands was named Hugo de Versaillis.

The City of Saint Cyr on its history/heritage : https://www.saintcyr78.fr/mon-quotidien/decouvrir-saint-cyr-lecole/histoire-et-patrimoine/

My boys went to high school or lycée in the former town of Le Chesnay today its call Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt . The city is in a curve valley located at between 100 and 150 mètres  altitude, You see the Château du Haut Bel-Air, located at 156 rue de Versailles, was originally a fountain maker’s house, part of the hydraulics of the park of the Château de Versailles in connection with the Marly machine, which was sold as national property during the French revolution. Acquired in 1891 by Count Edmond de Martimprey, it remained in his family until 1947, when it was acquired by the city of Versailles to make it a holiday camp until its purchase by the city of Le Chesnay in 1981. The park is open to the public, but important my twins son private school was here !!! (see post).

The town of Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt on its heritage: https://www.lechesnay-rocquencourt.fr/Le-Patrimoine/304/

There you go folks, these are wonderful parts of my former region and department in my belle France. These villages have been criss cross but always worth coming back to them. Again, hope you have enjoy this post on my most beautiful villages of Île de France ,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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