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 SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE
is the easiest town to reach from Paris. A simple RER line brings in a jiffy to
this place of Royal retreat and now a wealthy bourgeois suburb.
It's mainly the forest around Saint-Germain en Laye, which was a privileged
hunting area fro the kings of France. The ancient enter town developed around
the chateau and in the 17th century, the high aristocracy started to build a lot
of hotels particuliers. 1837: the railway stretched to Saint-Germain. You can
guess what happens: the bourgeoisie stormed the place and made it the favourite
"out of town" resort of that epoch. The latest blow to its relative
solitude was given in 1972 with the arrival of the RER. AZ new residential town
was born.
Now, people come to Saint-Germain to visit the chateau and to walk in the
forest. But around the old fortress, the old quarters are still areas to
discover. The charm of its street is mainly die to the diversity of the habitat
and the heavy doors of the ancient hotels particuliers, housing often
magnificent staircases our secret gardens. It's also a very commercial and very
animated, busy city. Numerous boutiques are open on Sunday and there is also a
market.
Saint-Germain en Laye is located 23 km of Paris. RER line A 1, count 25-30 min
journey.
By car: take the autoroute de l'Ouest, exit Versailles Ouest, the N 186 for
Marly-le-Roi and Saint-Germain.
Francois I, moving on a chateau that was built initially in the 12th century
by Louis le Gros, will be very quickly displeased of the chateau, not being
luxurious enough for his taste. When you're too rich you get spoiled ;-). He
reconstructed it, (the lovely chapel still remains today). Royal residence until
1632, the chateau (called today, chateau Vieux) houses the "Musée des
Antiquités Nationales today". From the CHATEAU NEUF, built by Henri II at
the end of the 16th century, almost nothing remains, except some vestiges we a
can visit, like some ramps, the Pavillon Sully au Pecq, the pavillon Henri IV,
located in the park. Numerous changments, transformations and renovation works
turned it into a. …restaurant.
Despite the diverse and successive transformations, the remaining building still
keeps, its massive aspect of a medieval fortress, , that once needed 3,000
persons for its defence. But when kings were fed up with playing war games, they
wanted an agreeable palace. So, Henri II commissioned architect Philibert
Delorme to build the Chateau Neuf. When Henri IV will occupies it he introduces
automats for his personal distraction, and water fountains, designed by Italian
engineers, who will do the Same, later, in Versailles. The royal court, running
away from the capital's hectic sought refuge in Saint-Germain, settling or in
the chateau Vieux or chateau Neuf.
By the way, do you know that Louis XIV, the future "Roi-Soleil" was
born in this chateau on the 5th September 1638? And that Louis XIII died here?
And that Marie Stuart, future queen of Scotland, lived and played here a great
part of her childhood (from 6-16 years)? We all know what happened to her. She
married the dauphin Francois and became queen of France. When her husband died
in Amboise a few years later she returned to her native country where her tragic
destiny catched up with her and led her to the to the scaffold, by order of
queen Elisabeth I, queen of England.
Bibliography
The Lives of the Kings and Queens of France, by De Castries- Epitaph for Kings,
by Sanche de Gramont- De Saint-Germain en Laye á Marne-la-Vallée, by Claude
Bordas- La Cour des Stuarts á Saint-Germain-en-Laye au temps de Louis XIV , by
J. Lepoirier
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