Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Encyclopedia
The Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye or Forêt de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, is a dominial forest of 35 km² in area which lies in a meander
of the River Seine
, France. Situated 20 km West of Paris
, between Saint-Germain-en-Laye
, Maisons-Laffitte
, Achères
and Poissy
, It is situated entirely within the commune of Saint-Germain. Essentially composed of oak
(53 %) and beech
(18 %), it is now a forest
bordered by built up areas and divided by communication links: route nationales
, A14
and the railway line from Paris
to Caen
.
The Fête des Loges is, every year, organised in an open space near Saint-Germain.
. Henry IV
and Louis XIII of France
often used the forest for fox hunting
. Louis XIV also walked the forest and hired an architect, André Le Nôtre
, to build a terrace bordering the forest dominating the valley of the River Seine
in 1663. He also built a high wall, finished by Napoléon, encircling the forest to prevent game
from escaping the woods. After the abandonment of the forest of Saint-Germain in 1682 by Louis XIV, Charles X
resumed the hunting tradition of Saint-Germain. Napoléon III purchased land to the South to link the forest of Saint-Germain with the Forest of Marly. The arrival of the railway in 1835, then the development of the car, considerably increased use of the forest.
Since the middle of the 19th century, the forest has lost 8 km² of its surface area.
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
of the River Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
, France. Situated 20 km West of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, between Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
, Maisons-Laffitte
Maisons-Laffitte
Maisons-Laffitte is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris from the center....
, Achères
Achères, Yvelines
Achères is a commune in the Yvelines department in north-central France. It is located from the center of Paris.The commune of Achères lies on the south bank of the Seine in a loop of the river, on the edge of the Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye...
and Poissy
Poissy
Poissy is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center.In 1561 it was the site of a fruitless Catholic-Huguenot conference, the Colloquy at Poissy...
, It is situated entirely within the commune of Saint-Germain. Essentially composed of oak
Sessile Oak
Quercus petraea , the Sessile Oak, also known as the Durmast Oak, is a species of oak native to most of Europe, and into Anatolia.-Description:...
(53 %) and beech
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
(18 %), it is now a forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
bordered by built up areas and divided by communication links: route nationales
Route nationale (France)
A route nationale, or simply nationale, is a trunk road in France. Trunk roads are in France are important roads which cross broad portions of the French territory, as opposed to secondary or communal roads who only serve local areas....
, A14
A14 autoroute
The autoroute A14 is an autoroute in the western suburbs of Paris, France.The motorway starts at La Défense in Hauts-de-Seine and ends at Orgeval in Yvelines. The A14 was built to relieve the congested A13 between Paris and Normandy. The A14, opened in 1996, is operated by the Société des...
and the railway line from Paris
Gare Saint-Lazare
Paris Saint-Lazare is one of the six large terminus train stations of Paris. It is the second busiest in Paris, behind the Gare du Nord, handling 274,000 passengers each day.-History:...
to Caen
Gare de Caen
Caen, Gare de l'Ouest or Gare Calvados, is the main and now only station serving the city of Caen. The station stands on the main line from Paris to Cherbourg and although it mainly is an intercity station many regional trains use the station. Typical services link Caen to Lisieux, Evreux, Paris,...
.
The Fête des Loges is, every year, organised in an open space near Saint-Germain.
History
The Forest of Laye is a relic of the ancient Forest of Yveline. Very early it became a royal domain and hunting grounds of the Kings of France who resided at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-LayeChâteau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the département of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale ....
. Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
and Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
often used the forest for fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
. Louis XIV also walked the forest and hired an architect, André Le Nôtre
André Le Nôtre
André Le Nôtre was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France...
, to build a terrace bordering the forest dominating the valley of the River Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
in 1663. He also built a high wall, finished by Napoléon, encircling the forest to prevent game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
from escaping the woods. After the abandonment of the forest of Saint-Germain in 1682 by Louis XIV, Charles X
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
resumed the hunting tradition of Saint-Germain. Napoléon III purchased land to the South to link the forest of Saint-Germain with the Forest of Marly. The arrival of the railway in 1835, then the development of the car, considerably increased use of the forest.
Since the middle of the 19th century, the forest has lost 8 km² of its surface area.
- In 1811 the Légion d'Honneur camp was built.
- In 1856, Napoléon III built a 0.25 km² large firing range.
- In 1971, the French Army built a military base extending the firing range by 0.6 km². The camp des Loges now occupies 0.5 km².
- In 1889, the City of ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
purchased 4.3 km² to the North of Achères to install a sewage system; the site is now home to the largest sewage plant in Île-de-FranceÎle-de-France (région)Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
. - In 1882, the Achères marshalling yard as well as an engine shedEngine shedEngine shed may refer to:* Engine shed, also called a motive power depot or roundhouse, a structure used for the maintenance of railway locomotives.* Engine Shed , a music and entertainment venue on the University of Lincoln's campus....
were built in the heart of the forest. - The A14A14 autorouteThe autoroute A14 is an autoroute in the western suburbs of Paris, France.The motorway starts at La Défense in Hauts-de-Seine and ends at Orgeval in Yvelines. The A14 was built to relieve the congested A13 between Paris and Normandy. The A14, opened in 1996, is operated by the Société des...
motorwayAutoroutes of FranceThe Autoroute system in France consists largely of toll roads, except around large cities and in parts of the north. It is a network of worth of motorways. Autoroute destinations are shown in blue, while destinations reached through a combination of autoroutes are shown with an added autoroute logo...
was opened in 1996. The then president of France, François MitterrandFrançois MitterrandFrançois Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
, forced the builders to bury 1.5 km of the motorway in a tunnel and prevented the construction of a motorway exit intended to serve the city of Saint-Germain in order to reduce traffic in the forest.