Ile de France

The Ile de France, the inner part of the Paris basin, is the heartland of France, surrounded by the plains of Normandy, Champagne and Beauce and the district of Caux. Altogether 14 different historical territories form a girdle round Paris; and all the time the conurbation of Paris and its suburbs is reaching out ever farther into the open country which surrounds it.

The name of the Ile de France goes back to the 10th C., in the time of the Capetian kings, when the medieval counties in the region round Paris were united to form the duchy of Francia and later incorporated in the kingdom of France as the province of Ile de France. The province is now divided into the départements of Seine-et-Marne (chief town Melun), Yvelines (Versailles), Essonne (Evry), Hauts-de-Seine (Nanterre), Seine-St- Denis (Bobigny), Val-de-Marne (Créteil) and Val-d'Oise (Beauvais). The Ile de France is the area in France where the French language and French art and culture had their origin. In this region round the capital are a series of splendid Châteaux (Versailles, Fontainebleau and Compiègne being the best known) set in beautiful parks, great forests like those of Fontainebleau, Compiègne, Rambouillet and Chantilly, and such magnificent churches and cathedrals as those of Chartres, St- Denis and Senlis.

Although visitors will be mainly interested in sights such as these, they will discover that agriculture and industry are also important elements in the life of the Ile de France. Since 1965 five new towns (villes nouvelles) - Cergy-Pontoise, Evry, St-Quentin-en- Yvelines, Marne- la-Vallée and Melun-Sénart - have been established to relieve the pressure on Paris. These futuristic examples of modern town planning have appeared on the map only since the 1970s. The best known of the architects responsible for these developments are Manolo Nuñes and Ricardo Bofill.

The Valois district is traditionally the home of archery. The Forest of Fontainebleau offers scope for rock climbing among other activities. There are plenty of opportunities for riding in the forests, and there are horse shows and other events at Barbizon, Chantilly, Compiègne and Fontainebleau, and racecourses at Chantilly, Maisons- Laffitte and St-Cloud (flat racing), Vincennes (trotting), Enghien (steeplechasing), Compiègne, Fontainebleau and Rambouillet. The Seine and its tributaries offer facilities for water sports - rowing at Lagny, sailing at Draveil, Les Mureaux, Poissy, St-Fargeau, Ponthierry, Triel and Villennes-sur-Seine. Fishing is available in the rivers and lakes.