The department of the Val-de-Marne in the Ile-de-France is the largest of the departments of the ëPetite Couronne', the ring of departments immediately surrounding Paris, with an area of 145 km_ and a population of over 1.2 million.
In the XIXth century, while the Seine valley was being transformed by the twin processes of industrialisation and galloping urbanisation, the Marne retained its own special character and became a base for the increasingly popular leisure activities of the age.
The proximity of Paris, the desire to breathe fresh clean air, the riverside entertainment (café-restaurants and ëguinguettes', bathing and boating...), the pleasures of eating and drinking, picturesque settings such as the islands in the Marne, all combined with the growth in public transport to attract huge numbers of Parisians, especially the city-dwelling middle-classes, to the original sites inspired by the Art Nouveau movement.
The vogue for the Banks of the Marne brought with it restaurants, waterside café-restaurants ëguinguettes' and dance-halls, as well as boathouses and associations for lovers of water sports and bathing, many of which are still there to this day.
Famous painters, such as Pissaro, (Bac de La Varenne), Cézanne, (Pont de Créteil), Utrillo and Brayer captured for future generations the popularity and the beauty of the Banks of the Marne.
Pathé and Lumière found, in Vincennes in 1898 and then in Joinville-le-Pont in 1912, the ideal locations for the rapid development of the cinema industry.
Nowadays the natural environment of the Val-de-Marne offers a wide range of opportunities for recreation and leisure, thanks to the conservation and development policies that have been followed.
With 15 km of the Seine and 24 km of the Marne running through the department, the Val-de-Marne can well justify its image as ëthe department of water'. Its landscapes, flora and fauna are exceptional and form an immense reservoir of possibilities for leisure activities.
On walks around the Val-de-Marne, visitors will encounter numerous infrastructures of all kinds associated with water, such as bridges, aqueducts, wells, fountains, wash-houses, weirs and locks, as well as the Canal de Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (1808 to 1822) and the Canal de Saint-Maurice (1848 to 1864).
The economics of the past, based on a strong industrial tradition, have had a profound impact on urban areas, where the architectural heritage is an indicator of the progress of industrial development. The Val-de-Marne is also the department in the Ile-de-France with the largest number of family allotments.
With Orly international airport, three motorways leading eventually to Germany, Italy and Spain, and a very dense public transport network, the Val-de-Marne possesses transport infrastructures offering rapid access to and from major French cities and the leading countries in Europe.
Marne
( 51 )
Clévacances spring offer : a week for 200 €
From may 24 to may 31, low prices in this holyday rental : 200 €
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Mayenne
( 53 )
Finally in Mayenne, the visitors spend good moments, in family or with friends, far from the stress and the congestions, in a department which offers quite simply happiness at every moment. You will take again a little happiness, won't you ?...
Destination:
Val de Marne
